From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Anne Applebaum chronicles this trend in her book "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" and will outline some of the book’s main themes in this presentation. Part of a virtual series of events presented by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State.

Session of the ongoing Journalism Speakers Forum featuring interactive journalist Andrew McGill ('10).

Session of the ongoing Journalism Speakers Forum featuring alumnus Daniel Victor of The New York Times.

Joon Lee is a staff writer at ESPN and a rising star in sports journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher Report, with bylines for The Washington Post, The Ringer and SB Nation. Lee grew up in Boston and graduated from Cornell University in 2017. The session is part of the ongoing Conversation Series conducted by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, housed in the Bellisario College. The event is co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Session of the ongoing Journalism Speakers Forum featuring journalist and entrepreneur Juleyka Lantigua Williams.

Political leader and scholar Donna Shalala will join us to discuss the relationship between the Democratic Party’s moderate and progressive wings, and what it means for American democracy moving forward.. Part of a virtual series of events presented by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. This is a follow-up to an event with Charlie Dent on the future of the Republican Party in the fall.

Bellisario College faculty member S. Shyam Sundar will discuss fake news during a session that is part of the Penn State Alumni Association Virtual Speakers Series. Register

Astronaut Leland Melvin will present the 2021 Luchinsky Lecture, a free public event for all Penn State students. Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and former NFL wide receiver. He served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the International Space Station. He also led NASA Education and co-chaired the White House’s Federal Coordination in STEM Education Task Force, developing the nation’s five-year STEM education plan. After 24 years with NASA as a researcher, astronaut and Senior Executive Service leader, he now shares his life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer and musician to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) careers. The free event does require registration: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__DBBWuDIQF-fIIMGib71Dw

Sustainability Institute webinar series "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action" begins next week!

The symposium will feature a keynote presentation from David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary, U. N. Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal on Wednesday, Jan 13. Registration is required to receive the ZOOM link, and for Penn State faculty to be eligible for the associated seed grant program.