by Tom Fleischman, Cornell Chronicle

For his first trip to Cornell as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large, best-selling writer and technology blogger-activist Cory Doctorow will make the program’s second dual-campus visit, ending his week at Cornell Tech in New York City.

Doctorow, recognized for his contributions in the area of digital sovereignty, will be on the Ithaca campus Sept. 12-18, before heading to the Tech campus on Roosevelt Island on Sept. 19. He will deliver a keynote lecture on Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall, and available via livestream by eCornell.

In addition to Doctorow, two other A.D. White professors will be making their second visits to the Ithaca campus: renowned archaeologist Lynn Meskell (Sept. 22-26) and environmental photographer and author James Balog (Oct. 27-31).

And two more A.D. White professors will be making “mini-visits” in September to take part in celebrating the 70th anniversary of Toni Morrison, M.A. ’55, receiving her master’s from Cornell. Award-winning author Tayari Jones will be returning to campus Sept. 18-20, and filmmaker Louis Massiah ’77 will be on campus Sept. 18-21.

“The fall agenda reflects the breadth and variety of program faculty, with visits scheduled by leading figures in their fields whose work spans multiple disciplines,” said Robert S. Weiss, professor of molecular genetics in the College of Veterinary Medicine, senior associate dean at the Graduate School and chair of the A.D. White Professors-at-Large program committee.

“We also are delighted that our Professor-at-Large visitors are engaging with many campus and community partners,” Weiss said, “through the Cornell Cinema, the Cornell Tech campus and the Ithaca is Books Festival.”

Doctorow, whose six-year term ends in 2030, is a science fiction novelist, journalist and technology activist. His recent books include “The Bezzle” (2024), a thriller about privatized prison inmates, and “The Lost Cause,” (2023), a science fiction novel set during a climate emergency. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from York University (Canada) and Open University (U.K.), where he is a visiting professor.

In addition to the keynote address in Ithaca, Doctorow will take part in an evening discussion with Cornell Tech professor James Grimmelmann on Sept. 19, 5-7 p.m. in the Tata Innovation Center, Room 591.

Raymond Craib, the Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), is Doctorow’s faculty host.

Meskell, whose six-year term (2019-2025) was extended to 2026 due to the pandemic, will deliver her keynote lecture, “Ruined: How and Why We Weaponize the Past,” on Sept. 25, at 4:30 p.m. in the A.D. White House’s Guerlac Room.

She is a leader in the study of the archaeology of Egypt and Neolithic Anatolia and in the ethnographic study of global heritage institutions. Meskell holds joint appointments at the University of Pennsylvania – professor of anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences, and professor in the Department of Historic Preservation – and is curator in the Middle East and Asia sections at the Penn Museum.

Adam T. Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Anthropology (A&S), is Meskell’s faculty host.

Balog, whose six-year term ends in 2026, will take part in a special feature screening of the 2024 film “Chasing Time,” a documentary offering compelling visual evidence of climate change. The screening, on Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre, is free and open to the public.

For four decades, Balog has broken conceptual and artistic ground on one of the most important issues of our era: the human modification of nature. A renowned photographer and environmentalist, he is founder of Earth Vision Institute (2012), a nonprofit that aims to integrate art and sciences to inspire a more balanced relationship between humanity and nature.

Kendra Bischoff, associate professor of sociology (A&S), is Balog’s faculty host.

Jones, a professor of creative writing at Emory University, is best known for her explorations of race, family and justice in contemporary America. She is a New York Times bestselling author of four novels, including “Leaving Atlanta” (2002) and “An American Marriage” (2018), the latter an Oprah’s Book Club selection, NAACP Image Award winner and one of Time magazine’s “10 Best Fiction Books of 2018.”

Ishion Hutchinson, the W.E.B. DuBois Professor of Humanities in the Department of Literatures in English (A&S), is Jones’ faculty host.

Massiah, a 1996 winner of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship (popularly known as a “genius grant”), is founding director of Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia, dedicated to empowering underrepresented and emerging filmmakers, and urging them into action as catalysts for social change. His award-winning documentaries, “The Bombing of Osage Avenue“ (1986) and “W.E.B. Du Bois – A Biography in Four Voices” (1996), have been broadcast on PBS and screened at festivals and museums.

Mendi Obadike, professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts (A&S), is Massiah’s faculty host.

The A.D. White Professor-at-Large program sponsors outstanding scholars and public intellectuals in the life sciences, physical sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts. Previous professors-at-large include Morrison (1997-2003); primatologist Jane Goodall (1996-2002); engineer, physician and astronaut Mae Jemison, M.D. ’81 (1999-2005); and jazz great Wynton Marsalis (2015-22).

Twice during their terms, professors-at-large visit campus for about a week while classes are in session to interact with students and faculty, and enliven the intellectual and cultural life of the university. The program sponsors up to six visits per academic year, as well as activities such as public lectures and seminars.

Original article published in Cornell Chronicle (September 3, 2025)