Shunryu Suzuki's motto—“In the Beginner's Mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few”—encourages all of us in all that we do to have a mind open enough to discover the world as it is and not be imprisoned by our experiential preconceptions. In the scientific mind, it is not knowing, the absence of certainty, that drives scientific discovery and motivates scientists.

On Monday, February 3, at 6:30 PM, join James Valentini, Dean Emeritus of Columbia College and Professor of Chemistry, and Stuart Firestein, Professor of Biological Sciences, for a small-group discussion of Beginner’s Mind and the scientific mind.