A former assistant director of the National Science Foundation and former president of the National Academy of Engineering will present a free public lecture, “Responsible Citizenship in a Technological Democracy,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in Smith CUE 203. A reception will follow in the Smith CUE atrium.
William A. Wulf will propose that citizens need to be meaningful participants in informed discussions of topics such as energy policy, climate change and electronic voting.
Wulf is the 2009 Phi Beta Kappa Society visiting scholar. He is the AT&T Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia.
“Dr. Wulf’s visit to WSU will undoubtedly inspire our students to consider their education and opportunities at our leading research university in new and exciting ways,” said Vicki McCracken, economics professor and chapter president for the Phi Beta Kappa Society at WSU.
Wulf also will participate in a luncheon with WSU Honors College students, an interactive televised visit to the WSU Tri-Cities senior/graduate-level computer science class of adjunct professor A. David McKinnon, a roundtable discussion on digital humanities, and meetings with student and faculty groups.
At the University of Virginia Wulf’s work includes a complete revision of the undergraduate computer science curriculum, research on computer architecture and computer security, and efforts to assist humanities scholars to exploit information technology.
Co-sponsoring the visit are WSU’s Office of Undergraduate Education, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Distinguished Speaker Series.
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest academic honor society. It has half a million members and chapters at 276 U.S. colleges and universities. Established in 1928, WSU’s chapter is one of the first founded at a land-grant university. About 15 percent of universities have programs sufficiently strong in the sciences and liberal arts to warrant membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
