Spring Events at Harvey Mudd College

The first day of spring is still a few weeks away, but there are plenty of thought-provoking activities abloom now at Harvey Mudd College. Here are several stimulating events to help cultivate curious minds.

Follow the Leaders: The Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series is an integral part of the College’s commitment to encouraging students to lead with integrity. Be inspired by this year’s line-up of accomplished, world-class leaders: Marc Allen, president of Boeing International, Feb. 28; Chemistry alumna Jennifer Holmgren ’81 CEO, LanzaTech, March 21; Hector Ruiz, founder and chairman, Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions Inc., March 28; and Ray Velez, chief technology officer, Razorfish, April 18. Talks are free and begin at 7 p.m. in the Drinkward Recital Hall, R. Michael Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning. Better yet, they’re followed by dessert.

The Hixon Center Black, Gold and Green Lecture Series aims to engage The Claremont Colleges community in environmental sustainability issues and topics across disciplines and explore their political, legal and economic contexts. Scheduled speakers include UC Berkeley professor and renewable energy expert Daniel Kammen (March 1); California High-Speed Rail Authority administrators Melissa DuMond and Meg Cederoth (March 8); and California State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (March 23). Talks begin at 6:30 p.m. in Shanahan Auditorium.

Lottery enthusiasts and those who love them may wish to make note of the March 30 Michael E. Moody Lecture, “Identifying Lottery Scams Using Mathematics and Public Lottery Data.” Skip Garibaldi, a mathematician specializing in algebraic groups, will tell the story of how a journalist, two mathematicians and a statistician teamed up and used mathematics to identify people who were using the lottery as an adjunct to their illicit activities. The resulting series of journal and newspaper articles led to arrests and changes in state policy and contributed to the resignation of the head of the Florida lottery. The 7 p.m. talk will be held in the Shanahan Auditorium.

The yearlong HMC Concert Series (most begin at 8 p.m. in the Drinkward Recital Hall) continues with performances by Sarah Cahill, called “a sterling pianist and an intrepid illuminator of the classical avant-garde” on April 2; MicroFest, the festival of microtonal music, on April 23; Jazz music of Antonio Carlos Jobim on May 3; and a student recital on May 4.

Above events are free and open to the public. No RSVP or tickets are necessary. See respective websites for specific speaker and event information.