Reunion: YAA Lectures and Tours

Lectures

• The Post-Roe Landscape: What’s Next for Abortion in the United States?
  In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn its own 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, new battles are breaking out. One is between red and blue states; another is over medication abortion offered online and by mail; a third is over the effect of abortion politics on elections. This discussion, hosted by New York Times Magazine staff writer Emily Bazelon, will explore these issues with Reva Siegel ’78, ’86 JD, Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Professor of Law.
• Political Tribalism in America: Why We Hate Each Other – and What We Can Do about it.
  In the United States today, identity politics have seized both the left and right in a disturbing way. Many people are withdrawing into their own self-identified “tribes” for support and affirmation. Can American ever come together again? Professor Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People,” will explore the root causes of this toxic political tribalism and suggest some possible ways forward.
• Belonging at Yale: Cultivating Conversation
  Secretary Goff-Crews will share a midpoint progress update on “Belonging at Yale,” the university’s initiative to promote a campus environment of welcome, inclusion and respect. She will also introduce alumni to the latest area of focus, “Cultivating Conversation,” which seeks to equip students, faculty and other community members with the skills and mindset to converse, connect and engage with people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
• A Discussion with the Yale School of Nursing: Aging Well and How Lifestyle and Self-Care Affect Long-Term Health
  What does it really mean to age well? How much depends on genetics, how much on the choices we make every day? As the Yale School of
  Nursing celebrates its 100th anniversary this academic year, join two of its experts on aging, Dean Azita Emami and Deputy Dean Tatiana Sadak, as they delve into “precision wellness” – the fascinating concept that we are on the brink of a new era where personalized approaches to good health and successful aging will take center stage.
• Sowing Seeds for Yale’s Future: A Provost’s Perspective
  How can Yale catalyze groundbreaking discoveries, pioneer transformative innovations, and offer unparalleled insights to aid a 21-century society? How might Yale enhance the experience of students and scholars to strengthen their impact on the world’s most urgent challenges? Join Yale’s provost as he shares the university’s strategies and initiatives in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and science and engineering – commitments to empower current and future generations to address these challenges.
• Exploring Yale’s Center for Engineering Innovation and Design
  Yale’s CEID is where students, faculty and staff can translate their design ideas into real-life projects. With state-of-the-art fabrication tools and a full-time staff of engineering enthusiasts, CEID hosts courses in everything from design basics to product development. Since its founding in 2012, hands-on CEID experience has helped users increase their competitiveness for internships, employment, and graduate/professional-level education. Come learn more about this exciting part of Yale’s campus and hear stories about how the CEID is improving the world by bringing innovations to life. Note: all visitors must wear closed-toe shoes.
• The Science of Happiness: Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Your Well-Being
  In this talk, Laurie Santos, host of “The Happiness Lab” podcast, will share a short version of her famous course PSYC 157: Psychology and the Good Life, the most popular class in Yale’s history. From a researcher’s viewpoint she will discuss some of the surprising evidence behind what does and doesn’t make us happy, and will suggest practical strategies that you can use to improve your well-being.
• 16,000 Meals a Day: How Yale Does It
  Each day of the academic year, Yale Hospitality serves more than 16,000 meals in locations all across campus. Who plans the menus, sources the ingredients, arranges the deliveries, coordinates with staff, and handles countless other details — all while ensuring that everything is of quality and sustainable? Adam Millman, joined by Yale Hospitality’s senior marketing and communications manager, Alexa Gotthardt, will cue you in on how it’s done and explain what’s at “steak.”
• The Purposes of a Liberal Education
  College is a crucial institution in which our society works through its expectations for young people. Yale in particular aspires to offer a liberal education – a much-debated concept – and Dean Lewis will explore some of the purposes of such an education: conversation with others on intellectual matters, development of personal character, participation in the community, and preparation for citizenship. How do these goals impact the design of the curriculum and residential life at Yale College today?
• Yale and America
  Professor Gitlin will give a brief description of his popular seminar “Yale and America,” which looks at selected topics in American social and
  cultural history through the lens of Yale and Yale people. He will then be joined by students in this course who will make presentations
  based on their research. Professor Gitlin is a recipient of the Yale Alumni Association’s Howard R. Lamar Faculty Award.
• The Uniquely American Epidemic of Gun Violence: Where Do We Go from Here?
  Firearm-related deaths recently surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death for American youth. Despite ongoing local and national efforts, gun violence prevention can feel hopeless. Dr. Ranney, a leading voice in firearm injury prevention, will discuss how we can leverage public-health approaches to better address America’s ongoing gun violence crisis. An emergency physician by background, Dr. Ranney is known both for her research on this issue and her dedication to community-based solutions to public-health challenges.
• Advancing Planetary Solutions… through All that Yale Is and Does
  Yale Planetary Solutions (YPS), an ambitious new initiative launched in 2020, unites leadership and experts across campus and disciplines to advance solutions and accelerate responses to the greatest environmental challenges facing the planet. In this talk, Professor Zimmerman will share some of the ways that YPS is impacting how Yale teaches, conducts research, designs campus buildings, interacts with surrounding communities, and collaborates with its partners around the world.
• The Computing Revolution Enabling Artificial Intelligence
  Computing technologies have transformed our lives. Most recently, modern computer systems have enabled growth in artificial intelligence in machines that can even outperform humans on previously impossible tasks. What are the basic principles that govern how these systems work? How can they be made efficient? Professor Manohar, an award-winning member of Yale’s Computer Systems Lab, will discuss these questions in the context of ongoing work at the university.
• What’s So Funny?: A Romp through Comic Theory
  Using theories from Aristotle to Steve Allen, from Bergson to Mel Brooks, Professor Sheehy will examine works from Aristophanes to Archer, from Shakespeare to The Simpsons, to discern how comedy actually operates. Why do we laugh at what we laugh at when we laugh? For that matter, what do we mean by “we”? And what does all this have to do with how we load printer paper?
• This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us about Creativity
  Even though loneliness is everywhere today, aggravated by political division and social fragmentation, it’s not a feeling we readily admit to. But what if we embraced it as something we can learn from. That could draw us closer to one another? In this conversation, Richard Deming will share ideas from his recent book This Exquisite Loneliness to explore how he and others have navigated this unwelcome feeling, and how we might use it to become more at home with our often unquiet selves.
• The New Era for Yale Engineering
  In this presentation, Dean Dorsey will offer a preview of an exciting new era for engineering at Yale, for which strategic planning is already
  well under way. As she explains current faculty growth and academic priorities for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, she will
  outline plans for the school’s dramatic physical expansion on lower Hillhouse Avenue and the new Physical Sciences & Engineering Building
  on Science Hill.
• What Can Medieval Spain Teach Us?
  Throughout the Middle Ages, Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together in Spanish society and produced a vibrant, shared culture. In this lecture, Professor Fancy will survey both the history of medieval Spain and the debates that have surrounded it. How did a tradition of tolerance and cooperation come about at this juncture of history? Looking back on this era and its people today, what lessons can we draw from their approach to social strife, tolerance and prosperity?
• Yale and Slavery: New Light on Longstanding Truth
  Yale’s complex past includes direct and indirect ties to slavery. That history cannot be undone, but by learning from it we can advance Yale’s mission of education and research to create a better future. To that end, four years ago the university launched the Yale and Slavery Research Project, chaired by historian David W. Blight. In February 2024, the project yielded his new book Yale and Slavery: A History, a website with extensive video, an exhibition at the New Haven Museum, and an audio walking tour. In this talk, Professor Blight will offer highlights of the history and Yale’s commitments in response to the research.
• Influence Is Your Superpower
  Discover how behavioral science can help you influence others ethically as you lead teams, negotiate deals, change policies, find love, or run for office. Inspired by Zoe Chance’s international bestseller, Influence Is Your Superpower, this interactive session will explore the science of asking, the art of listening, and the simple but transformative “Magic Question.”
• The Bulldog Mindset: Building a Culture of Winning
  Vicky Chun will be joined by James Jones, the Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Men’s Basketball, and Mark Bolding, the Susan Cavanagh Head Coach of Women’s Hockey, to discuss building a culture of winning on and off the court and ice. Jones’s teams have clinched six Ivy championships since 2015, winning their first-round NCAA March Madness game vs. Auburn this year. Bolding has led his teams to Ivy and ECAC championships and two NCAA tournaments, including a Frozen Four appearance over the past three years.
• Targeting Cancer: Yale’s Leading-Edge Research
  Despite advances in clinical treatment and research, cancer remains the second-leading cause of death worldwide. The Yale Cancer Center, one of the very first such centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, has initiated extensive new research efforts to lead in the epidemiology, early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This discussion will feature Yale experts explaining the latest advances in their specific fields, with time for your questions. Dr. Herbst will be joined by Lieping Chen (MD, PhD, United Technologies Corporation Professor in Cancer Research and Professor of Immunobiology, Dermatology, and Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine), Katerina Politi (PhD, Co-Leader, Cancer Signaling Networks, Scientific Director, Center for Thoracic Cancers, Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center), and Daniel DiMaio (MD, PhD, Deputy Director, Yale Cancer Center, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Genetics and Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and of Therapeutic Radiology).
• A Beethoven Bicentenary: The Ninth Symphony at 200
  This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, in Vienna on May 7, 1824. In this lecture, music historian Robert Holzer will help us explore the architecture of this monumental work and consider how its structure has given rise to the myriad meanings – among them ones of challenge, of consolation and of hope — that listeners have found in it over the past two centuries.
• From Dragonflies to Dark Matter: Exploring the Universe with Compound Eyes
  Until recently, the most powerful telescopes have been huge light-reflecting mirrors. But scientists now have a new way of looking at the sky: the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, co-designed by Yale’s Pieter van Dokkum using the latest advances in optics, sensors and control systems. The Dragonfly has already discovered a new class of ghostly galaxies, and astronomers hope it will soon be able to detect the elusive “cosmic web,” the dark matter connecting all galaxies in the cosmos.
• Architecture, Memory and the City
  In architecture and other fields, the “built environment” refers to the human-made surroundings that form the context of our daily lives and the framework for our memories. What forces give shape to the built environment? How do we respond to urban change over time? Join Professor Rubin for an exploration of these themes, with special attention to how Yale and New Haven architecture has changed over the years and how it impacts Yale students engaging with the city.
• The Constitution on Edge, Then and Now
  Professor Amar will discuss how the Constitution barely squeaked through the ratification process in 1787-88; how Americans picked their early presidents based on constitutional themes; and how constitutional issues once again loom front and center in this year’s elections. His talk will feature ideas from his most recent book, The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840 (2021), and his current book in progress, Born Equal: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1840-1920 (2025).
• Challenges and Opportunities for Yale: Revitalizing the 21st-Century Academic Research Library
  In 1924, famed professor Chauncey Brewster Tinker wrote that “there are three distinguishing marks of a university: a group of students, a corps of instructors, and a collection of books — and of these, the most important is the collection of books.” In this talk, Daniel Dollar will explain how collections, expertise, place and network are essential to an academic research library today, and discuss plans to revitalize Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library leading up to its 2031 centennial.
• Emotional Intelligence at Yale: From Theory to Practice to Systemic Change
  Emotions influence decision-making, relationships, health, creativity, performance and well-being. Our wise use of emotion is especially important. In this talk, Dr. Brackett will describe recent large-scale studies on the emotional lives of children and adults, unpack what it means to give oneself and others “permission to feel,” and share the model of emotional intelligence developed at Yale. He will also share tools to develop emotional intelligence that can help enhance personal and professional success.
• Managing the Current Crisis in U.S.-China Relations: How Yale-China Finds a Way
  For more than 120 years, Yale-China has sponsored partnerships in education, healthcare and the arts to foster understanding between Chinese and American people. Come learn how the association is navigating the current difficult state of Sino-American affairs to continue its work in mainland China, Hong Kong and New Haven. You will also hear about the role of people-to-people programs in the U.S.-China relationship, and explore how this year’s elections might change the trajectory of that relationship.
• Building Bridges: Alumni and Students Working Together for Entrepreneurial Success
  In 2017, Yale founded Tsai CITY (Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale) to guide students in seeking new ways of solving real-world problems. Last year Yale Ventures was launched to reshape the university’s support of students and faculty in their entrepreneurial projects, and both programs have thrived with inspiration from Yale’s graduates. This lively interactive session will introduce you to Tsai CITY and demonstrate how alumni might consider supporting its innovators through mentorships, advising and more.
• A Challenging Year: Reflections from Yale’s First Jewish University Chaplain
  Named University Chaplain in January, Maytal Saltiel has long worked to build communities of faith at Yale, having come to the Chaplain’s Office in 2013 after earning a Master of Divinity degree. In conversation with Uri Cohen, executive director of the Slifka Center, she will share her reflections on working at Yale — both the joys and challenges of this year in particular — and discuss what she sees as the future of religious and spiritual life on campus.

Other Tours

• Schwarzman Center Tour
  Four years in the making. Five traditional spaces made new. Five new spaces for making traditions. Over one hundred years of history stand
  behind Yale’s Schwarzman Center, and now new and restored spaces designed to be focal points of university life provide a host of ways to
  connect, create, and collaborate within and beyond campus. Tours last around 75 minutes; meet in the Rotunda
• Sterling Memorial Library -L&B Open House
  The Linonia and Brothers (L&B) Room in Sterling Memorial Library has welcomed generations of Yale students to study, read, and relax. For nearly a century, it has been one of the most beloved spaces in this iconic building. Join Basie Gitlin ’10, who leads the Library’s development efforts and worked on the renovation, and his colleagues in the recently reopened room for an open house which will highlight some of the recent renovations including the refreshed book collection, restored original furniture, new decorative carpets, and stone fireplace with a full-scale reproduction of the 1926 painting Bibliothèque by Gerald Murphy (1912 B.A.) hung above it.
• Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Tour
  The Beinecke Library is Yale’s principal repository for literary archives, early manuscripts, and rare books. It both houses public exhibitions and serves as a center for teaching and research by students, faculty, and scholars at Yale and from around the world. Learn how students and others engage the past in the present for the future, and enjoy the library’s current special exhibition, Douglass, Baldwin, Harrington: The Collections of Walter O. Evans, as well as materials on permanent display. Meet in the library ground floor lobby. Limited to the first 60 participants.
• Provost’s House Walkthrough
  The Provost’s House (35 Hillhouse) will be open for alumni who are interested in exploring the iconic home, which has been part of Yale since 1953. Alumni should expect a mostly self-guided experience, which will require climbing flights of stairs for those who wish to see the entire space.
• “For God, for Country and for Yale:” Some Chapters from Yale’s  Christian Past
  A one-hour walking tour, led by Jon Hinkson of the Rivendell Institute, of some of the campus sites telling the story of various figures and episodes of Yale’s history, from John Davenport and Abraham Pierson, and the founding of colony and college, to Jonathan Edwards and Timothy Dwight and the Great Awakenings. Come hear some of the stories behind the names at Yale.
• Yale at Rest, History in Action: The Grove Street Cemetery
  Join a tour to learn why this National Historic Landmark is one of the most important burial grounds in the world. Eternal resting place of Benjamin Silliman, Ezra Stiles, Timothy Dwight, for whom residential colleges were named, as well as other Yale and New Haven notables, the cemetery is a site where we can glimpse the varied, complex history of Yale and its hometown, including the stories of Black residents who were essential to building the community and the university.
• Marsh Botanical Garden Tour
  Marsh Botanical Garden is an eight-acre outdoor living museum with an exciting history. Enjoy a stroll with Associate Director Kunso Kim through the naturally designed gardens that are full of rare and interesting specimens. Explore the glasshouses with their special collections of desert plants, carnivorous plants, and edible tropical plants like chocolate, coffee, and mango. Limited to first 20 participants.
• Newberry Organ Demonstration and Tour
  The Newberry Memorial Organ, with its 12,641 pipes, is one of the most famous concert organs of the world and one of Yale’s greatest artistic treasures, a monument to the state-of-the-art technology of 1928! Come and explore this “king of instruments” and take a tour behind the pipes with concert organist Professor Emeritus Thomas Murray and Yale Organ Curators Joseph Dzeda and Nicholas ThompsonAllen. Over many years this tour has been a favorite!
• Wright Laboratory Tour – A Portal to the Invisible Universe
  For years, the Wright Laboratory housed a landmark nuclear accelerator. In recent years, it has transformed into a state-of-the-art technical facility and research center to study neutrinos, dark matter, and the invisible Universe. Join Wright Lab Director and Professor of Physics, Karsten Heeger and colleagues to learn how Wright Lab is leading the development of novel instrumentation for the exploration of the Universe and advancing the frontiers of fundamental physics. Note: Walk through Lot 22 behind the Peabody Museum; look for the big blue “Portal” sculpture on your right. Bus transportation provided in front of Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, 1 Prospect St., across from Woolsey Hall.
• Payne Whitney Gym Tours 
  Pick up a self-guided tour at the front desk to check out one of the largest athletic facilities ever built.
• Yale Glee Club Singing Workshop
  All singers, including family members and guests, are invited to this choral workshop led by Yale Glee Club and Whiffenpoof alum John Burke ’72. Repertoire includes Yale songs and an arrangement of Shenandoah. The fun and music continue at Woolsey Hall for Saturday afternoon’s Celebration of Yale Singing. There, under John’s baton, you will lead the singing of Yale songs and the Football Medley.