A collection of recordings from talks and presentations by visiting speakers and faculty, held at Lehigh University. Library and Technology Services hosts a number of events each academic year, many sponsored by the Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries.

Hope Is the Thing With Feathers

Dr. Miyoko Chu discusses how digital platforms, AI, and a growing community of bird enthusiasts are producing unprecedented data and insights on 11,000 bird species worldwide—aimed at conserving them before it’s too late.

MADE IN AMERICA

Photographer Christopher Payne discusses the making of MADE IN AMERICA, a celebration of American manufacturing, craftsmanship, and ingenuity.

Rediscovering Miles Rock

Presentation and panel discussion commemorating the life and legacy of Miles Rock, one of Lehigh's first graduates in the Class of 1869.

Creating Your Own Archive, with poet Remica Bingham-Risher

In her memoir about cultivating a writing life and her latest book of photographs and poems re-tracing family history, Remica Bingham-Risher looks at poetry as a kind of genealogy.

lush tree on one half, dry on the other against both lush and barren landscapes

Multisolving: Protecting the Climate While Improving Health, Equity, Biodiversity, and Well-Being

Dr. Sawin discusses how multisolving has been used around the world to address climate change while also producing benefits in health, equity, and well-being.

earth halfway submerged in an ocean with blue sky and clouds behind

Public Perceptions of Risk and Policy Creation around the Danger of Floods in Response to Climate Change

In the coming decades, public policy must account for “managed retreat” from flood-prone areas. Dr. Casagrande describes the current policy context of managed retreat and presents research he conducted with people living in flood-prone areas

postcard showing two hemispheres and a stamped envelope

Postcards, Places, & Participation

It’s easy to think of postcards as simply the souvenir stuff of holidays, travel, and tourism. (“Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!”) But postcards are personal. They connect people and geographies and have for the last 150 years.

sky view of large urban area

Performance Goals for Civil Infrastructure: Managing Risk in an Era of Climate Change

The reality of climate change will have a disruptive and substantial impact on the design and performance assessment of civil infrastructure facilities.

Abu Dhabi skyline with beach in foreground

Spaceship in the Desert: Energy, Climate Change, and Urban Design in Abu Dhabi

In 2006, Abu Dhabi launched an ambitious project to construct the world’s first “zero-carbon” city: Masdar City. This talk investigates the construction of renewable energy and clean technology infrastructures in oil-rich Abu Dhabi, as the era of abundant oil supplies slowly comes to an end.

Adapting to Climate Change in One Square Mile: Lessons Learned from Hoboken, NJ

As an urban coastal city, Hoboken is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which continues to threaten quality of life for Hoboken residents.

The Adjacent Possible: Poems of Emergence and Relation

Julie Phillips Brown, an interdisciplinary poet, visual artist, literary critic, and editor reads from her latest book, The Adjacent Possible, published in 2021.

Who Decided to Commemorate the Walking Purchase and Why: 1920s Fanfare and Local Opposition

The Walking Purchase of 1737 was a controversial land deal between Pennsylvania proprietors and four Delaware (Lenape) leaders that granted proprietors over 700,000 acres in the Lehigh Valley & beyond. Delaware participants protested the transaction, leading to official inquiries in the 1750s.

Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the U.S.

Drawing on decades of research on political and media psychology and media effects, as well as historical accounts and interviews with comedians and comedy writers, Young unpacks satire's liberal "bias" and juxtaposes it with that of outrage's conservative "bias."

Conspiracy Theories and the Manufacture of Dissent

Dr. DiMaggio's talk emphasizes the rise of modern conspiracy theories in an era of rampant misinformation and disinformation. He discusses his research findings in relation to the primary factors that fuel public acceptance of conspiracies, with a specific focus on conspiracies of the last decade.

Infodemic: The Pandemic of Misinformation

The rampant spread of misinformation is a global phenomenon and poses new challenges for navigating life today. While the concept of misinformation has been around since the late 1500s, the nature of how information spreads has gone through drastic transformations over the last decade.

From Imaginary to Reality

Manguel, whose indispensable The Dictionary of Imaginary Places inspired the current Lehigh Libraries Special Collections exhibit Visit Imaginary Places!, shares his experience researching the world literature he surveys in this catalog of fantastical settings.

A Reading and Conversation with Lauren K. Alleyne

Lauren K. Alleyne reads from her latest poetry collection Honeyfish and talks about her experiences as the Assistant Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center.

A Conversation with Osagie K. Obasogie on Bioethics, Race, and Health

From COVID-19 to recurring acts of police violence, issues of ethics, race, and health shape how we live our lives, how we understand our world, and how we treat one another.