Emily Reichert, Ph.D.
Emily Reichert is the CEO of Greentown Labs, one of the largest and fastest-growing clean technology startup incubators on the East Coast. Dr. Reichert, who earned her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, was the Lorax Speaker for this year’s Earth Day assembly. Businesses that have evolved from Greentown Labs’ Somerville prototyping and office space have created innovative and practical environmental solutions, such as the first fully functional airborne wind turbine and an unmanned “robot boat” that records ocean data and analytics. Dr. Reichert spoke about...
Read MoreDost Öngür, M.D.
Dr. Dost Öngür, chief of the Psychotic Disorders Division at McLean Hospital, was the 2016 Science Assembly Speaker. Noting the stigmas associated with mental illness, Dr. Öngür described mental illness as a public health issue affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. Dr. Öngür is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of more than 80 articles on the neurobiology of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Dr. Öngür’s research, using brain-imaging techniques to study chemical abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is...
Read MoreLisa Miller, Ph.D.
A professor of psychology and education, Dr. Lisa Miller ’84, this year’s Class of 1952 Speaker for Religious Understanding, described the connection between happiness and spirituality among children and adolescents. Such spirituality may come from organized religion, nature, or an activity like yoga or music. Dr. Miller directs the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University Teachers College and founded the Spiritual Mind Body Institute—the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. Her innovative research into the quantifiable effects of spirituality on...
Read MoreArmond James
Armond James encouraged students to learn from their failures and spend time outside their comfort zones, urging them to become involved in politics. Mr. James—a 2014 congressional candidate for Pennsylvania and teacher in the Philadelphia public school system—visited campus in honor of Black History Month, sponsored by the student club Onyx. Mr. James was born and raised in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, and credits his parents for providing him a strong foundation, and teaching him about hard work, respect and the importance of education. Mr. James graduated from Temple...
Read MoreLynsey Addario
Lynsey Addario Award-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario was both the Margo Johnson Lecturer and Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist this fall. Ms. Addario won the Overseas Press Club’s Award for Veiled Rebellion, which documents the plight of women in Afghanistan. She was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, and in 2009 she was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for her photographs of “Talibanistan.” In 2015, American Photo magazine named her one of the five most influential photographers of the past 25 years. Ms. Addario is the author of the...
Read MoreTravis Roy
Travis Roy Twenty years ago, Travis Roy became paralyzed from the neck down when he hit the boards 11 seconds into his first college hockey game. Mr. Roy spoke impassionedly to students about setting goals, meeting challenges, showing respect, and the power of love. He established the Travis Roy Foundation in 1997, to help spinal cord injury survivors and to fund research toward developing a cure. He is the author of Eleven Seconds, and he travels the country sharing his story and message with audiences of all ages. “There are times in life when we choose challenges and set goals, and there...
Read More