Harper lecture puts sixth extinction in historical context
The second Distinguished Research Lecture of the fall featured Kyle Harper on his interdisciplinary approach to understanding the biodiversity crisis.
Kyle Harper presented his research on the biodiversity crises in the context of history during the Office of Research and Partnerships’ Distinguished Research Lecture Series on Nov. 3.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
Kyle Harper, the Blankenship chair in the history of liberty and professor of classics and letters at the University of Oklahoma, presented his take on the “sixth extinction” as part of the University of Arizona Office of Research and Partnerships’ Distinguished Research Lecture Series on Nov. 3.
More than 120 people attended the presentation at the Grand Challenge Research Building, where Harper placed the present biodiversity emergency in deep historical perspective. He explained how humans have shaped – and often destabilized – the web of life over tens of thousands of years, from Ice Age hunters who drove megafauna to extinction to the spread of agriculture and empires to today’s global economy.
By studying the biodiversity crisis through interdisciplinary fields, research can be informed and enriched by partnership with the natural sciences, he said, illuminating how cultural, political and ecological processes are inseparably linked. Seen this way, the past is not merely a backdrop to the present, but an active resource for understanding human-environment relations, Harper explained.
Harper, who is a senior advisor to the president of the University of Oklahoma, earned a doctorate in history from Harvard University in 2007 and then returned to his alma mater to continue his research integrating the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. He is the author of five award-winning books, and his scholarship considers pressing global themes such as climate change, infectious disease and biodiversity through a historical lens.
Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for research and partnerships, welcomed the audience to the second Distinguished Research Lecture Series of the fall semester, “A Deep History of the Sixth Extinction” presented by Kyle Harper.
Kyle Harper, the Blankenship chair in the history of liberty and professor of classics and letters at the University of Oklahoma, presented his take on the “sixth extinction” as part of the University of Arizona Office of Research and Partnerships’ Distin
Kyle Harper, the Blankenship chair in the history of liberty and professor of classics and letters, at the University of Oklahoma, presented on the biodiversity crises, or “sixth extinction,” on Nov. 3 as part of the Distinguished Research Lecture Series.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
Kaustubh Thirumalai, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at the College of Science, was one of several audience members who asked questions during the Distinguished Research Lecture Series.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
A conference room at the Grand Challenges Research Building was full for Kyle Harper’s presentation on Nov. 3 as part of the Distinguished Research Lecture Series.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
Kyle Harper, the Blankenship chair in the history of liberty and professor of classics and letters at the University of Oklahoma, explained how interdisciplinary research can be used to understand current biodiversity challenges.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
Doug Hockstad, associate vice president of Tech Launch Arizona, was one of more than 120 people who attended the Distinguished Research Lecture Series event on Nov. 3.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships
Brian Enquist, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the U of A, talked with Kyle Harper at a reception following the Distinguished Research Lecture Series presentation.
Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Office of Research and Partnerships