Mayan ruins, the Pope’s impact on American politics and English gardens are some of the topics that will be discussed soon by University of Louisville professors during a fall luncheon series.The Meet the Professor lecture series will begin on Sept. 4 and continue to be held on the first Thursday of each following month until December. John Hale, the director of Liberal Studies at University of Louisville, said the series is a way to connect the public with what is going on at the university.“They can get an insight into UofL behind the big brick societies,” he said.Hale said the goal of the program is to eventually cycle through the entire faculty, hosting a luncheon with each teaching faculty member.“It’s meant to be a presentation followed by a conversation,” he said. “The public will get a sense of how much impact the faculty of UofL is having on the world of research.”The luncheon series is open to the public, though reservations are required. The cost of attending is $14. Hale said the cost of attending will cover the cost of lunch that will provided.Here is a list of each event:Sept. 4 – "Exploring an Ancient Mayan Atlantis,” John Hale, archaeologist and liberal studies director, and Robert Forbes, Center for Geographic Information Sciences director. Oct. 2 – “Math as Art and Art as Math,” Jake Wildstrom, mathematics professor. Nov. 6 – "A Francis Effect? The Impact of Pope Francis on the Politics of American Catholicism,” David Buckley, Paul Weber endowed chair in politics, science and religion. Dec. 4 – "What the Garden Said,” Glynis Ridley, English professor and department chair. UofL professors will also be presenting discussions on a variety of topics before the start of football games this fall.Beginning at 9:30 a.m. before the start of four home football games throughout the season, UofL professors will host discuss:
- Saturday, September 6 - Prof. Christopher Fulton, Dept. of Fine Arts, presents "Thinking Power: An Artistic Masterpiece at UofL"
- Saturday, September 27 - Prof. Lee Dugatkin, Dept. of Biology, presents "The Evolution of Goodness: Why Are Animals and Humans Ever Nice?"
- Saturday, October 18 - Prof. Barbara Perry, 2014 A&S Alumni Fellow and Professor of Political Sciences at the University of Virginia, presents "Presidential All Stars: From the Sports Arena to the Whitehouse"
- Saturday, November 29 - Prof. Ricky Jones, Dept. of Pan-African Studies, presents "Game Theory: The Politics of Race and Sport"
Hale said engaging with the public is a goal of every university.“With UofL being Louisville's own university and having a big percentage of the student body coming from Louisville, it feels a sense of urgency about opening its doors to the public,” he said.
