From art of transplantation to scholarly look at jazz

As part of the celebration of the inauguration of Hugo F. Sonnenschein as the University's 11th president, a series of symposia will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 20, following a special inaugural convocation.

The symposia, planned by the faculty inaugural committee, will focus on leading issues in five areas of teaching and research at the University. The programs will be free and open to the public. "TRANSPLANTATION: THE SECOND REVOLUTION" 2 p.m., Kent 120

Twenty-five years of progress in human organ transplantation and the future of transplantation will be the topics of a panel discussion with four faculty members in the Biological Sciences Division.

Since the first heart transplant was performed in 1968, the transplantation of hearts, kidneys, livers, pancreases and lungs has become increasingly common because of advances in surgical techniques and the development of anti-rejection drugs. The symposium will look at the state of the art of transplantation, the promise of basic research and the ethical implications of transplantation.

The panelists are Jeffrey Bluestone, Professor in the Ben May Institute and Pathology and Chairman of the Committee on Immunology; Jeffrey Leiden, Professor in Medicine and Chief of the Cardiology Section; Mark Siegler, Professor in Medicine and Director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics; and J. Richard Thistlethwaite Jr., Professor in Surgery and Chief of the Section of Transplantation. "THE EVOLUTION OF THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE" 2 p.m., Kersten 115

The University's extensive research in the field of cosmology will be featured in a panel discussion by Astronomy & Astrophysics faculty members.

"One of the most exciting endeavors in science concerns origins -- where did we come from and where are we going? What happened in the first fraction of a second after the universe was formed? How can we find out?" said Michael Turner, Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics and panel moderator. "We think those events are crucial in explaining what the universe is like today. The University of Chicago has played a major role in unraveling the early history of the universe, and we have bold plans for the future."

Turner will be joined by panelists Edward "Rocky" Kolb, Richard Kron and Noel Swerdlow, all Professors in Astronomy & Astrophysics. "LIBERAL EDUCATION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE" 2 p.m., Harper 130

The establishment of a liberal-arts college within the framework of a major research university will be the focus of discussion at "Liberal Education and the Advancement of Knowledge: The Role of Collegiate Education in the Development of the American Research University."

The symposium will explore the history of this tradition in the United States, examining the advantages and disadvantages both for the college and for the university that contains it. A discussion of the University of Chicago's system and Chicago's role in the history of American research institutions will be featured.

The panelists are John Boyer, Dean of the College; Donald Levine, the Peter B. Ritzma Professor in Sociology and former Dean of the College; Richard Storr, professor emeritus of history at York University and author of "Harper's University"; and Roger Geiger, professor of education at Penn State. "MUSIC: THEORY AND PRACTICE" 3:30 p.m., Goodspeed Recital Hall

The interaction between the performance and the scholarly study of music will be explored by four scholars and composers who are members of the Music faculty.

"What do jazz musicians, performers of contemporary music, pianists and opera singers have in common? They often work closely with the Music faculty and students at the University of Chicago. This symposium will explore the workings -- and the problems -- of these relationships," said Philip Gossett, Dean of the Humanities Division and the Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor in Music. Gossett will moderate the session.

The panelists are Ingrid Monson, Assistant Professor in Music; Shulamit Ran, Professor in Music; Charles Rosen, Professor in the Committee on Social Thought; and Gossett, who will be joined by Ellen Harris, associate provost for the arts at MIT and former chair of the Music Department at Chicago. The session will include performances by the panelists or of the panelists' work and a demonstration by two musicians from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music, the city's foremost experimental jazz ensemble. "ALTRUISM AND EGOTISM" 3:30 p.m., Swift Hall third-floor lecture room

Panelists will explore to what extent the assumption of rational self-interest best explains the social behavior of human beings.

"At one end of the spectrum, many social scientists -- often economists -- rely on the assumptions of self-interest," said Richard Epstein, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor in the Law School, who will moderate the panel. "On the other end, many anthropologists and sociologists regard these theories as too austere to account for the complex patterns of social behavior observed in both primitive and modern societies. The panelists will examine evidence supporting these rival concepts and will offer their own views."

The panelists are Gary Becker, University Professor in Economics and Sociology; Jon Elster, the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science; and Marshall Sahlins, the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor in Anthropology.