DATE: Friday, May 18

TIME: 4 – 5:30 p.m. (Press availability at 3:40 p.m.)

PLACE: Darrin Communications Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 

On May 18, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will host a discussion about global challenges at the intersection of politics and technology, featuring four prominent leaders who bring unique perspectives to bear on these critical issues. The public colloquy will be moderated by Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson and will include the Institute’s three Commencement honorees — Thomas Friedman, Don Hewitt, and Mae Jemison.

The President’s Commencement Colloquy, titled “Balancing on the Knife-Edge: Politics, Technology, and Ethics,” will take place May 18 at 4 p.m. in room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center (DCC) on the Rensselaer campus.

NOTE: Colloquy participants will be available to speak with reporters at 3:40 p.m. in DCC Room 232.

Shirley Ann Jackson (colloquy moderator) is president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Thomas Friedman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times and best-selling author of The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.

Don Hewitt is a pioneering television producer with more than 50 years of experience at CBS News, where he is best known as the creator of the weekly news program 60 Minutes. 

Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel in space, is a medical doctor, television broadcaster, and founder of two technology companies that focus on creating advanced technologies for the developing world.

The colloquy is being held in conjunction with Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement on May 19, where Friedman, Hewitt, and Jemison will receive honorary degrees. Friedman will deliver the Commencement address at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on the Harkness Field.

CONTACT:  Amber Cleveland, 276-2146 (office), 495-5485 (mobile), clevea@rpi.edu