Kudos

NIU political scientist Larry Arnhart was prominently featured in a May 5 story on the front page of the New York Times.

The article illuminated the debate over whether Darwinian theory undermines conservative notions of religion and morality or actually supports conservative philosophy.

Arnhart makes a convincing case for the latter in his 2005 book, “Darwinian Conservatism,” and in a blog by the same name. Yet, as noted in the Times, three of the Republican Party’s 10 presidential candidates have indicated they do not believe in evolution.

Arnhart is amply quoted by the newspaper and identified as spearheading the new movement among conservatives who believe the scientific theories of Charles Darwin can be applied to human behavior and political thought. Arnhart believes natural selection supports many conservative ideas, including traditional social roles for men and women and free-market capitalism.

The Weekly Standard, a well-known conservative magazine, also recently highlighted Arnhart’s work, and the political scientist was a guest last week on Fair Game, a Public Radio International show hosted by Faith Salie.

At NIU, Arnhart is among the core faculty members who are experts in the field of biopolitics, also known as politics and the life sciences. NIU has the only political science department nationwide that offers biopolitics as a graduate field of study.

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Honors continue to roll in for Distinguished Research Professor Biswa Datta in the NIU Department of Mathematical Sciences.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) earlier this year honored Datta for his outstanding contributions to the field of numerical linear algebra related to control theory during an international workshop at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. The ceremony was attended by mathematicians, computational scientists and engineers from across the world.

The IEEE, the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, noted the versatility of Datta’s research expertise and his many contributions in areas ranging from theoretical linear algebra to practical control and vibration engineering. He has authored more than 100 interdisciplinary research papers and two popular interdisciplinary books. He also has developed three software packages and toolboxes.

Datta and wife Karabi Datta, who also is a mathematics professor at NIU, were interviewed by reporters for an Indian television channel, and several Indian newspapers published stories on the ceremony and workshop.

An edited book consisting of papers on the invited presentations of the speakers and contributions of other experts will be dedicated to Biswa Datta in acknowledgement of his interdisciplinary contributions. Details can be found in www.nlassc.org.

5-21-07