
For Joseph Henry, internationally-renowned physicist, leader of the American scientific community, professor at Princeton, and first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, societies were essential for the progress of science. Formal or informal, local or national, societies provided scientists the critical judgments and appreciation they needed. In helping to found the Philosophical Society of Washington, Henry attempted to make it the epitome of what a local scientific society should be.
In 1931 the Society inaugurated the Joseph Henry Lectures. They have been sponsored annually (except 1943) by the Society in honor of its first president.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
|
May 12, 1961
30th Henry Lecture |
New Developments in High Magnetic Field Research
Francis Bitter Massachusetts Institute of Technology Transcript |
|
May 11, 1962
31st Henry Lecture |
The Theory of the Electron
F. Rohrlich State University of Iowa Transcript |
|
May 10, 1991
60th Henry Lecture |
The Case for Ending Drug Prohibition and The Emerging Alternative Addiction Paradigm
Joe G. Foreman Scientist and Former President of the Society Abstract |
|
May 15, 1992
61st Henry Lecture |
Is It Possible to Construct a Perception Machine?
Gerald Edelman Rockefeller University |
|
May 14, 1993
62nd Henry Lecture |
Origin, Evolution, and Distribution of Life in the Universe
Cyril Ponnamperuma Director, Laboratory of Chemical Evolution, University of Maryland Abstract |
|
May 13, 1994
63rd Henry Lecture |
Environmental Influences on Brain Structure and Function
Marian Diamond Professor of Anatomy, Department of Integrative Biology, and Director, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley Abstract |
|
May 12, 1995
64th Henry Lecture |
Designer Brain: Receptor-Neurotransmitter Research, the Scientific and
Social-Ethical Implications
Richard M. Restak George Washington Medical School |
|
May 3, 1996
65th Henry Lecture |
How do Protein Molecules Self-Assemble?
George D. Rose Johns Hopkins School of Medicine |
|
May 2, 1997
66th Henry Lecture |
Mars in Fact versus Fiction
Donna Lee Shirley Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
|
May 12, 1997
A Special Joseph Henry Lecture |
“Frequent Interchange of Ideas and Appreciative Encouragement”: The Role of Scientific Societies in the Life of Joseph Henry
Marc Rothenberg Curator, Joseph Henry Papers Project, Smithsonian Institution Abstract |
|
May 8, 1998
67th Henry Lecture |
What Hubble Didn't Know About the Universe
Vera C. Rubin Carnegie Institution of Washington |
|
May 7, 1999
68th Henry Lecture |
Visualization of an Ion Channel by use of Crystallography
Isabella Karle, Naval Research Laboratory Quantum Crystallography, a Tool for Enhancing Information from Crystallographic Data Jerome Karle, Naval Research Laboratory Abstract |
|
May 12, 2000
69th Henry Lecture |
Global Warming: Hot Talk, Cold Science
S. Fred Singer President, Science and Environmental Policy Project Abstract |
|
May 11, 2001
70th Henry Lecture |
The Human Computer and the Birth of the
Information Age
David A. Grier Associate Professor, George Washington University Abstract | Transcript |
|
May 17, 2002
71st Henry Lecture |
The Cholesterol Myths
Uffe Ravnskov Independent Researcher Abstract |
|
May 16, 2003
72nd Henry Lecture |
Biology and Humans in Space
Baruch Blumberg 1976 Nobel Laureate in Medicine Abstract |
|
May 28, 2004
73rd Henry Lecture |
Oceans and Human Health A Symbiotic Relationship between People and the Sea Rita R. Colwell Retiring Director, National Science Foundation Abstract |
|
May 13, 2005
74th Henry Lecture |
Time, Einstein, and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe A Symbiotic Relationship between People and the Sea William Phillips Nobel Prize Winner Abstract |
|
May 12, 2006
75th Henry Lecture |
Latest Scientific Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers Jim Garvin Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center Abstract |
|
May 11, 2007
76th Henry Lecture |
The Very First Light The True Inside Story of the Scientific Journey Back to the Dawn of the Universe John Mather, 2006 Nobel Laureate Abstract |