MIT announces the appointment of six new visiting professors and scholars under the Martin Luther King Jr. award
The Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars Program at MIT has welcomed six new scholars this academic year, as part of its ongoing commitment to fostering scholarly and artistic work that addresses issues of social justice, race, and equity.
Among the new scholars is Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor of English and African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Lisa Cook, an economist and professor at Michigan State University, is another distinguished addition to the program.
In the Department of Physics at MIT, both Sophia Inzunza and Chanda Prescod Weinstein have had their appointments extended. Inzunza's research focuses on the study of cosmic rays and their interactions with matter, while Prescod Weinstein's work delves into the intersection of physics and social justice.
Julio D'Arcy, who received his PhD in chemistry at UCLA in 2012, is another new visiting scholar. His areas of expertise are conjugated polymers, electrochemistry, and thin-film composite devices, with a particular interest in energy applications.
Judith Rodin, the former president of the Rockefeller University and the University of Pennsylvania, has also been invited to MIT as a visiting scholar. Rodin's work has focused on higher education, urban development, and public health.
Carlos Castillo-Chavez, a Regents Professor at Arizona State University, is another new visiting professor. He is a member of the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science and his research focuses on mathematical modelling of infectious diseases.
Terrence Blackman, an instructor at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, is another new visiting professor. His research focuses on the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence.
Susan Perkins, a visiting assistant professor in the MIT Sloan School of Management, has had her appointment extended. Thomas Epps III, an associate professor at the University of Delaware, is another new visiting associate professor. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymeric materials.
Omar Wasow, a professor of political science at Harvard University, is another new visiting scholar. His work concentrates on the study of social movements and the political implications of new media.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic, is a new visiting scholar. His work centers on politics, culture, and society from a perspective that recognizes the United States is not yet a race-blind society.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars Program was established in 1991 to honour the late civil rights leader's legacy by inviting scholars of diverse backgrounds. The specific roster from 2012-2013 is not available here, but interested readers are encouraged to consult the MIT official archives or the Institute's Program on Race, Inequality, and the Law for more information. Alternatively, MIT's website or library archives might offer historical listings.
- The Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars Program at MIT aims to promote scholarly and artistic work related to social justice, race, and equity.
- Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor of English and African and African American Studies at Harvard University, is one of the six new scholars in the program this academic year.
- Lisa Cook, an economist and professor at Michigan State University, is another distinguished addition to the program.
- Sophia Inzunza, a professor in the Department of Physics at MIT, has had her appointment extended, with a focus on the study of cosmic rays and their interactions with matter.
- Chanda Prescod Weinstein, also in the Department of Physics at MIT, has had her appointment extended, with a focus on the intersection of physics and social justice.
- Julio D'Arcy, a new visiting scholar at MIT, specializes in conjugated polymers, electrochemistry, and thin-film composite devices, with a particular interest in energy applications.
- Judith Rodin, the former president of the Rockefeller University and the University of Pennsylvania, has been invited to MIT as a visiting scholar, with a focus on higher education, urban development, and public health.
- Carlos Castillo-Chavez, a Regents Professor at Arizona State University, is another new visiting professor, with a focus on mathematical modelling of infectious diseases.
- Terrence Blackman, an instructor at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, is another new visiting professor, with a focus on the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence.
- Susan Perkins, a visiting assistant professor in the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Thomas Epps III, an associate professor at the University of Delaware, are other new visiting faculty members, with Perkins focusing on teaching courses and Epps focusing on the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymeric materials.
- Omar Wasow, a professor of political science at Harvard University, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic, are also new visiting scholars, with Wasow focusing on the study of social movements and the political implications of new media, and Coates focusing on politics, culture, and society with a perspective that recognizes the United States is not yet a race-blind society.
