Scura’s research was titled, “Can an 18th century French aristocrat be considered an American founding father?” The research she presented shed light on new topics and ideas that the students in the audience may not have been aware of. The research rehashed old ideas and turned them into something new and exciting, breathing life into new thoughts.

When a professor gives a lecture about matching kidney donors with the right patient, one might expect it to be held in the BSB. Similarly, for a lecture on racial bias among jurors, one might look to Sid Richardson for the statistics department. One wouldn’t, however, assume that this research came out of the same department –– and one certainly wouldn’t expect it to come out of the same building that’s home to Rising Roll and endless rows of Patagonia vests.

During the Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities on Monday, Dr. Doris Kearns Goodwin — a presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author — highlighted the significance of having empathy for past leaders while maintaining hope for the future.