The Aris Lecture Series

The Aris Lecture Series began in 1964. The series arose from the scholarship of Rutherford Aris, who was interested in both chemical engineering and paleography. Chemical engineering uses chemistry to achieve socially valuable materials like fuels, drugs, and pollution control. Paleography is the history of calligraphy, and so examines both the artistry of writing and the ways in which it is used to record human achievement.

Because of these diverse interests, Professor Aris was concerned by the split between different parts of human knowledge, enforced by the organization of colleges and departments at universities. Because he felt that different disciplines do not talk to each other sufficiently, he hoped that this lecture series would reach a broad audience, and so stimulate more discussion. As he said in his preface to the 1964 series: “These seminars grow from a desire to acquaint ourselves and our graduate students with a few of the many fascinating areas that are being pursued within the University. That a graduate student should emerge with the title of ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ without the least contact with modes of thought outside his own field is in the highest degree deplorable, but it would be idle to pretend that this does not happen much, if not most, of the time.” 

Early Lectures - Organized by Rutherford Aris himself

1964 - A Broader View of Research

1966 - The Scope of Scholarship

1970 - Varieties of Academic Experience

1974 - Aspects of Technological Development and Social Change

1977 - Catastrophes and Other Important Matters

1983 - Springs of Scientific Creativity

1987 - Science and Pseudo-Science

1995 - Aesthetic Considerations in Science and Engineering

Endowed Lectures 

1999 - Elegance

2002 - Science, Technology, and Public Policy

2005 - Education

2008 - Design

2011 - Energy

2014 - Science, Technology and Society: Exploring the Linkages; Framing the Questions

2019 - Aesthetics: Methods of Perception

2026 - Prediction