Ideas that can change the world—and lives—all share the same source: a motivated person who dares to ask, “Why not?" Tonight’s program features individuals who used their platforms to highlight issues as diverse as xenophobia, bigotry, sexism, and other social issues which then allows further discussions on these topics.

Our D.C. lunchtime lecture series continues with a focus on Georgetown. Founded in 1751, it predates the establishment of the federal district and Washington City by 40 years. Each week, expert lecturers focus on one of the extraordinary historic places that make Georgetown the unique neighborhood it is. This lecture features the Oak Hill Cemetery.

Former astronaut Mike Massimino is the veteran of NASA space flights aboard space shuttles Columbia and Atlantis. His final mission was to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. He tells a compelling story about following a dream and what having the “right stuff” really means—at NASA, in space, and in life. 

Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund and Suzan Murray, the director of the Smithsonian Global Health Program at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, delve into the complex network of social, economic and environmental problems that must be unraveled if the cheetah, Africa's most endangered big cat, is to have a permanent place on Earth.

In a conversation with NPR’s Lynn Neary, best-selling author Jodi Picoult discusses her career, inspirations, writing process, and why the issues she takes on in her latest book Small Great Things spoke to her as a novelist.