James to speak on diversity

Wilmot James, Caltech’s Moore Visiting Professor of History and Sociology, will be the next speaker in the Presidential Lecture Series on Achieving Diversity in Science, Math, and Engineering. His talk, “Africa, Genomic Science, and Some Notes on the Evolution of Human Diversity,” will take place Thursday, January 15, at 4 p.m. in Ramo Auditorium.

In his lecture, according to James, he will cover the implications of genomic science for African research and development; Africa’s contributions to global science, in particular the tracing of human ancestry through the use of mitochondrial DNA; and the evolution of human diversity, with a focus on skin color. These topics will then lead into a discussion of “globally excellent institutions like Caltech and global diversity”—in other words, the implications of “global science in the era of globalization,” he says.

James is an executive director of the Human Sciences Research Council in Cape Town, South Africa, where he oversees social cohesion and integration research, and is a cofounder of the Africa Human Genome Initiative. During his stay at Caltech, James is conducting research on the human genome sequencing effort, as well as teaching. His fall-term course focused on post-apartheid South Africa, and a course in the spring will be titled “Racial Variation and the Evolution of Skin Color.”

A former dean of humanities and professor of sociology at the University of Cape Town and a past executive director of the Institute for Democracy of South Africa, James has authored or edited more than a dozen books. He holds a PhD in sociology and African history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The Caltech Presidential Lecture Series on Achieving Diversity in Science, Math, and Engineering is a free public program. Campus parking is available with a permit from the parking structure kiosk at 370 South Holliston Avenue. Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of Minority Student Education, the Officers of the Faculty, and the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
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