James Kasting, author of How to Find a Habitable Planet, will be speaking at the Christopher Ingold Chemistry Lecture Theatre on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 5:30 pm. A wine reception and book signing will follow the lecture. This event is free to attend, but please register tickets at: www.eventbrite.com/event/2278312494

“In their 2000 book, Rare Earth, Peter Ward and Don Brownlee argue that complex life (i.e., animal life) is rare in our galaxy for a variety of reasons, some of which are based on the idea that habitable planets are themselves rare. Possible reasons for this include: 1) Plate tectonics (possibly necessary to stabilize planetary climates) is rare; 2) large moons (possibly necessary to stabilize planetary obliquities) are rare; 3) magnetic fields (possibly necessary to retain atmospheres) are rare; 4) the Sun is anomalously metal-rich; 5) Jupiter-sized outer planets (possibly necessary to protect the Earth from frequent large impacts) are rare. In my talk, I will review these Rare Earth arguments and show that most, or all, of them are less troubling than Ward and Brownlee supposed. Despite this, perhaps there are other factors that could make habitable planets scarce. But this should not discourage us from building the types of large space telescopes required to actually answer this question.”

Olivier Zunz, author of Philanthropy in America, will be speaking at Zócalo Public Square on January 17th at the Goethe-Institut of Los Angeles:

“Charity has been around for as long as humankind, but philanthropy as we know it is much younger. Launched by titans like Andrew Carnegie and enshrined in the U.S. tax code, philanthropy in America is big business—as well-funded, by some measurements, as the Pentagon. While non-political in principle, philanthropy strongly influences politics and public policy, and government views the nonprofit sector as both a partner and a competitor. But is the sway of philanthropy good for society? Or are charities just one more way for the contributors to achieve their agendas? University of Virginia historian Olivier Zunz, author of Philanthropy in America: A History, visits Zócalo to explore the origins of modern American philanthropy—and whether its power is a good thing.”

More information can be found at the Zócalo Public Square website, and feel free to RSVP to the Facebook event!

Congratulations to Edwidge Danticat, author of Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work, who has been honored with the 2011 Langston Hughes Medal from City College of New York. The award recognizes the body of Danticat’s work.

“The Langston Hughes Medal is awarded to highly distinguished writers from throughout the African American diaspora for their distinguished contributions to the arts and letters. Among past recipients of this award are James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Cade Bambara, Paule Marshall, Toni Morrison, Ralph W. Ellison, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, August Wilson, Chinua Achebe, Derek Walcott, and Octavia Butler, to name a few.”

Here is a video of a Q&A with the author at the 2011 Langston Hughes Festival:

Check out this video of Robert Frank’s 11/10 LSE Lecture on his new book: The Darwin Economy: liberty, competition, and the common good. The book’s Facebook page is updated regularly with news, clippings, and author videos!

Michael Nielsen, author of “Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science,” will be participating in a TEDx “Salon” at the Princeton Public Library on November 30th. Participants will examine how the online world is revolutionizing scientific discovery today–and why the revolution is just beginning.

The $25 registration fee includes dessert and a copy of “Reinventing Discovery.”

Purchase your tickets online here!

On November 16th, Olivier Zunz will be discussing “Philanthropy in America: A History” at the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C.:

A new book by historian Olivier Zunz, Philanthropy in America, takes an engaging look at the development of philanthropy in the United States during the twentieth-century. Ira Katznelson of Columbia University writes:

This beautifully crafted book, by master historian Olivier Zunz, transforms our understanding of American civil society. Zunz compellingly traces the often auspicious, yet sometimes troublesome relationships that bind government to philanthropy, money to responsibility, and charitable decisions to social reform and democratic performance. Anyone interested in U.S. politics and society will want to engage with this riveting narrative.

This book will be the focus of a panel discussion on November 16th, featuring author Olivier Zunz; John Tyler of the Kauffman Foundation; Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow Michael Edwards; and Bard College Professor Ellen Lagemann. Hudson Institute’s William Schambra will moderate the discussion. Lunch will be served.

Dr. Leora Batnitzky, author of “How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought” will be giving a lecture tomorrow night at Drexel University.

If you happen to be in Princeton tomorrow, please come out to see theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey discuss his new book SOUL DUST: The Magic of Consciousness at the Princeton Public Library at 7:00 PM.

The New York Times Book Review says:
” Soul Dust, Nicholas Humphrey’s new book about consciousness, is seductive–early 1960s, ‘Mad Men’ seductive. His writing is as elegant, and hypnotic, as that cool jazz stacked on the record player. His argument feels as crystalline and bracing as that double martini going down, though you might find yourself a little woozy afterward. And his tone is as warm and inviting as that big, crackling fire, even if the dim flicker does leave things a bit obscure in the corners.”
– Alison Gopnik

Ian Goldin, author of Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future, will be speaking at Blackwell Bookshop on Thursday 13th October at 7pm.

Exceptional People: How Migration Defined our World and Will Define Our Future offers a history of migration, from man’s earliest wanderings in Africa to the present day. Goldin points out that it is odd that there is no global body to oversee the movement of people, as there is with finance and trade. More surprisingly, he also argues that a ‘tipping point’ will be reached soon, which could shift the political debate. Future policies, for good or ill, will dramatically determine whether societies can effectively reap migration’s opportunities while managing the risks of the twenty-first century.

For more information please contact Blackwell’s on +44 (0)1865 792792

If you are in the New York City area this Monday, October 3, please come out to the Amercan Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium to see author and astronomer Ray Jayawardhana discuss his new book STRANGE NEW WORLDS: The Search for Alien Planets and life beyond Our Solar System. The event begins at 7:30 PM for the Hayden’s renowned Fronters in Astrophysics lecture series.

To whet your appetite, check out Ray’s recent talk at Google below.

Author Howard Wainer
Event Dates: September 14, 2011 – 7:00pm
Location
Princeton Public Library, Community Room
65 Witherspoon Street
Princeton, NJ

“Uneducated Guesses: Using Evidence to Uncover Misguided Education Policies”

A distinguished research scientist at the National Board of Medical Examiners and adjunct professor of statistics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Wainer was principal research scientist at Educational Testing Service for 21 years. His book uses statistical evidence to show why some of the most widely held beliefs in education today, and the policies that have resulted from them, are wrong.

Part of the Thinking Allowed series sponsored by the library and Princeton University Press.

it is easy to see why PUP boasts one of the most exciting social sciences publishing programs. Come meet Eric Schwartz at Booth 205 to learn more about our catalog of books and how to publish with us!