Lecture Series: Past Events

Join Rob Boston the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (RVUUF) Hall, 87 4th St in Ashland, for his assessment of politics and the separation of church and state in difficult times. Separation of church and state is under sustained attack from the White House, in the halls of Congress, in state legislatures and even from many pulpits. Rob will examine what’s at stake in the ongoing struggle to maintain Thomas Jefferson’s wall of separation. He will also outline the benefits of church-state separation and consider the question of what a society based on truly secular government and values would look like.

Lawrence Krauss, renowned theoretical physicist, author, and public intellectual, will speak on November 9th, 7 PM, at SOU's Rogue River Room of the Stevenson Union on fundamental questions such as, “How did the Universe Begin? How will it End? Are we Alone? Are there other Universes?” and other less grand but no less interesting questions such as “Do Black Holes Exist?” Dr. Krauss will outline how these questions are now accessible, at least in principle, to experiment and observation, and in some cases we have come very close to answering them.

Dr. Krauss will give a second lecture at 7 PM November 10th in Room 151 of SOU's Science Building, titled "The Greatest Story Ever Told...So far" in which he describes the scientific adventure from Plato through the discovery of the Higgs boson. It is a tale ripe with drama and surprise. and allows us to explore the hallmarks of what makes up good science and good scientific discoveries.

Nationally-known magician and skeptic, Dr. Ray Hyman, will speak Monday, October 13th, 7-9 PM at ScienceWorks’ SciTheater to demonstrate how smart scientists can go badly astray when confronted with psychic claims. As a cognitive psychologist, Ray Hyman finds it fascinating to study the workings of mind by examining thinking at its best and at its worst. He focuses on scientists who both succeeded in their chosen field of science and lost their way when evaluating psychic assertions. ScienceWorks is located at 1500 E. Main St. in Ashland. Students free, others $10.

Join The Jefferson Center to hear Frank Schaefer present a fascinating talk on the origins of the Religious Right, its inner workings and malevolent influence on American politics, as well as his journey growing up in, and then leaving the Religious Right establishment. Question and answer time after the formal talk, and the author will be available for signature of selected books. Thursday October 17 at 7pm in the Meese Room, #305 on the third floor of Hannon Library on the Southern Oregon University campus, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, Oregon. Free to students with I.D. or $10 at the door.