Participate in CFDE Mid-Semester Inquiry Survey Pilot

The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence (CFDE) invites instructors to participate in our Mid-Semester Inquiry Survey (MSI) Pilot during Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. For anyone who is curious about student engagement, clarity of instruction, or classroom dynamics, MSIs are a powerful, low-stakes way to gather meaningful, anonymous feedback on how a class is going while there’s still time to make adjustments.

As part of the pilot, CFDE will:

• Provide a ready-to-use, anonymous MSI survey (following our CFDE template)
• Compile a digital report of all student responses 
• Offer an optional one-on-one consultation with a CFDE teaching consultant to help you interpret feedback and explore pedagogical strategies 

If you’re interested in joining our pilot and requesting an MSI survey for your class now, please complete this form. 

Bonus: We’re also offering another upcoming interactive workshop where you’ll learn how to:

• Introduce and administer an MSI in your own class (whether you participate in our pilot or would like to create your own MSI survey)
• Use feedback to build transparency and student trust
• Make thoughtful, responsive changes to your course this semester—or plan for improvements in the next
• The interactive workshop will be held on Zoom October 15, 2:30 - 3:30 pm. You can sign up here.  

Learn More about MSI’s at this webpage.

Chemist Francesco Evangelista elected to International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science

Francesco Evangelista, Emory College Winship Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, has been elected as a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Sciences (IAQMS).

The academy, which is composed of top researchers from around the world and includes several Nobel Prize winners, previously awarded the theoretical chemist the IAQMS Medal in 2020 in recognition of his pioneering research developing original computational methods to study molecules with strong electron correlation.

As a theorist, Evangelista derives algorithms that model microscopic behaviors of atomic nuclei and electrons. He then develops software to feed the algorithms into computers and run simulations. His most recent research focuses on finding ways to use quantum computers — powerful devices that follow the same rules of quantum physics as nuclei and electrons — to solve problems much faster. More important than the recognition as an expert in the complex field, he says, is the chance to make it more accessible.

Evangelista will share his findings and continued research during an address at the International Congress of Quantum Chemistry in California next spring.

The History of U.S. Infrastructure: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles   

[In the 1970s,] there were large sections of [railway] line which had been abandoned, and trains rusting, or moldering, or lying out there in the desert, absolutely covered with graffiti. The overhead lines in New York, one-by-one, had been abandoned. . . . Why were the railways in such bad condition? And the answer is that competition had proved too much for them, with the invention of aviation in particular. . . . By the 1950s, inter-city travel could be done more quickly by air than by train. One of the decisive moments, which came in 1957, was when Pan Am introduced Boeing 707 direct service from Los Angeles to New York. It took about four and a half hours, whereas the train between those two cities was about 30 hours. [Also in the 1950s,] there's a great cultural enthusiasm for motor vehicles. But, more importantly, there was an enormous amount of government support for the auto industry. This was also the period, in 1956, the Eisenhower administration passed the Interstate Freeways Act. And in doing so built a great network of roads all over the nation, which the auto-makers didn't have to pay for. . . . It was a sort of festering annoyance for the railroads, that they did have to pay for their own tracks, whereas the car companies didn't have to pay for the roads. Car travel was being given an immense federal public subsidy. And similarly the federal government paid most of the cost of building airports, air traffic control was subsidized by government. So the railroads felt that they were competing unfairly, that they got in-built disadvantages.         

-- Patrick Allitt (Cahoon Family Professor of American History, Emory University), "The Resurrection of American Railroads," Emeritus College Lunch Colloquium, September 10, 2024.

Call for Proposals: Community-Engaged Learning Grants

The CFDE announces the availability of the Community-Engaged Learning Grants. Anyone currently teaching at Emory is eligible, including graduate students, adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, lecturers, and tenure track faculty. Please note that Vialla is available for teaching consultations about community engaged pedagogy, syllabus development, partnership cultivation, and general related questions. The CFDE is now accepting applications through October 31, 2025.

On October 22 at 4 p.m. at the Woodruff Library suite 216, the CFDE will host an information session about community-engaged teaching, highlighting CEL courses taught recently and including other campus resources.  

For more information, please visit this webpage. 

Milivoje Lukić, Professor, Mathematics, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Milivoje Lukić completed his PhD in mathematics at the California Institute of Technology (2011). Prior to joining the faculty at Emory in 2025, Lukić held positions at Rice University and the University of Toronto. Lukić’s research focuses on analysis and mathematical physics. His articles have been published in a number of leading journals including Inventiones Mathematicae, Duke Mathematical Journal, and Advances in Mathematics. He was also the recipient of NSF Grants (2022-2025, 2017-2022, and 2013-2017).

Monday, October 13                                

At noon on Zoom, the Library & Information Technology Services presents a webinar titled "Tools and Techniques for Delivering Secure Exams." For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 1 p.m. at Health Sciences Research Building II room N600 and on Zoom, the Center for Childhood Infections and Vaccines presents Alora Colvin, research specialist, Mavigner Lab, pediatric infectious diseases division, who will give a talk titled "Investigating the role of CD8+ T cells in HIV/SIV reservoir maintenance in infants." For more information, please visit this webpage.   

Tuesday, October 14                              

At 10 a.m. on Zoom, the Academic Production Team presents a Video Production Team Drop-In. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 10:30 a.m. at the Starvine Shuttle Stop, Transportation & Parking Services presents Bike Trivia. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 11 a.m. at the McDonough Plaza, Emory Dining and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives present the Emory Farmers Market. For more information, please visit this webpage.

At noon online, Emory Human Resources presents Caregiver Conversations, a virtual caregiver meet-up to discuss caregiving strategies, stressors involved with caring for loved ones. For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 4 p.m. at the Claudia Nance Rollins Building room 4001, the Latinx Employee Resource Network presents Your Heritage, Your Story, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 5:30 p.m. at the Rich Memorial Building room 210, Arts at Emory presents The Restoration Project: Be the Main Character of Your Own Story, a recurring cabaret workshop series. For more information, please visit this webpage.

Wednesday, October 15

At 11 a.m. at the Rita Anne Rollins Building room 252, the Candler School of Theology's McDonald Lecture presents Sarah Coakley, Norris-Hulse Professor Emerita of Divinity at Cambridge University, Candler's 2025-2026 Alonzo L. McDonald Family Chair on the Life and Teachings of Jesus and Their Impact on Culture, who will give a talk titled "Revisiting Modern Christian 'Mysticism': What Did the 20th Century Mean by It, and Why Does It Still Matter?" For more information, please visit this webpage.   

At noon online, the Emory Latinx Employee Resource Network presents Conversa & Aprende (Speak & Learn), a virtual session to practice Spanish. For more information, please visit this webpage.   

At 7:30 p.m. at White Hall room 208, Emory Cinematheque Film Screening presents Death Race 2000. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

Thursday, October 16

At 11:30 a.m. at the O. Wayne Rollins Research Center room 1052, the Biology Seminar Series presents Ehsan Sanaei, postdoctoral fellow, de Roode Lab, who will give a talk titled "Drivers of Microbiome Rewiring in Monarchs," and Jia Liu, postdoctoral fellow, Bromberg Lab, who will give a talk titled "Evaluating Technical and Temporal Sources of Variability in Microbiome Function Profiling." For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At noon at Whitehead Auditorium, the Department of Biochemistry presents Camilo Perez, assistant professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, who will give a talk titled "Mechanistic basis of transport processes involved in biosynthesis of bacteria cell wall polymers." For more information, please visit this webpage.

At noon at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Support Building or on Zoom, the Behavorial Mental Health Center Series presents Bonney Reed, pediatric psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics, Emory, who will give a talk titled "Brain-Gut Biomarkers of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease." For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 12:45 p.m. at Cox Bridge, the Transportation & Parking Services presents Bike-Thru Pop Up, featuring a bike-themed corn hole game. For more information, please visit this webpage.  

At 2 p.m. at Health Sciences Research Building I room E260, the Center for Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, & Nutrition Innovation (GENI) Seminar presents Desiree Wanders, chair of nutrition, associate professor, nutrition, Georgia State University, who will give a talk titled "Obesity Treatment Today: Progress, Gaps, and Future Directions." For more information and to register, please visit this webpage.

At 4 p.m. at Kemp Malone Library (Callaway N301), the Emory Writing Center, Writing Across Emory, and the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence present Megan Poole, assistant professor of rhetoric & writing, University of Texas, Austin, who will give a book talk titled "Listening to Beauty: Stories of Sea, Sound, and Rhetorics of Science." For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 4 p.m. at Atwood room 360, the sociology department and the AIAI Network present Vauhini Vara, author and Pulitzer Prize finalist, who will give a talk titled "If Computers Can Write, Why Should We?" For more information, please visit this webpage.  

At 4:30 p.m. at the Health Sciences Research Building II room N600, the School of Medicine presents a Bioentrepreneurship Networking Event. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 5 p.m. at the Rita Anne Rollins Building room 252, the 2025 Howard Thurman Lecture presents Josef Sorett, dean of Columbia College and Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor and Vice President for Undergraduate Education at Columbia University, who will give a talk titled "The Art and Politics (and Afterlives) of Afro-Protestantism." For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 5:30 p.m. at the Tarbutton Porch, Oxford College presents a Graffiti Artist Exhibition, featuring graffiti artist Docta. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 6 p.m. at White Hall room 205, the Carlos Museum presents a film screening of La chimera,  in celebration of International Archaeology Day and the Week of Italian Language in the World. For more information, please visit this webpage.     

At 6:30 p.m. at the Patterson Green, the Music Department and the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts presents Jazz on the Green. For more information, please visit this webpage.    

Friday, October 17 

At 10 a.m. at the Rollins School of Public Health, the Rollins School of Public Health presents Destination Public Health, an open house event. For more information, please visit this webpage.      

At 11:30 a.m. at the Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building room 290, the Environmental Sciences Seminar presents Jonathon Keats, conceptual artist and experimental philosopher, who will give a talk titled "Imagining Otherwise: Environmental Ethics, Art, and Alternative Futures." For more information, please visit this webpage.

At noon at Callaway room C201, the Emory Writing Center, Writing Across Emory, and the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence present Megan Poole, assistant professor of rhetoric & writing, University of Texas, Austin, who will offer a Writing Colloquium. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 1 p.m. at the Carlos Museum Tate Room, the Carlos Museum presents Student Studio: Guided by Guides. For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 3:30 p.m. at the Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building room 225, the Emory Climate Hub presents Climate Hub Coffee Hour: How to Tell Stories with Numbers. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Emerson Concert Hall, the Candler Concert Series presents "Murmurs in Time"—Third Coast Percussion and Salar Nader (tabla). For more information, please visit this webpage.

Saturday, October 18

At 10 a.m. at the Carlos Museum Tate Room, the Artful Stories reading series presents Diwali by Hannah Eliot for ages 3-4. 

At 11 a.m. at the Carlos Museum Ackerman Hall, the Emory Archaeology Festival presents DigIt!, a program of talks and poster presentations. For more information, please visit this webpage.

At noon at the Carlos Museum Tate Room the Artful Stories reading series presents Diwali by Hannah Eliot for ages 5-6. For more information, please visit this webpage.

At 8 p.m. at the Cannon Chapel, the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Waits Chamber Music Concert presents the Vega Quartet: Solo. For more information, please visit this webpage.   

At 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Studio, Music at Emory and the Emory Music Department present the Emory Sound Collective who will give their debut concert. For more information, please visit this webpage.     

Sunday, October 19   

At 2 p.m. at the Carlos Museum Rotunda, the Carlos Museum presents Sunday Public Tour, a drop-in docent-led tour. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

Monday, October 20

At 11:30 a.m. at the Luce Center, the Emeritus College Lunch Colloquium Series presents Carla Freeman, director of the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry and Goodrich C. White Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Emory, who will give a talk titled "Fox Center — New Directions." For more information, please visit this webpage.   

At noon at the Emory Bookstore second floor, the  James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference Colloquium presents Julian Wamble, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at George Washington University, who will give a talk titled "We Choose You: How Black Voters Decide Which Candidates to Support." For more information, please visit this webpage.    

At 4 p.m. at the Emory Center for Ethics Commons, the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry presents a Book Launch in celebration of Gyanendra Pandey,Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor and Director of the Colonial and Postcolonial Studies Workshop, Department of History. For more information, please visit this webpage.    

At 4:30 p.m. at Atwood room 360, the Economics Leadership Club presents a panel discussion titled Leadership at the Crossroads of Business and Economics: How Leaders in Business, Technology and Academia Inspire Change. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

At 7:30 p.m. at the Carlos Museum Board Room, the Carlos Reads Book Club presents The Gathering of Bastards by Romeo Oriogun, with a discussion led by Nathan Suhr-Sytsma, associate professor in the Department of English and core faculty member of the Institute for African Studies. For more information, please visit this webpage. 

ThoughtWork: Emerging Knowledge and News in Emory's Intellectual Community

Monday, October 13, 2025, Volume 26, Issue 8

ThoughtWork is a publication of the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, which is supported by the Office of the Provost. This electronic newsletter list is moderated; replies are not automatically forwarded to the list of recipients. Please email aadam02@emory.edu with comments and calendar submissions. Calendar submissions are due 5:00pm the Wednesday before the week of the event. Dates and details of events on calendar are subject to change; please confirm with organizers before you attend.

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