Editor-in-chief of Science, former university chancellor to give keynote talk at Oregon State
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science journals, will give a keynote address on science, politics, and higher education in light of the pandemic on Sept. 14 as part of University Day at Oregon State University.
Thorp’s virtual address begins at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a conversation on the future of higher education between Thorp, Rebecca Vega-Thurber, the Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, and Selina Heppell, professor of fisheries and OSU Faculty Senate president.
There is no cost to listen to the event, but registration is required at the University Day website. University Day is OSU’s annual launch of the new academic year for faculty and staff, with discussion of the university’s role and mission, and awards given for teaching, research and service.
“Dr. Thorp’s views on lessons learned from COVID-19 for higher education, science, scholarship, our national politics and leadership will provide insights for the Oregon State University community as we work to serve the needs of Oregonians, the nation and the world,” said Edward Feser, OSU provost and executive vice president.
Thorp became editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals in 2019. From 2013 to 2019, he served as provost at Washington University in St. Louis, where he continues as the Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professor with appointments in chemistry and medicine.
He joined Washington University in St. Louis after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as the university’s 10th chancellor from 2008 through 2013.
In his research career, Thorp studied electron-transfer reactions of nucleic acids, developed technology for electronic DNA chips and co-founded Viamet Pharmaceuticals. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He is the co-author, with Buck Goldstein, of two books on higher education: “Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century” and “Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and Its Colleges and Universities.”
