Barry McNamara  |  Published August 28, 2024

Great Lecture Series

The five talks by faculty members will again be part of Monmouth’s football Saturday events, starting Sept. 7 with Justin Swearinger.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Topics ranging from “the arts to the sciences” – or, specifically, from music to rocks from outer space and sourdough bread – are on tap for this year’s Great Lecture Series at Monmouth College.

The series features Monmouth faculty giving free public talks prior to home football games. The talks will typically be held Saturday mornings, but the Sept. 7 lecture will be presented at 4 p.m. because the Fighting Scots will host the second home night football game in program history, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

JANET UGOLINO: The neuroscience professor is coordinating the series this year. JANET UGOLINO: The neuroscience professor is coordinating the series this year.Neuroscience professor Janet Ugolino is the coordinator for this year’s series.

“I’m really excited about the Great Lecture Series this year,” she said. “We have speakers from across the disciplines – from the arts to the sciences – and it’s a great way to showcase the diverse expertise and interests of our faculty. It’s also an excellent opportunity for the community to experience what great faculty we have here at Monmouth College.”

The Sept. 7 lecture will feature music professor Justin Swearinger discussing “Music of Power, Personhood and Progress” in Hewes Library, which will be the site of four of the five talks in the series. The exception is the Oct. 26 talk, which will be given at 11 a.m. by chemistry professor Laura Moore. Titled “The Chemistry, Biology (and Health Benefits?) of Sourdough,” her talk will be presented in Room 273 of the Center for Science and Business.

The “Rocks from Outer Space” lecture will be presented at 11 a.m. Sept. 21 by physics and engineering professor Michael Solontoi. The other two talks in the series are “Why Superheroes? What We Can Learn from This Kid Stuff,” which will be presented at 9 a.m. Oct. 5 by communication studies faculty member Chris Goble, and “Reading: Equity, Access and Opportunity,” a co-presentation by educational studies professors Tammy La Prad and Tiffany Springer at 11 a.m. Nov. 2.

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