SNF Agora Institute - The Hopkins Forum: Is the Scientific Enterprise Too Risk-Averse?

• Featuring Tyler Cowen, Brandon Ogbunu, Dr. Kate Biberdorf, and The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan; moderated by John Donvan 
• Presented by The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Open to Debate, and Hopkins at Home

Modern science has given us the ability to edit our genes, life-saving vaccines, and a glimpse at the origins of the universe. But is the system that produced these breakthroughs holding itself back? 

Critics argue that the pressure to publish and fierce competition for funding rewards safe, incremental work over bold thinking and big swings. Yet others see a system still capable of paradigm-shifting discoveries — one where large, worldwide collaborations and long-term thinking motivate scientists to pursue grand, ambitious ideas.

Join us as we debate: Is the Scientific Enterprise Too Risk-Averse?

Featured speakers

Arguing Yes:

• Tyler Cowen, Author of "The Great Stagnation"; Economics Professor at George Mason University; Founder of Emergent Ventures
• Brandon Ogbunu, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and Professor at the Santa Fe Institute 

Arguing No: 

• Dr. Kate Biberdorf (“Kate the Chemist”), Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame; Science Entertainer
• The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, 15th Director of the National Science Foundation; University Professor of Technology and Innovation and Foundation Chair at Arizona State University 

Moderator-in-Chief: 

• John Donvan, Emmy Award-winning journalist

About The Hopkins Forum Series: 

The Hopkins Forum is a partnership between Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute. This flagship series consists of live debates in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, bringing together diverse perspectives to tackle today’s most pressing issues.

This virtual program will be broadcast live from Homewood campus at Shriver Hall. If you are interested in attending this debate in person, please click here to register! 
Please note: registration and seating are first-come, first-served, so make sure to secure your spot today. All attendees are invited to a post-debate reception in the hall.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through research, teaching, and practice. Our events create space for open dialogue and exchange among people with diverse perspectives. By convening scholars, practitioners, and the public, we seek to foster understanding, encourage inquiry, and support the conditions in which democracy can thrive.

The perspectives and opinions expressed by the speaker(s) during this program are those of the speaker(s) and not, necessarily, those of Johns Hopkins University and the scheduling of any speaker at an alumni event or program does not constitute the University’s endorsement of the speaker’s perspectives and opinions. Speakers are participating in this panel in their personal capacities and not on behalf of any branch of local, state, or federal government.
Johns Hopkins University is a 501(c)(3) not for profit entity and cannot endorse or oppose any candidate for public office.