The Life & Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt with Dr. Sandra Rebok

The year 2019 marked the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt, the Prussian naturalist, historian and humanist, whose wide-ranging work continues to influential to this day. This lecture focuses on the life and legacy of Alexander von Humboldt. Even over two centuries years after Humboldt’s celebrated expedition through the New World (1799-1804), he is well remembered on both sides of the Atlantic. This appreciation of the Prussian explorer and his contribution to the advancement of knowledge also extends to those regions that he did not visit, which is reflected in numerous places that carry his name.
Dr. Rebok will evaluate Humboldt and his achievements: Who was Humboldt and how can we define his key achievements? In which aspects did he differ from other explorers? And what can we still learn from him while facing the challenges of our world today?

Dr. Sandra Rebok is an historian of knowledge and ideas, author, speaker, and scientific consultant. Her research and publications focus on the globalization of science, intellectual networks and transnational scientific collaborations during the 19th century. She has over twenty years of experience in Humboldt scholarship, she is the author of several books on Humboldt as well as the editor of three of his works in Spanish. Her last book discusses his intellectual exchange with Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson and Humboldt: A Transatlantic Friendship of the Enlightenment, 2014) and her forthcoming monograph analyzes his position between the Spanish Empire and the expanding United States (Humboldt’s Empire of Knowledge: From the Royal Spanish Court to the White House, 2020). Currently, she is preparing her actual book project that analyzes the networks of knowledge Humboldt established within the US and his impact on the development of sciences in this country (Expanding the Frontiers of American Science: Alexander von Humboldt’s Networks of Knowledge). In addition, she has many years of experience in science communication and has curated several exhibitions in the field of history of knowledge and exploration voyages.

This event is FREE and open to the public but Pre-Registration is Required!