Graham Ward is the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and Extraordinary Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology at the University of Stellenbosch. Among his books are Cities of God, Cultural Transformation and Religious Practice, True Religion, Christ and Culture, The Politics of Discipleship, Unbelievable, and Unimaginable. For the last ten years he has been working on Ethical Life, a major four-volume systematic theology, which includes two already-published volumes How the Light Gets In and Another Kind of Normal and the upcoming Salus. 

Cosponsored by the Boston College Theology Department.

The Lowell Humanities Series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, Boston College's Institute for the Liberal Arts, and the Provost's Office.

What can a 19th-century mill disaster teach us about workplace safety today?

Join Professor Robert Forrant (UMass Lowell) and Gabriel Porter (Safety and Health Specialist/Process Safety Management Coordinator OSHA Boston Regional Office) for a compelling discussion moderated by Charles River Museum’s Director of Education, Stephen Guerriero. Forrant will delve into the catastrophic Pemberton Mill collapse of 1860—an industrial tragedy that claimed 98 lives, revealed systemic failures, and left questions of accountability unresolved. Porter will explore how OSHA builds on lessons from such events to safeguard workers in today’s industries. Together, they’ll connect history to modern-day practices, offering insights into the ongoing fight for safer workplaces.

Cambridge Forum takes an incisive look at America’s public health system in the light of another potential pandemic, and the prospect of an incoming president who is set to dismantle our current public health care science which is regarded by many, as the best in the world. Alarm bells were sounded early last December when The Lancet, the world’s top medical journal, published an issue dedicated to U.S. public health lauding its remarkable global record and worrying for its future, under a second Trump administration.

Join the Charles River Museum for a journey back to Waltham’s railroad heyday, when the advent of the railroad was deeply entwined in the industrial history of the region, and the Boston Manufacturing Company specifically.

Presented by Rick Kfoury.

Rick Kfoury is a railroad historian and author with an express interest in New England railroading in the second half of the twentieth century. He has authored four books on the subject, The New England Southern Railroad Volumes I and II, Queen City Rails: Manchester's Railroads 1965-1990, and Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story.

Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Tim Ritchie, President of the Museum of Science. This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.

Since 2004, Ritchie has served as the president of science centers across the country including, McWane Science Center and the Tech Interactive, where he has followed his passion to serve his community with a vision to galvanize the public’s appreciation of the role science plays in our daily lives, and the opportunities it can create for us all.

Josh Miller-Lewis co-founded More Perfect Union, a non-profit advocacy journalism organization, and now serves as Senior Editorial Director. More Perfect Union was recently nominated for two News & Documentary Emmy Awards and is one of the fastest growing new digital outlets of the last decade.