Professor Lyrical Raps at Landmark College on Feb. 8
The Spring 2016 Academic Speaker Series starts with Professor Lyrical on Monday, February 8, at 7 p.m. in the Greenhoe Theater of the Fine Arts Building. Professor Lyrical is an award-winning rapper and full-time teaching professor of mathematics. He will present “Rapping with the Professor: The process of self-betterment and redefining your own identity.” Speaker series events are free, accessible, and open to the public.
In “Rapping with the Professor,” Lyrical will rap and discuss how he has taken two different paths and blended them into one unique career for himself. He will explain how he uses the positive aspects of Hip Hop culture to empower himself and his students to advocate for socioeconomic change, while providing tangible examples of how others can do the same.
Dr. Michelle Bower, Landmark College’s Mathematics and Computer Science Department chair, stated that she looked forward to the event because it could change perceptions of math and those who study math. “This field is often stereotyped as linear and rigid, but it can be very creative,” said Bower. “Connecting mathematics to rap will challenge stereotypes and open up new possibilities for thinking and learning.”
“Speakers have been fascinating with wide-ranging expertise,” said Liza Burns, chair of the Landmark College Communications Department, explaining why she brings college classes to Speaker Series events. “Students in communications can observe the structure and style of various presenters while also getting a taste of compelling content,” Burns added.
Later this season, the Speaker Series will host diversity activist Curtiss Reed, Jr. on February 29, corporate satirists The Yes Men on March 28, and natural science faculty Dr. Brian Young on April 11. The 2015-16 Academic Speaker Series is sponsored in part by GPI Construction, Green Mountain Tent Rentals, and The Richards Group. Evil Twin Booking Agency is an additional sponsor for The Yes Men.