The Aspen Institute

We are pleased to offer the Aspen Community Programs summer lecture series free to the public, with speaker receptions as an exclusive Society of Fellows membership benefit (contact sof@aspeninstitute.org for more information).

Registration is required for entry at all events. Priority registration for our donors will open on Monday, May 20 at 10:00 am MDT. Registration will open to the public on Thursday, May 23 at 10:00 am MDT.

The 2024 schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, July 10 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Enhancing Brain Health and Mental Acuity: A Conversation with Dr. Mark D’Esposito
Featuring Dr. Mark D’Esposito, distinguished professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. An expert in the brain mechanisms underlying cognition and memory, Dr. D’Esposito will explain how these neural networks interact, the types of memory required for focus, productivity, and learning, and the role of dopamine in working memory. In addition, he will explore the effects traumatic brain injury, concussion, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease have on the brain, and share actionable tools to enhance our cognitive function and memory.
Paepcke Auditorium

Thursday, July 11 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series
Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To
Featuring Dr. David Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and author of “Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To.” Dr. Sinclair will explore the research that is pushing the boundaries of our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging. He will also delve into emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes that have been shown to help us live younger and healthier for longer.
Paepcke Auditorium

Friday, July 12 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives
Featuring Shankar Vedantam, host and creator of the “Hidden Brain” radio show and podcast on NPR, and New York Times bestselling author. Shankar will explore how our unconscious minds guide our decisions from whom we fall in love with to whom we hire.
Paepcke Auditorium

Sunday, July 14 | 5:30 – 6:30 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 4:30 – 5:15 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There
Featuring Garrett Graff, journalist, historian, and director of Cyber Initiatives at the Aspen Institute, in conversation with Vivian Schiller, executive director of Aspen Digital at the Aspen Institute. Graff will discuss his latest book, “UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There,” a comprehensive exploration of the US government’s decades-long quest to solve one of humanity’s greatest mysteries: are we alone in the universe?
Paepcke Auditorium

Wednesday, July 17 | 6:00 – 7:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Jamala: Voice of Freedom
In collaboration with the Aspen Security Forum
“Jamala: Songs of Freedom” follows Ukrainian singer-songwriter Jamala in the early hours of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and profiles her activism of raising money and awareness for her homeland.
Documentary screening followed by a panel discussion. Panelists to be announced.
Paepcke Auditorium

Sunday, July 21 | 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Bayer Center Open House
Bauhaus Typography at 100
In collaboration with the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies
View the newest exhibition at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies and meet exhibition Curator Rob Saunders. Remarks honoring Ann M. Korologos by Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield and Executive Director of the Bayer Center Lissa Ballinger at 3:00 pm.
Courtyard, Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies

Sunday, July 21 | 4:30 – 5:30 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Bauhaus Typography at 100: Exploring the Bauhaus Print Legacy and its Influence on Contemporary Typography
Featuring Rob Saunders, executive director and curator of Letterform Archive, and Lorraine Wild, principal of Green Dragon Office and consulting creative director at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in conversation with Bayer Center Curator Adam Thomas. They will discuss the new exhibition on display in the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies.
Paepcke Auditorium

Tuesday, July 30 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
From Sharecropper’s Daughter to Trailblazer: A Conversation with Ruth Simmons
Featuring Ruth Simmons, former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University, and Distinguished Presidential Fellow at Rice University, in conversation with Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield. Dr. Simmons will discuss her 2023 memoir, “Up Home: One Girl’s Journey,” which is at once a stirring narrative of her trajectory from growing up as the twelfth child of sharecroppers in the segregated South to becoming the first Black president of an Ivy League university, and a circumstance-defying story of a girl who stretched beyond the boundaries imposed upon her—and the extraordinary people who made it all possible.
Paepcke Auditorium

Wednesday, July 31 | 1:30 – 2:30 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 2:30 – 3:15 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Strengthening America’s Economic Dynamism
In collaboration with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group
Americans are facing an era of economic reconfiguration driven by rising global tensions and technological change. Leaders on both sides of the political aisle increasingly view global opportunities and challenges, such as the rise of Artificial Intelligence, through a geopolitical lens. Amid this shift, bipartisan support for policies that raise trade barriers and promote domestic industries threatens to end an era characterized by international economic cooperation and broad-based global growth. How can investing in innovation and promoting open trade strengthen America’s economic dynamism? Speaker(s) to be announced.
Paepcke Auditorium

Thursday, August 1 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Leadership at the State Level: A Conversation with Democratic Governors
Featuring New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, in conversation with Elliot Gerson, executive vice president of Policy Programs and International Partners at the Aspen Institute, on the historic investments Gov. Hochul has made in her state. Additional speaker(s) to be announced.
Paepcke Auditorium

Thursday, August 8 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Featuring Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, and author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.” Dr. Ben-Ghiat will explore the pathologies of strongman models of leadership and governance, and how we can learn from the appeal authoritarians have to reimagine democracy for the 21st century.
Paepcke Auditorium

Monday, August 12 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
Democracy at a Crossroads: A Conversation with the Honorable J. Michael Luttig
Featuring the Honorable J. Michael Luttig, former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Aspen Institute trustee. Judge Luttig will discuss his lifelong commitment to support and defend our democracy, his congressional testimony to the January 6 committee, the constitutional significance of the 14th Amendment and the battle playing out at the state level, and what’s at stake in one of the most consequential elections of our time.
Paepcke Auditorium

Tuesday, August 13 | 4:30 – 5:30 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 3:30 – 4:15 pm
McCloskey Speaker Series
Leadership at the State Level: A Conversation with Republican Governors
Speaker(s) to be announced, in conversation with Elliot Gerson, executive vice president of Policy Programs and International Partners at the Aspen Institute. The governors will share how they are leading and making progress in their respective states.
Paepcke Auditorium

Wednesday, August 14 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
SOF members-only reception with speakers | 5:00 – 5:45 pm
Hurst Lecture Series
The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians
Featuring Carlos Lozada, opinion columnist at the New York Times, co-host of the “Matter of Opinion” podcast, and author of “The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians.” Carlos will explore how people in power portray and reveal themselves in their writings and speeches, and how the stream of official documents, reports, and investigations helps explain our national political landscape.
Paepcke Auditorium