CLINTMM006 - Midweek Medley: From Houston History to the Geology of the Grand Canyon

Debra Dickinson, M.A., was the artist-teacher of opera studies for acting and movement at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music for nearly three decades, directing 25 productions for the Opera Studies Department. She was a professional singer and actress in New York for 15 years before starting her career as a director. She performed with Richard Burton on Broadway in “Camelot” and as Guenevere opposite Richard Harris in the subsequent national tour. Ms. Dickinson has taught master classes for Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ebony Opera, served as the acting instructor for Glimmerglass Festival, Brevard Opera and Chautauqua Opera, and was the recipient of the Marcus Bailey and Betty Graves Shelfer Eminent Scholar Chair in Music Theatre at Florida State University. Ms. Dickinson holds a graduate degree from Hunter College in New York City.

Kirsten Siebach, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Rice University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and calls herself a Martian geologist. She researches “source-to-sink” sedimentary processes on Mars and early Earth to interpret the history of water and surface environments early in our solar system. She is currently a member of the science and operations teams for the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance and the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity, and previously worked on the science and engineering teams for the Phoenix lander and the two Mars Exploration Rovers. Dr. Siebach completed her Ph.D. in geology at Caltech and conducted postdoctoral research in geochemistry of Martian sediments at Stony Brook University. She is actively engaged in promoting education and outreach related to Earth and planetary science. She loves travel and photography (on Earth as well as Mars).

José Aranda, Ph.D., is professor of English at Rice University. He serves as program advisor in Latin American Studies, associate director of Our Americas Archive in Fondren Library and director of the Américas Research Center at Rice. He has written articles on early U.S. criticism, 19th-century Mexican American literature, the future of Chicano/a studies, and most recently an investigation of the relationship between modernity and Mexican American writings. He is an active member of the MLA Chicana and Chicano Literature Division. He is a founding member of Chicano Leadership Rice, an organization made up of faculty and staff at Rice University interested in the advancement of Chicano and Latino issues on campus and throughout the city. Dr. Aranda is the recipient of the 2017 Presidential Mentoring Award as well as the 2017 Graduate Student Teaching/Mentoring Award. He received his B.A. in English literature from Yale University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in American literature from Brown University. 

Cin-Ty Lee, Ph.D., is the Harry Carothers Wiess Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. His research focuses on volcanoes, continent formation and the making of ore deposits. Dr. Lee is also a lifelong naturalist and has written numerous articles on the field identification of birds. He has dedicated his spare time to documenting the flora and fauna of Rice University, recording 228 species of birds and over 500 species of insects since 2002.

Stephen Klineberg, Ph.D., has been shaping local thought on the ongoing changes in the Houston metropolitan region for more than 40 years. Through his work on the “Kinder Houston Area Survey,” he has tracked systematically the economic outlooks, demographic patterns, experiences and beliefs of local residents. His book, “Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America,” was published in 2020. Klineberg is the recipient of 12 major teaching awards and a much sought-after speaker in the Houston community and beyond. He is a graduate of Haverford College, the University of Paris and Harvard University.
 
Marcia O’Malley, Ph.D., is the associate dean for research and innovation in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Thomas Michael Panos Family Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University, where she directs the Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces Lab. She is an adjunct associate professor in the departments of physical medicine and rehabilitation at both Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Houston Medical Robotics, Inc. Her research addresses issues that arise when humans physically interact with robotic systems, with a focus on training and rehabilitation in virtual environments. She has twice received the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching at Rice University. O’Malley received the ONR Young Investigator Award and was also a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award. Dr. O’Malley received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University.

On campus
The Spring 2022 Midweek Medley series will be held in person in the Hudspeth Auditorium with limited capacity. Register early to secure a seat. Classroom and parking information will be sent prior to your course start date.

Learn more about the steps Rice University is taking to keep our community safe and healthy at glasscock.rice.edu/coronavirus.

This special series is offered at a deeply discounted rate. No additional discounts are applicable.