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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 27th, 2014

First, droughts all over the world are driving the prices of food and costing jobs as farmers are forced to cut crops from water shortages.  [ dur: 16 mins. ]

  • Lynn Ingram, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at University of California, Berkeley. She is the co-author of The West without Water: What Past Floods, Droughts, and Other Climatic Clues Tell Us about Tomorrow.

Then, a conversation between four Nobel Laureates about science and society, and the importance of public education. Hosted by UC Berkeley. [ dur: 44 mins. ]

  • Randy W. Schekman, professor of molecular and cell biology, won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in revealing the machinery that regulates the transport and secretion of proteins in our cells.
  • Saul Perlmutter, professor of physics and a faculty senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), led one of two teams that simultaneously discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe and was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
  • George Smoot, professor of physics and an astrophysicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), led a team that obtained the first images of the infant universe ” findings that confirmed the predictions of the Big Bang theory ” and was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics.
  • Daniel L. McFadden, professor of economics, was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economics for his development of statistical methods relating to the economic theory of “discrete choice,” tools that have been used to determine how people and organizations make choices from a distinct set of alternatives.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 20th, 2014

First, planet earth is facing a sixth extinction. Can humanity rescue the planet that it has imperiled? [ dur: 30 mins. ]

  • Annalee Newitz is journalist and author of Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction. She is the founding editor of the science and science fiction website i09.com.
  • Elizabeth Kolbert is a staff member at The New Yorker. She is the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change, and her latest book The Sixth Extinction.

Then, on the Scholar’s Circle panel, we look at genocides. What are the causes and how we can prevent it. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Ben Kiernan is Whitney Griswold Professor of History and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. He is the author of, Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur, and The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79.
  • Alex Hinton is Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights, and Professor of Anthropology and Global Affairs at Rutgers University. He is the author of, Why Did They Kill?: Cambodia in the Shadow of Genocide, and is the editor of Genocide: Truth, Memory, and Representation (The Cultures and Practice of Violence), and Annihilating Difference: The Anthropology of Genocide.
  • Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is the author of, Zero Degrees of Empathy, and he is the editor of Understanding Other Minds: Perspectives from developmental social neuroscience, and The Maladapted Mind: Classic Readings in Evolutionary Psychopathology.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 13th, 2014

Scientists are saying the earth is changing more rapidly than we expected. Ecosystems are shifting and some species are dying out. What exactly is occurring and where are we headed? We speak with Larry Schweiger. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Larry Schweiger is president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest conservation organization. Author of Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth

On the Scholars’ Circle panel, the global refugee crisis has reached epic proportions with tens of millions being forced from their homes. We’ll explore what can be done. [ dur: 31 mins. ]

  • Elizabeth Ferris is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy and co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement in Washington, D.C., where her work encompasses a wide range of issues related to internal displacement, humanitarian action, natural disasters and climate change. She is the author of, The Politics of Protection:The Limits of Humanitarian Action.
  • Karen Musalo is clinical professor of law at UC Hastings College of Law. and is founding Director of the Center of Gender and Refugee. She was the lead attorney of the landmark case, Matter of Kasinga. She is the co-author of Do They Hear When You Cry, and Refugee Law and Policy: A Comparative and International Approach
  • Dr. Gilbert M. Burnham is the co-director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response at Johns Hopkins. He has extensive experience in emergency preparedness and response. He has worked with numerous humanitarian and health development programs for multilateral and non-governmental organizations, regional health departments, ministries of health (national and district level), and communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. A major current activity is the reconstruction of health services in Afghanistan.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- April 6th, 2014

First, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide (April 7), we revisit the tragedy with Senator Romeo Dallaire who witnessed the atrocities first-hand. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

  • Senator Romeo Dallaire is the author of, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda and They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers.

Finally, the Syrian conflict has now taken more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 4 million people. We ll discuss the latest developments and possible solutions to the crisis. [ dur: 34 mins. ]

  • Fred Lawson is professor of Government , Mills College; He is the author of Global Security Watch – Syria and Why Syria Goes to War: Thirty Years of Confrontation (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)
  • Nader Hashemi is professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, University of Denver; He is the editor of The Syria Dilemma (Boston Review Books) and author of Islam, Secularism, and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies.
  • Dr. Marcie J. Patton is a Professor of Politics at Fairfield University. Her publications include, ”Turkey,” “AKP Reform Fatigue in Turkey: What’s happened to the EU process?” and “The Economic Policies of the AKP Government: Rabbits from a Hat?”

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- March 30th, 2014

First we launch the first in our new monthly series with Scientific American, Scholars Circle Scientific (SCSC), with highlights in science. [ dur: 13 mins. ]

  • Fred Guterl, Executive Editor, Scientific American;

Then, in the wake of the three year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster we speak with Edwin Lyman. [ dur: 13 mins. ]

  • Edwin Lyman is Senior Scientist with the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He is the co-author of, Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster.

Finally, the Crimea vote, was it self-determination or was it coercion? We explore autonomy, self-determination and ethnic conflict. [ dur: 32 mins. ]

  • Stefan Wolff is professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England, UK. He is the co-author of, Ethnic Conflict: Causes-Consequences-Responses, and the co-author of Autonomy, Self Governance and Conflict Resolution: Innovative approaches to Institutional Design in Divided Societies (Routledge Advances in International Relations and Global Pol) and Disputed Territories: The Transnational Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict Settlement (Studies in Ethnopolitics).
  • Hurst Hannum is professor of International Law at Tufts University. He is the author of, International Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy, and Practice, and co-author of Negotiating Self-Determination and Autonomy, Sovereignty, and Self-Determination: The Accommodation of Conflicting Rights (Procedural Aspects of International Law).
  • Steven Fish is a professor of political science at UC Berkeley and author of award-winning books including Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics and Democracy from Scratch: Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution (Princeton, 1995). He is coauthor of The Handbook of National Legislatures: A Global Survey (Cambridge, 2009) and Postcommunism and the Theory of Democracy (Princeton, 2001).

 

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- March 23rd, 2014

First, the underworld of organ trafficking. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

  • Nancy Scheper-Hughes, professor of anthropology at University of California, Berkeley, editor of Commodifying Bodies and author of Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology.
  • Art Caplan, professor and head of the division of Bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center and award-winning author of books including Applied Ethics in Mental Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Reader, Ethics and Organ Transplants, and Smart Mice, Not so Smart People.

Then, scientific discoveries about x and y chromosomes are challenging what we know about what makes us male or female. [ dur: 16mins. ]

  • Jeremy Nathans. Dr. Nathans is a professor of molecular biology and genetics, of neuroscience, and of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
  • Melissa Wilson Sayres, Miller Fellow at University of California, Berkley. Research interests are in sex chromosome evolution, sex-biased processes, population genetics, and comparative genomics. See her work here

Finally, revolutions are not what they used to be. How have they changed? We’ll explore revolutions in the 20th and 21st Century. [ dur: 32 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Leandro Vergara-Camus is professor at the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Land and Freedom, The MST, the Zapatistas and Peasant Alternatives to Neoliberalism.
  • John Foran is professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of, The Future of Revolutions: Re-thinking Radical Change in an Age of Globalization, and Taking Power: On the Origins of Revolutions in the Third World.
  • Jack A. Goldstone is Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. He is the author of Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World, REVOLUTIONS: A Very Short Introduction, and the co-editor of POLITICAL DEMOGRAPHY: How Population Changes are Reshaping International Security and National Politics. Editor of blog on the global economy and world politics at http://newpopulationbomb.com

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- March 16th, 2014

First, great steps in science are unraveling the mysteries of the mind and finding, what we thought was only science fiction, is reality. Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and cofounder of the String Field Theory. His latest book is, The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind. Part two of a two part interview. Part one can be found here . [ dur: 16 mins. ]

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, science contradicts long held societal myths about addiction. What are the most effective means of addressing it? [ dur: 42 mins. ]

  • Lance Dodes is former clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school. He is the author of The Heart of Addiction: A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviors, Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction and his latest, The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry
  • Jeffrey Foote is co-founder and executive director of the Center for Motivation and Change. He was previously Senior Research Associate at Columbia University and Deputy Director of Alcohol Treatment and Research at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. He is the co-author of Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change.
  • Adi Jaffe a lecturer at UCLA and Director of Research, Education and Innovation at Alternatives Addiction Treatment.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle Radio- March 9th, 2014

First, great steps in science are unraveling the mysteries of the mind and finding, what we thought was only science fiction, is reality. [ dur: 26 mins. ]

  • Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist , currently Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at the City College of New York and co-founder of String Field Theory. He is the author of numerous books including, Physics of the Impossible, Physics of the Future and his newest book The Future of the Mind.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, wildlife trafficking is putting some species to the brink of extinction. Can a recent international agreement stop this multibillion dollar industry? [ dur: 32 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • David S. Wilkie PhD is a wildlife ecologist specializing in human behavioral ecology and anthropology. He is the Director of Conservation Support at the Wildlife Conservation Society and Adjunct Associate Professor at Boston College, and formerly co-chair of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force. He has numerous scholarly publications and is a contributor to Huffington Post and LiveScience.
  • Tanya Wyatt PhD is lecturer of wildlife criminology at the University of Northumbria in the UK. She is the author of Green criminology & wildlife trafficking: the illegal fur and falcon trades in Russia Far East, and the book Wildlife Trafficking: A Deconstruction of the Crime, the Victims, and the Offenders (Critical Criminological Perspectives).
  • Marc Bekoff [ his blog ], is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. His books include The Emotional Lives of Animals, Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed: The Fascinating Science of Animal Intelligence, Emotions, Friendship, and Conservation, and has co-authored, Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- March 2nd, 2014

Power is shifting and changing hands more rapidly than ever. What does it mean for global politics, religion, and economies? [ dur: 24 mins. ]

  • Moises Naim, Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace, author of The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being In Charge Isn’t What It Used to Be.

On the Scholars’ Circle, what are the politics that are preventing the closure of Guantanamo Bay? What are the legal and diplomatic ramifications? [ dur: 34 mins. ]

  • David Glazier, professor of Law and fellow at Loyola Law School. Author of article: Playing by the rules: combating al Qaeda within the law of war.: An article from: William and Mary Law Review;
  • Jonathan Hafetz, professor of Law at Seton Hall University. Author of Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System and co-author of The Guantánamo Lawyers: Inside a Prison Outside the Law
  • Peter Jan Honisberg, professor of Law at University of San Francisco School of Law, Witness to Guantanamo. Co-author of Our Nation Unhinged: The Human Consequences of the War on Terror and author of Crossing Border Street: A Civil Rights Memoir

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Feb. 23rd, 2014

First, we look at a little known international bank that influences the world’s economy with Adam LeBor [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Adam LeBor is author and journalist. His is the author of, The Tower of Basil: The Shadowy History of the Secret Bank that Runs the World and The Believers: How America Fell for Bernie Madoff ‘s 65 Billion Investment Scam.

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, we look at the fast changing world of journalism and media, and what it means for governance and democracy. [ dur: 29 mins. ]

  • Victor Pickard is an Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the co-editor of, Will the Last Reporter Please Turn out the Lights: The Collapse of Journalism and What Can Be Done To Fix It, and was the lead author of the first comprehensive report on the American journalism crisis, Saving the News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy.
  • Benjamin Compaine is Director, Fellows Program at the Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and Lecturer, D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University. He is the author of, The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth?, Who Owns the Media?: Competition and Concentration in the Mass Media industry and editor of The Internet Upheaval: Raising Questions, Seeking Answers in Communications Policy.
  • James T. Hamilton is Hearst Professor of Communication and the Director of the Journalism Program at Stanford University. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, Hamilton taught at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he directed the De Witt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. He is the author of, All the News That’s Fit to Sell: How the Market Transforms Information into News, and Channeling Violence: The Economic Market for Violent Television Programming.

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