Radcliffe Day 2014

How has knowledge of the human genome transformed the biological sciences? How should we assess the promises, perils, and ethics of creating new organisms in the laboratory? In a panel moderated by Eric S. Lander, I. Glenn Cohen, Linda Griffith, David Liu, and Pamela Silver discuss the science and ethics of creating new life in the laboratory.

Who reads? Who writes? Who reviews? Who wins prizes? In this panel moderated by Gish Jen, Ann Hulbert, Claire Messud, and Elisabeth Schmitz discuss how gender influences what counts as literature and how literary fiction is reviewed and received.

Ever since the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870, the United States has grappled with the ideal of universal suffrage. Recent obstacles include the Supreme Court decision invalidating key parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, passage of voter-ID laws, and proposals for redistricting. In a panel moderated by Daniel Carpenter, Lani Guinier, Darlene Clark Hine, Tony Horwitz, and Robert Korstad explore why and how the world's greatest democracy has long struggled over which of its citizens can vote.

The Radcliffe Institute honors Drew Gilpin Faust with the Radcliffe Medal, which we present annually to an individual who has had a transformative impact on society. With remarks by Radcliffe Institute Dean Lizabeth Cohen and former Harvard President Neil Rudenstine.

On Radcliffe Day, we reflect on the past, savor the present, and imagine the future, by awarding Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust with the 2014 Radcliffe Medal and by presenting panel discussions that draw on the Institute's broad range of intellectual commitments and its diverse community. Radcliffe Day lunch and panel discussions will be online at