“On the Shoulders of Giants” Lectures (OSG) comprise a public lecture series that invites audiences into thoughtful engagement with the ideas and individuals that shape our understanding of the natural world.
Hosted by the Talcott Mountain Research Institute, the OSG Lectures brings leading STEM scholars and other creative thinkers into conversation with the intellectually curious public. Each Lecturer offers insight into a particular field or discovery as well as a window into how we humans inquire and how we interrogate nature.
ABOUT THE OSG LECTURES
The OSG Lectures takes its name from Isaac Newton’s reflection that scientific progress is built upon the work of those who came before. In that spirit, each “On the Shoulders of Giants” Lecture highlights the beauty of human creativity and innovation while quietly emphasizing intellectual lineage, humility, and the collaborative nature of discovery.
OSG Lectures are guided by several core objectives:
- Make STEM endeavor and discovery accessible without diluting their depth
- Celebrate human wonder and illuminate the process of discovery
- Connect generations of wonderers and doers
- Foster intellectual and creative belonging
- Model scientific lives of thought, collaboration, and wonder
The OSG Lecture features two to three public lectures each year, delivered by distinguished STEM scholars and other creative luminaries whose work is shaping their disciplines and human thought. Each event includes a formal lecture followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A, encouraging dialogue rather than one-way transmission. Lectures are designed to be welcoming and conversational, balancing intellectual rigor with clarity, narrative, and human perspective. No specialized background is required—only curiosity and a willingness to think. When possible, visiting Lecturers also engage informally with TMRI students and faculty, extending the educational impact beyond the public lecture itself.
Upcoming Events
Here’s Looking at You: The Invention Behind the Camera in Your Pocket
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
6:30 PM
Talcott Mountain Science Planetarium
Reception to Follow
One of NASA’s most successful tech spinoffs is the CMOS image sensor, which converts light into digital data for countless applications. This talk explains the science of capturing light with a “camera on a chip,” and traces the invention, development, and commercialization of the technology by its primary inventor, Dr. Fossum. It also covers future advances in image capture, including Dartmouth’s Quanta Image Sensor, capable of detecting single photons of light.
Registration for the lecture will close on Friday, May 8, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Eric R. Fossum
John H. Krehbiel, Sr. Professor for Emerging Technologies
Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College
A Connecticut native and Talcott Mountain Science Center alumnus, Dr. Eric Fossum is best known for inventing the CMOS image sensor at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, enabling miniaturized spacecraft and later transforming digital imaging. Today, his technology is used in billions of smartphones, security, automotive, and medical devices. Fossum, who earned his B.S. degree at Trinity College and his Ph.D. degree in engineering and applied science at Yale University, has received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering, the U. S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, a technical Emmy Award, IEEE’s Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal, and the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
Wired for Wonder: Neurodiversity and the Future of Scientific Discovery
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
6:30 PM
Talcott Mountain Science Planetarium
Reception to Follow
More information to come.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Keivan G. Stassun
Stevenson Professor of Physics & Astronomy,
Director of the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-intensive Astrophysics (VIDA), and Director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation,
Vanderbilt University