In Short, Harvard Thinks Big

This evening’s third annual Harvard Thinks Big draws inspiration from the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences, celebrated for gathering some of the world’s most brilliant names in different fields to share their big passions in short lectures. What follows is the participating professors’ previews of their ten-minute speeches: transformative ideas encapsulated in only one sentence.

Stephen J. Greenblatt, Professor of the Humanities

“I’ll be talking about radical innovation in the arts, with Hamlet as my principal example.”

Nicholas A. Christakis, Professor of Sociology and Pforzheimer House Master

“I will be speaking about how and why human social networks are like carbon.”

Douglas A. Melton, Professor in the Natural Sciences and Elliot Housemaster

“I will speak on the new biology of stem cells and prospects for enhancing the human condition.

Donhee Ham,  Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering

“I will talk about ‘broken symmetry,’ and that’s pretty much what I can tell at this point.”

Kaia Stern, Lecturer on Ethics at the Divinity School

“My talk is called ‘Act Big: Dare to See,’ and I will focus on the ways we exclude certain members of our society, are blind to the ways we are connected, and are unaware of our power as agents of change.”

Eleanor R. Duckworth, Professor of Education

“I want to let people know they are lucky to teach.”

Daniel E. Lieberman ‘86, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology

“I haven’t anything profound to say, other than I am looking forward to the chance to participate, and I am taking the assignment of  ‘thinking big’ very seriously and perhaps a little too literally.”

Jill M. Lepore, Professor of American History

“Nothing is bigger than the past.”