Best of GW Faculty Lectures

Saturday, October 17, 11am - 1pm | Various Locations

Immerse yourself in the GW classroom experience at our Best of GW lectures. Join our world-renowned faculty for our most engaging, student-favorite lectures. We've got a fantastic lineup of lectures planned - everyone is welcome to attend any lecture, regardless of school. 
 

11am Lectures

• Power Mentoring: Why Mentorship Is The Most Powerful Tool in Our Arsenal Today (GW Business)

  • Featuring Kathy Korman Frey, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Women's Leadership, and Managing Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence at GW Business

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am - 12pm | Kendall Auditorium, Room 151, Duquès Hall, 2201 G Street, NW
  • Discover how mentoring can accomplish a surprising array of benefits ranging from increased self-efficacy (a critical type of self-confidence) to increased pay. Mentors will walk away with research-backed information on the role they have played for others and inspiration to keep paying it forward. Mentees will walk away with an understanding of the critical nature of mentoring from their mental health to their career success, plus an overview of how to put a plan in action. The session will include interactive “Million Dollar Mentoring” breakouts, so drink your coffee!

• The Human Edge — Why Leadership Matters More as the Tech Gets Smarter (College of Professional Studies)

  • Featuring Dr. Natalie Houghtby-Haddon, Director, The Center for Excellence in Public Leadership;

  • Dr. Ina Gjikondi, Director, Learning Innovation & Strategic Growth;

  • Dr. Connie Uthoff, Faculty Director, Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management and the Executive MPS in Transformational Leadership in Cybersecurity

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am | Room 114, Smith Hall, 801 22nd Street, NW
  • Smarter tools don't make leadership less important — they raise the stakes on getting the human part right. Drawing on cutting-edge work in AI and leadership development, this conversation explores how executives and public-sector leaders are meeting a moment of extraordinary technological change, and why judgment, trust, and character are becoming a leader's sharpest edge. A conversation about how this community is preparing leaders for what's next.

• The History We Were Never Taught: Five Myths About Early America (Columbian College)

  • Featuring David J. Silverman, Professor of History

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am | Rome Hall, Room 350, 801 22nd St NW, 801 22nd Street, NW
  • Join Professor Silverman as he challenges five commonly held myths about America’s colonial past. Drawing on his extensive research on Native American, colonial, and racial history, Professor Silverman will revisit familiar stories about the founding of America and examine the people, conflicts, relationships, and historical realities that are often left out.

• Mapping Urban Environmental Risks (Elliott School)

  • Featuring Dr. David Rain, Associate Professor of Geography and International Affairs and Chair of the Department of Geography and Environment

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am - 11:30am | Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213, 1957 E Street, NW
  • Professor Rain will discuss his recently published book, Mapping Urban Environmental Risks Using Open Source GIS. From flooding and extreme heat to fire and water scarcity, cities around the world face increasingly complex environmental risks shaped by local geography. Professor Rain’s book demonstrates how tools such as open-source geographic information systems (GIS) and freely available spatial data can help communities map and better understand these threats. 

• Explaining Different Tastes in Political Humor (Graduate School of Political Management)

  • Featuring Dr. Todd Belt, Professor of Political Management

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am | Room 359, Duquès Hall, 2201 G Street, NW
  • Why do Democrats and Republicans have different tastes in humor? Is it the media bubbles in which they live, the way they look at the world, or something else? This lecture uncovers the mystery. Disclaimer: This lecture may contain material that some individuals find offensive, which is entirely the point.

• Do We Need To Put Protein In That? (Milken Institute School of Public Health)

  • Featuring Dr. Matthew Barberio, Ph.D FACSM, Associate Professor of Exercise and Nutrition Science; Interim Vice Chair for Academics; Director, BS Exercise Science Program   

  • Saturday, October 17, 11am - 12pm | Convening Center, Milken Institute School of Public Health, 950 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
  • Protein is showing up in everything from cereal and coffee to snacks and desserts. What is driving this trend, and does adding protein to these foods offer potentially meaningful health benefits? Dr. Barberio will examine the science behind protein needs and claims about protein-enriched products, then consider what the trend  might mean for food choices and public health.

11:30am Lectures

• The Cold War in Germany: The Berlin Wall and East Germany’s Border at the Baltic Sea (Elliott School)

  • Featuring Dr. Hope M. Harrison, Professor of History and International Affairs 

  • Saturday, October 17, 11:30am - 12pm | Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213, 1957 E Street, NW
  • This lecture will highlight some things you may not know about the Berlin Wall and about communist East Germany’s efforts to control its border on the Baltic Sea. Professor Harrison has written three books about the Berlin Wall and now is writing a book on East Germany's Baltic Sea border.

12pm Lectures

• How to Achieve Sustainable Development (Elliott School)

  • Featuring Dr. Samuel T. Ledermann, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the ESIA Global Capstone Program

  • Saturday, October 17, 12 - 12:30pm | Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213, 1957 E Street, NW
  • Professor Ledermann will discuss his recent book, How to Achieve Sustainable Development: Local Actions for Global Change, which examines how to leverage the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create sustained change. Written for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, instructors, and changemakers, the book offers curated resources, discussion prompts, and practical tools for driving real-world sustainable development beyond the present for future generations.