Through the myth of Icarus, Professor of Classics Patrice Rankine ’92 takes one particularly prominent theme among Black authors and artists as a case in point for the proposition of either hopeful transformation, or radical despair. In whatever direction one takes these instances of Black receptions of Icarus, of which he will show a few, what comes out of the engagement is an Icarus radically transformed, if even at all recognizable.

Rankine earned his B.A. in Ancient Greek, magna cum laude, from żÉŔÖĘÓƵ, and his Ph.D. in classical languages and literatures from Yale University. In addition to his scholarship, he has served in several significant administrative roles, including as dean for the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Richmond. He is also a committed teacher who won an Excellence in Teaching Award in the School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University. He researches the Greco-Roman classics and their afterlife, particularly as they pertain to literature, theater, and the history and performance of race.

He is author of Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature and Aristotle and Black Drama: A Theater of Civil Disobedience as well as coauthor of The Oxford Handbook of Greek Drama in the Americas. His current book projects include Theater and Crisis: Myth, Memory, and Racial Reckoning, 1964–2020 and Slavery and the Book.

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Democracy is in trouble. What is going wrong? What should we do? In this talk, Alex Guerrero argues that, perhaps surprisingly, the problem is with the heart of modern democracy: the election. Elections are failing as accountability mechanisms. Elections provide powerful short-term incentives, leading elected politicians to downplay long-term catastrophic concerns. Elections create division where none need exist. The most powerful among us take advantage of this to control who is elected, what policies are enacted, and which problems are ignored. What should we do? Guerrero suggests that we should move past the fatalist, Churchillian shrug (“the worst system, except for all the others that have been tried”) and try a new form of democracy: lottocracy. Lottocratic systems include many new elements, but the most striking is the shift from using elected representatives to using representatives selected through lottery. The talk presents and defends lottocracy as an alternative political system worth taking seriously.

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President Anderson introduced Michael Ben’Ary, a former career federal prosecutor who served for nearly two decades at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) across multiple administrations. Last October, Ben’Ary’s career took an abrupt and public turn when he was fired from his position at the DOJ, an event that raised questions about the department’s independence and highlighted the vulnerability of public institutions to political pressure. Ben’Ary spoke about the pressures facing public institutions, the importance of professional independence within the justice system, and the consequences of eroding public trust.

Central to the discussion was the relationship between public confidence and the effective functioning of the justice system. Ben’Ary emphasized that trust in federal prosecutions depends on a clear separation between politics and criminal justice.

“The separation between politics and the federal criminal justice system allows the public to have trust,” Ben’Ary said. “What is happening now, is the eroding of that trust, and eventually it’s going to make it harder for the Department of Justice to provide any measure of public safety.”

He described public confidence as a “reservoir of trust” built over decades by career prosecutors committed to following the facts and the law. When he began his career at the DOJ in 2006, Ben’Ary said he benefited from that legacy immediately.

“When I introduced myself in court as representing the United States Department of Justice, people believed me—not because of anything I had done personally, but because of the decades of prosecutors who came before me,” he said. “It took a long time to build that reservoir, and I’m concerned that it’s being drained.”

Ben’Ary warned that diminished trust can weaken the justice system’s ability to function effectively, making it more difficult to protect both public safety and national security. He noted that the DOJ encompasses far more than prosecutions, including agencies and programs that support communities, administer grants, and carry out public service missions.

“When trust declines,” he said, “all of that work becomes less effective. There should be confidence that when the department acts, it’s doing so because it’s good for the public, not that it’s based on a good thing for an individual, official, or that official’s friends and family.”

President Anderson invited Ben’Ary to reflect on professional ethics and leadership within public institutions, particularly during periods of political pressure. Ben’Ary shared his experience supervising teams of prosecutors and the importance of anticipating ethical challenges before they arise.

“I encouraged the attorneys I supervised to think ahead and know where their red lines were,” he said. “If you’re asked to do something that isn’t legal or ethical, you need to be prepared to say no.”

For students considering careers in law, government, and public service, the conversation offered a candid look at the ethical responsibilities that accompany institutional authority. Through events like the Presidential Lecture Series, żÉŔÖĘÓƵ continues to engage the campus community in critical conversations about democracy, accountability, and the professional integrity required to sustain public trust.

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That’s the bold premise behind this year’s H. Martin Friedman Lecture at żÉŔÖĘÓƵ, featuring Martin Chalfie, University Professor at Columbia University and recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

On April 28, Chalfie will deliver his talk, “The Continuing Need for Useless Knowledge: Finding the Unexpected to Enable Future Scientific Revolutions.” His message is simple but compelling: Curiosity isn’t a distraction from progress—it’s the engine that drives it.

April 28, 2026

12:15 P.M. — 2:00 P.M.

148 Ingersoll hall extension

Hosted by the żÉŔÖĘÓƵ Chemistry Society and co-hosted by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chalfie’s lecture draws inspiration from a 1939 essay by Abraham Flexner, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study, who argued that society’s obsession with “usefulness” often blinds us to the discoveries that reshape our understanding of the world. Flexner believed that true breakthroughs happen when thinkers are free to explore without a roadmap. Chalfie brings that idea into the 21st century, showing how curiosity‑driven research continues to spark scientific revolutions.

Chalfie speaks from experience. He shared the Nobel Prize for pioneering the use of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)—a tool that transformed biology by allowing scientists to watch living cells in action. Yet his path to scientific acclaim was anything but straightforward.

Born in Chicago, Chalfie entered Harvard with an interest in science but graduated unsure of his abilities and uncertain about his future. He spent two years working a patchwork of jobs—janitor, clothing salesman, high‑school teacher—before a chance opportunity in a research lab changed everything. One experiment worked. One idea led to a publication. And that moment of discovery gave him the confidence to pursue graduate school and, eventually, a career that would reshape modern biology.

From his postdoctoral work with Sydney Brenner in Cambridge to his decades of research at Columbia, Chalfie has helped illuminate how organisms sense touch, how neurons develop, and how cells maintain their identity. His contributions span genetics, neurobiology, and molecular biology, and his leadership roles include service in the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Society for Cell Biology.

About the H. Martin Friedman Lecture

The H. Martin Friedman Lecture is an annual lecture series hosted by żÉŔÖĘÓƵ, typically organized by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. It brings distinguished scientists and scholars to campus to present a public lecture on a topic in science, particularly in chemistry, biochemistry, and related fields. The event is part of a long-running lecture series named after H. Martin Friedman, who supported the college and this lecture series. In some years, the lecture has been given by eminent researchers and has helped introduce students (including high school students and undergraduates) to careers and advances in the sciences.

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Among Gelernt’s cases are a successful challenge to the Trump administration’s practice of separating thousands of families at the border. His work on this case received worldwide attention, including in the 2020 documentary The Fight and a July 2018 New York Times Magazine cover story about the ACLU. He is currently lead counsel in a challenge to the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, which resulted in hundreds of Venezuelans being sent to the notorious Salvadoran CECOT prison without any due process.

Gelernt also teaches at Columbia Law School. He has won numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the 500 leading lawyers in the country in any field. He lectures widely around the country and regularly appears in the media, documentaries, podcasts, books, and television shows.

The Konefsky Lecture is an annual event that honors Samuel J. Konefsky, a żÉŔÖĘÓƵ alumnus who became a professor of constitutional law at the college from the 1940s to 1970. At the event, a scholarship generously donated by the Konefsky family is presented to a żÉŔÖĘÓƵ pre-law student.

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Professor Kaufman and his group combine research on genetics and genomics, biochemistry and cell biology, cellular immunology and infection studies to understand the structure, function, and evolution of the adaptive immune system.

The Schreibman Lecture honors the contributions of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Martin Schreibman ’56 to teaching, research, and service over a career spanning more than 50 years at żÉŔÖĘÓƵ.

The lecture will be followed by a small reception.

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Although there is still no vaccine or curative therapy for HIV/AIDS, we do have an outstanding arsenal of highly effective anti-viral drugs. Carter will discuss her novel discovery that has framed HIV research for the past three decades and continues to this day.

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