At this time, the Graduate School has withdrawn invitations to six speakers scheduled to participate in the Office of Public Lectures Signature Speakers program
This is not due to the planned content of their remarks or any feedback to the University regarding the event, but rather because a review has been initiated of the process by which these speakers were selected. We are now examining and updating the relevant policies and procedures for speaker selections to ensure those processes are robust, transparent, and aligned with the mission of the series and the University.
Media inquiries should be directed to UW News.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: What Feeds Us: Science, Climate, and the Future of Food with Pamela Ronald
6:30 p.m.
Climate change is threatening the crops that feed us all. UC Davis geneticist Pamela Ronald reveals how her discovery of flood-tolerant rice is helping millions of farmers adapt 鈥� and what plant science means for the future of food.
Registration opens September 9, 2026.
Dean Daryl Maeda Lecture, “Martial Arts in Pacific Currents: Bruce Lee and the World”
4 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Iran, the U.S., and the World in Crisis: A Conversation with H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al-Hassan
5 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
Join us for a conversation and Q&A with UW graduate and diplomat H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al-Hassan, offering an insider鈥檚 perspective on today鈥檚 diplomatic challenges.
Author Talk: 鈥淎cts of Faith鈥� with Art Wolfe
6:30 p.m.
Gather with the UW community at Mobius Hall for a special author talk with acclaimed photographer,聽Art Wolfe, 鈥�75,聽who will share the stories behind the visuals in his latest book, 鈥淎cts of Faith: The Beauty of Belief.鈥� Collected over 40 years of international travel, 鈥淎cts of Faith鈥� presents a stunning portrait of global rituals, festivals, and other faith-based traditions.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: Doing Science on a Burning Planet 鈥� What Does It Feel Like? with Cristina Mejia Visperas
6:30 p.m.
Climate data is everywhere 鈥� so why聽isn’t聽enough changing? USC’s Cristina Visperas explores the raw, urgent emotions of scientists grappling with a crisis that accelerates faster than our response to it.
Registration opens December 9, 2026.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: On Impunity: An Evening with Philippe Sands聽
6:30 p.m.
What does justice look like on a global scale? Renowned lawyer and author Philippe Sands brings the human stories behind international law to life 鈥� and makes the case for why it matters now more than ever.
NEW DATE
Registration opens December 9, 2026.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: How to Tell a Great Story on Film with Sterlin Harjo
6:30 p.m.
From Sundance to聽Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo has spent two decades telling Indigenous stories with humor, heart, and zero apology. He joins UW’s Chris Teuton for a conversation on craft and culture.
Registration opens December 9, 2026.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: Comics As Journalism with Joe Sacco
6:30 p.m.
From Palestine to Gaza, Bosnia to India 鈥� Joe Sacco has drawn the stories the world needs to see. The pioneering cartoonist and journalist聽brings聽his full body of work to life at Town聽Hall听厂别补迟迟濒别.
Registration opens December 9, 2026.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: Wounded Desert:聽Disability, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice with Sunaura Taylor
6:30 p.m.
When a community’s land is poisoned, who bears the burden? Scholar Sunaura Taylor explores how disability, illness, and environmental harm intersect 鈥� and how one Tucson community turned decades of injustice into art, memory, and collective healing.
Registration opens March 11, 2027.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: Forging a Radical Dalit Humanism: Toward a Liberated Future with Shailaja Paik
6:30 p.m.
Caste is not just history 鈥� it shapes identity, agency, and belonging right now. MacArthur Fellow Shailaja Paik examines Dalit resistance and the transformative power of radical humanism.
Registration opens March 11, 2027.
The Office of Public Lectures presents: Are Aliens Real? An Evening with the Archives of the Impossible with Jeffrey Kripal
6:30 p.m.
What does it mean to listen 鈥� really listen 鈥� to accounts of alien encounters? Rice University’s Archives of the Impossible is a serious, peer-reviewed archive asking exactly that. Come curious. Stay open.
Registration opens March 11, 2027.