Back in the 1950s, NASA set lofty and noble ambitions for humanity: to “explore the unknown in air and space, to innovate for the benefit of humanity, and to inspire the world through discovery.” And for the past 75 years, it is true that NASA has made the seemingly impossible, possible. However, the agency’s agenda has shifted dramatically over the ensuing years with the advent of Star Wars and the creation of commercial enterprises that carried research payloads into space on board the shuttle, for profit.

This forum will provide a reality check on our current role in space, to consider what is really motivating our actions, driving our expensive excursions to Mars, and shaping our international satellite placement industry. Have we really considered our role, responsibility, and stewardship in space alongside the potential profits to be made?

The conversation will be moderated by Curt Jaimungal, a Toronto-based mathematical physicist and host of the acclaimed podcast, "Theories of Everything," which fuses rigorous scientific analysis with profound philosophical inquiry.

Cynicism has become the default lens through which many people view American life. According to Pew research, our trust in institutions is steadily eroding and being replaced by a hardened belief that our systems are broken and most government promises, empty lies. As Thanksgiving approaches, Cambridge Forum speaks with Rev. Andre K. Bennett, Steve Starring Grant and Emmanuel Maduneme, who have all forged strategies to navigate the stresses of everyday existence. Their experiences offer pragmatic suggestions, and optimistic ideas about how meaning can be reclaimed in a cynical age.

Both American political parties have identified China as the country’s preeminent geopolitical challenger and, in the eyes of many, a systemic threat. What is driving this deterioration of Sino-American relations, and what are America’s strategic options in the face of Chinese power and ambition?

Join Jim Fruchterman, leading social entrepreneur, MacArthur Fellow, and recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, founder of Benetech, an award-winning tech nonprofit, and leader of Tech Matters, who will discuss his new book, TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD: How Nonprofit Leaders are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Problems. The book is described as a call to action with a genuinely global focus, blazing a path forward where human beings come rightly and justly before profits. Fruchterman will be in conversation with Hiawatha Bray, technology writer for The Boston Globe.

Explore how interdisciplinary collaboration – between artists, scientists, and technologists – can spark deeper modes of engagement and reveal how design, movement, and innovation touch the human spirit.

In his talk, Michael Meeropol, son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg will be in conversation with Paul Solman, PBS NewsHour correspondent. They will examine the striking parallels—and crucial differences—between the Red Scare and the Trump era.

Paul Starr argues Americans' choices to elect Obama and Trump is no anomaly, but rather a manifestation of deep‐rooted tensions or “contradictions” in the nation’s character and institutions. Starr will be in conversation with Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy.

In an age of memes, late-night talk shows, and viral video takedowns, satire has become a serious weapon. But what happens when humor masks deeper political truths?

Learn first hand from researchers working with dangerous predators and communities that live alongside them how they are using a combination of new technology and indigenous wisdom to coexist.

An expert panel will shed light on how presidential authority has evolved over time, the constitutional debates surrounding executive power, and how a historical lens is illuminating and relevant today.