We are very excited about Dr. Platt's upcoming visit. For more information about Dr. Platt and his visit, please see
here. He will give two public lectures, this one in the evening and a
technical talk at 1 pm.
Dinner, 6 pm - Campus Center Auditorium
followed by ....
Public Lecture and Discussion starting ~7pm - "Things Fall Apart"
As scientists and engineers, one of the earliest concepts we learn about is entropy. Entropy can be defined as the measure of randomness or disorder of a system, and there is a tendency in nature for systems to proceed towards disorder. Anti-racist practices, structures, and procedures can be built up and implemented through social movements, laws, willpower, and inputs of energy, but entropy and complacency will lead to those efforts being disbanded and disordered, becoming random aberrations correlating in time only with brief periods of social upheaval. Platt will highlight anti-racist improvements and associated community efforts and discuss the importance of sustained attention. More importantly, he will warn of the threat of entropy, because without additional energy inputs, things fall apart.
