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Lynn Margulis is a professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is best known for her theory of symbiogenesis, which challenges a central tenet of neodarwinism. Professor Margulis, who participates in hands-on teaching activities at levels from middle to graduate school, is the author of many articles and books. The most recent include *Symbiotic Planet: A new look at evolution* (1998) and *Acquiring Genomes: A theory of the origins of species* (2002), co-written with Dorion Sagan. Over the past two decades, Professor Margulis has co-written a number of books with Sagan, among them, *What is Sex?* (1997), *What is Life?* (1995), *Mystery Dance: On the evolution of human sexuality* (1991), *Microcosmos: Four billion years of evolution from our microbial ancestors* (1986), and *Origins of Sex: Three billion years of genetic recombination* (1986). In 2007, as part of the ScienceWriters series, Margulis and Sagan published a collection of essays *Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature* and Margulis published *Luminous Fish: Tales of Science and Love*, a memoir of her life in science. Margulis was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 1983 and received the Presidential Medal of Science in 1999 from William J. Clinton. The Library of Congress announced in 1998 that it will permanently archive her papers. Lynn Margulis was also a faculty mentor at Boston University for 22 years.

Jared Bernstein joined the Economic Policy Institute in 1992, and in December 2008 joined the Obama Administration as Chief Economist for Vice President Biden. His latest book is *Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed?*, which follows *All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy*. His areas of research include income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, low-wage labor markets and poverty, international comparisons, and the analysis of federal and state economic policies. He is the co-author of eight editions of the book *The State of Working America* and has published extensively in popular and academic venues, including *The New York Times*, *Washington Post*, *American Prospect*, and *Research in Economics and Statistics*. He has also been a contributor to the financial news station CNBC.

Shubha Mudgal was born in Allahabad, in 1959 in a musically dedicated family, who embraced literature as well as Indian and western music. Famously known as a versatile singer and a popular performer today, Shubha grew up in an artistic atmosphere of variety and innovation. As a child, she received training from some of the finest musicians and musicologists in India. Shubha MudgalMudgal hit the music circuit in the late 1980s, where she was regarded as one of the more promising classical vocalists, where she has fluttered away from Kabir, Tulsi, Meera and Sufi poetry to the rock-and-roll beats of Ab ke Sawan. Thus, her singing in different areas has also created more interest in Indian classical music among younger people. This classically trained musician Shubha Mudgal took the "blasphemous" step of straying into pop and now whenever young people do come to her concerts, they appreciate her music all the more. She has thus, innovated herself and made her desire to work with different musical forms, a reality. This is a surprising step from a classical singer, since some of the other classical vocalists have not really ventured into the Indian film world to that extent. Thus, she is first a student of voice rather than a student of only Khayal or only Thumri gharana. In addition to being a performer, Shubha is also recognized as a composer. It is the ancient poetry she has read throughout her training which did compel her to become a composer. A lot of what she sings is from the texts that she has been studying from. Shubha also enjoys working with artists of all mediums including with some of the leading dancers and filmmakers in the country. She received the award for Best Music Direction at the National Film Festival 1996 for her work in Meera Diwan`s film Amrit Beej. She did the soundtrack for Mira Nair`s film Kamasutra and also gave the score for Rajan Khosa`s Dance of the Wind. She has composed for dancers like Aditi Mangaldas and Sonal Mansingh and for ballets like Meera and Krishna Katha of the Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra.

Rajashree Ghosh has worked in the field of social development in the arenas of gender, education, health, and environment. She has also worked for the United Nations World Food Programme in India and has successfully liaised with Government, non-profit and multilateral agencies. For the Women's Studies Program at Boston University, Rajashree guided the interface between partners at three Indian Universities and with local entities. This initiative endorsed by UNESCO (Paris), aims at exchange of ideas on gender across cultural boundaries. At the WSRC, her in-depth knowledge of India provides contextual understanding of women and their participation in development.