ATEC Distinguished Lectures Start Jan. 22

The University of Texas at Dallas will launch the new ATEC Distinguished Lecture Series on Jan. 22 with a talk by Monuments Men author Robert Edsel.

The lecture series, presented by The Dallas Morning News, was first announced during the recent dedication of the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building. The new building houses programs that explore topics at the intersection of arts and technology.

“Beginning in January of 2014, UT Dallas will launch a major lecture series focused on illuminating the concepts behind the merger of art and technology, employing this very handsome facility we’re enjoying today,” President David E. Daniel said at the building’s November dedication.

“We will open our doors to our community for these lectures and bring our University and surrounding communities together to share ideas. Our goal is to be a creative spark that ignites the North Texas region to even greater accomplishments.”

Edsel, writer of the acclaimed book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, will kick off the lecture series on Jan. 22. His book describes the efforts of American volunteers during World War II in tracking and retrieving artworks stolen by the Nazi war machine. Actor and director George Clooney’s movie, The Monuments Men, is based on Edsel’s book and is slated to premiere in February.

Christian Belady, general manager of Data Center Services for Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services and a UT Dallas alumnus, will speak at the Feb. 26 lecture. He helps build, manage and breathe life into the entire world of cloud computing at Microsoft. Before Microsoft and after earning engineering degrees from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Belady enrolled at UT Dallas and earned his master’s degree in 1990. He was named a 2010 Distinguished Alumnus.

Vinton G. Cerf, one the recognized “fathers of the Internet” and vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, will speak on March 26. Cerf has received such honors as the National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the creation of the Internet. In his role at Google, Cerf identifies and promotes new technologies used to develop Internet-based products and services.

Dr. Mae Jemison, a chemical engineer, scientist, physician, entrepreneur, teacher and astronaut, will speak on April 16. She graduated from Stanford University in 1977 and earned her medical degree from Cornell Medical College (now Weill Medical College of Cornell University) in 1981. Jemison, who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992, is multilingual and trained in dance and choreography. Jemison serves as an advocate for science education.