Holland Talks Visionary Speakers + Community Conversation
The Holland Talks lecture series invites nationally and internationally recognized experts to lead community conversations about timely and provocative ideas that challenge and broaden understandings of a wide range of topics, including science, technology, the arts, ethics, and philosophy.
Each event in the ongoing lecture series will convene diverse audiences for a ticketed lecture event, alongside programming in the community to expand the conversation and elevate Omaha as a home for cultural and civic discourse.
Winter Speaker
Dr. DACHER KELTNER
“Wonder & Wisdom: The Science of Awe and Why It Matters”
Friday, December 12, 2025
Tickets On Sale
Doors Open: 6PM
Lecture Begins: 7:30PM
Our Holland Talks lecture series returns with an inspiring evening with renowned researcher and director of the Greater Good Science Center, Dacher Keltner. As a professor of psychology, Keltner’s research focuses on emotion, compassion, awe, love, power, and inequality. He is the author of several books including the best-selling AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Keltner also served as scientific advisor on Pixar’s Inside Out films.
Holland Talks tickets include free admission to the Luminarium, including time before the lecture to explore the museum. Onsite restaurant Fig. will be open until 7:30PM, offering dinner and drinks before the event.
General Admission: $20
Members: $15
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Dacher Keltner
Dr. Keltner is a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the director of the Greater Good Science Center. He has over 200 scientific publications and six books, including Born to Be Good, The Compassionate Instinct, and The Power Paradox. He has written for many popular outlets, from the New York Times to Slate. He was also the scientific advisor behind Pixar’s Inside Out, is involved with the education of health care providers and judges, and has consulted extensively for Google, Apple, and Pinterest, on issues related to emotion and well-being.
Dr. Maital Neta
Our Host for the Evening
University of Nebraska – Lincoln Psychology Professor, Dr. Neta conducted research at Harvard Medical School and received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Dartmouth College. Her work examines individual differences in response to emotional ambiguity. Moreover, she studies the functional networks in the human brain that support decision-making processes, specifically relating to task control. She uses a variety of methods from psychology and neuroscience, including psychophysiology (facial electromyography and electrodermal activity), functional MRI and resting-state functional MRI to address these research questions. Dr. Neta is also Associate Director of the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Biology (CB3) which, in collaboration with the Athletics Performance Laboratory examines factors relating to concussion and traumatic brain injury.
Dacher Keltner Lecture Presenting Sponsor
Thanks to the Generous Support of the Holland Foundation
Holland Talks is made possible through a generous grant from the Holland Foundation. The late Dick Holland established the Holland Foundation to support the arts and education in Omaha. The Foundation funded the original Holland Lecture Series from 2005 through 2017, setting the stage for thought-provoking dialogue in our community.