All NewsSnapshotsStar, Planet Formation Expert Delivers Sturm Lecture Olivia DrakeMarch 29, 20183minOn March 27, the campus community gathered in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall to hear the 2018 Sturm Memorial Lecture, titled “Building Stars, Planets and the Ingredients for Life in Space.” This annual event in memory of Wesleyan alumnus Kenneth Sturm ’40 is held in the spring and is open to the public. It features a presentation from an astronomer who is outstanding in their field and able to communicate the excitement of science to a lay audience. Ewine van Dishoeck, professor of molecular astrophysics at Leiden University, delivered the keynote lecture. She is president-elect of the International Astronomical Union (the organization that demoted Pluto from planet status) and a world leader in research on the chemistry of star and planet formation. The Sturm Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the astronomy department, the chemistry department, the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, the College of Integrative Sciences, and NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. (Photos by Rebecca Goldfarb Terry ’19) View past speakers on the Sturm Lecture website. AstronomyAstronomy DepartmentplanetarySturm Memorial Lecture Related Articles All NewsCampus LifeCampus News & Events April 24, 2024 Mike Mavredakis At WesFest, Admitted Students Share Opinions on Diversity of Thought, Open Curriculum All NewsCampus News & EventsStudents April 24, 2024 Editorial Staff Gallery: Wesleyan Senior Celebrate Theses Submissions All NewsAlumni April 23, 2024 Sarah Parke “You Just Have to Read This…”: Books by Wesleyan Authors Coggins ’85, P’15, ’22, Gumbiner ’11, and LaBennett ’94