The 11th annual Engineering and Liberal Arts Symposium began with a keynote address from Lynn Pasquerella in the Nott Memorial on Friday, June 1 at 6:00 p.m.

The symposium focused on the importance of integrated scientific education.

Pasquerella is the president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, a position she was appointed to in 2016.

In her talk, titled, “Escaping Westworld,” Pasquerella argued against the common, cultural association and likening of science to scientism, or the excessive belief in the power of science and technology, usually over other fields.

She used the 1973 and HBO adaptation of “Westworld” as both an example of a world that explores the issues of scientism and a pervasive conflation of scientific thought with scientism.

Pasquerella holds a strong philosophical belief about the importance of integrating science and liberal arts education, which she argues prepares scientists for the uncertain and complex problems they will face in the future.