Woods Lecture Series: Anjana Khatwa

Anjana Khatwa comes to Shelton Auditorium on Tuesday, April 13, 2027, to present The Whispers of Rock. The talk is part of the J. James Woods Lecture Series at Butler University, which was established by a gift from the estate of J. James Woods to bring prominent mathematicians and scientists to the university to speak on theories at the frontier of their disciplines, as well as on related technologies and issues of public concern.

Khatwa is an award-winning earth scientist who has worked across several universities, the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and the National Trust, and has presented television programmes for the BBC and ITV. Her honours include the Geographical Award for public engagement from the Royal Geographical Society, the RH Worth Award from the Geological Society of London, and the Halstead Medal from the Geologists' Association. In 2021, she received a National Diversity Award and was longlisted for the Nan Shepherd Prize.

The Whispers of Rock is her first book, which New Scientist and Nature both named a Book of the Year, and it was longlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize. The talk will center on that work, and given her background, it's an occasion to hear a working scientist talk through her subject in person rather than just reading it on the page.

The lecture is at 7:30 PM at Shelton Auditorium, 4600 Sunset Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46208. It's free and open to the public, and no ticket is required.