February 18, 2025

Steven Chu is Professor of Physics, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for laser cooling and trapping of atoms. He is now developing and applying new methods in molecular biology and medical imaging, materials science, and batteries. Previously he was U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he began ARPA-E, the Energy Innovation Hubs, and was tasked by President Obama to help BP stop the Macondo Oil spill. Chu’s presentation will focus on recent experiments using a new method to capture CO₂ and understanding the physics of how the molecular motor dynein works.

February 26, 2025

Dr. Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – and Could Again and has published essays and articles in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Commentary. Dr. Levin will share insights about the Constitution’s remarkable power to bind together a diverse society, reassuring us that a less divided future is within our grasp.

March 27, 2025

Dr. Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses big data to study the science of economic opportunity: how we can give children from all backgrounds better chances of succeeding?  Chetty’s work has been widely cited in academia, media outlets, and policy discussions in the United States and beyond. He has received numerous awards for his research, including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the John Bates Clark medal, and Harvard’s George Ledlie prize, awarded for research that made the most valuable contribution to science, or in any way for the benefit of mankind.

January 21, 2025

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an award-winning journalist. Rauch has been a trenchant observer of American democracy for nearly 40 years. He is the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer in The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Rauch shared insights from his recent book, The Constitution of Knowledge and other observations about American society.

October 28, 2024

Dr. Michael Strain is the director of economic policy studies and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. His research and writing cover public finance macroeconomics, labor markets, and social policy. He is the author of The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It), and has contributed to several dozen academic articles and journals. Dr. Strain shared economic ideas, trends, and insights on the U.S. and Utah economies to help our state prosper.