The Dartmouth community will briefly add two biologists and a journalist to its midst over the next few weeks. The three Montgomery Fellows for Winter term are Lynn Margulis, a distinguished biology professor, David Halberstam, a renowned journalist, and Stuart Kauffman, a theoretical biologist.
Margulis, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is currently a Distinguished University Professor in the biology department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her latest work centers on the origin and evolution of eukaryotic cells.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Margulis said she would like the chance to show some of the 20 short films she has made about what occurs at the microcosmic level in live material.
Many people do not fully understand what is occurring in many of life's processes -- such as sex -- according to Margulis, although they might be able to cite a textbook-type definition.
"Science tends to be obscured by technicalities and trivialities," she said. "People are missing the insights that the molecular biological revolution has afforded us."
Margulis, who will be in residence from Jan. 20 to 31, will be giving a lecture titled "What is Life?" later in the term.
Gerstner said it is a coincidence that two of the Fellows are biologists.
Kauffman is a professor at the Santa Fe Institute. A theoretical biologist and a specialist in applied molecular evolution, Kauffman's public lecture will be later this term.
Engineering Professor John Yin described Kauffman as one of the foremost thinkers on evolution.
Kauffman's work centers around the organization of different entities, Yin said. "His work goes beyond organizations of cells -- it is increasingly looking at organizations of people and even economic systems."
He will be in residence from Feb. 3 to 14.
Halberstam is returning to the College after being awarded an honorary degree and giving the keynote address at the 1996 Commencement ceremony. He is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist for his coverage of the Vietnam War and has written several novels as well.
Halberstam said he is glad to come back to the College and to have the opportunity to share his experiences with a wide variety of audiences.
"I am looking forward to the informality of the school," he said in a telephone interview from his home. "I don't like lecturing formally but rather talking in classes. That is fun for me."
Halberstam said he will be giving at least one lecture that will be open to the public about his experiences in Vietnam.
He will be in residence from Feb. 17 to 28.
The Montgomery Endowment was established in 1977 by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth F. Montgomery '25 to enable visiting scholars to interact with students in the classroom.
