Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter, The George Washington University

05/09/2020

Art + Science in early America: The Smithsonian American Art Museum's new exhibit on Alexander von Humboldt is literally fantastic--showing his profound influence on early American art and science, with admirers ranging from Thomas Jefferson to Frederick Douglass. While covid19 has delayed its opening, you can see a deep introductory tour of it by curator Eleanor Harvey. Check it out! You'll learn a lot in just 30 minutes:

This exhibition reveals how the influential naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) shaped American perceptions of nature and the way Amer...

05/01/2020

Dolly Parton believes in science.

Parton said she'll donate $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for coronavirus research.

02/23/2020

Science is telling us things we don't want to hear. But we need to listen.

Taken just nine days apart, two images illustrate the impact a recent warm period had on the Antarctic Peninsula. NASA says such warmth "has become more common in recent years."

12/30/2019

THIS is what a Liberal Arts education is all about: "Being uncomfortable is KEY in this world of ours. Not altogether different from the world of special operations, where the work needs to be done, regardless of weather or personal feelings. The climate in this educational institution is one where most students understand that there HAS to be a place where people can assault ideas openly and discuss them vigorously and respectfully in order to improve the state of humanity. I’ll call that a “safe space” and I’m glad those places exist."

At 52, I was accepted to Yale as a freshman. The students I met there surprised me.

09/04/2019

Lol scientists! But seriously, this thing . . .

There's another critter living inside.

03/22/2018

Arts & Sciences education WORKS, according to a new Google internal study.

What skills matter? The ability to work with others, think critically and be a lifelong learner​.

02/24/2018

Informal surveys in my first-year writing courses confirms this.

Students told researchers they preferred and performed better when reading on screens. But their actual performance tended to suffer.

10/31/2017

Interesting study on stereotype bias and how a writing exercise can help address it.

Think about the things that are important to you. Perhaps you care about creativity, family relationships, your career, or having a sense of humour. Pick two or three of these values and write a few sentences about why they are important to you. You have fifteen minutes. It could change your life. T...

09/29/2017

This from the PBK National: On Tuesday October 3, Phi Beta Kappa Secretary/CEO Fred Lawrence and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Marimow will speak on "The Contours of Free Expression on Campus" at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). The event is presented by Bridging Divides: Higher Education’s Role in Advancing Understanding and Promoting a Just Society and co-sponsored by the Trinity College Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

The Society will stream the event from this page at the appointed time. Interested in further reading? See Secretary Lawrence’s article in AAC&U’s Liberal Education on “The Contours of Free Expression.” Following the event, the Society will make a recorded version available for those who are not able to join the live event.

09/08/2017

Haha! We need them both: Arts *and* Sciences!