The first time Ralph Jerome, currently a Venture Partner with The March Fund and distinguished emeritus fellow of the multi-billion-dollar food manufacturer Mars Incorporated, spoke at Society of Skeptics, he discussed cocoa supply chains and how to improve them. Fast-forward 13 years, and on Tuesday, October 25, Mr. Jerome looks forward to speaking about “Innovations in our food systems and how these changes have impacted our evolution as a species, defined our civilization and how it might impact the world moving forward.” 
 
“I have only recently learned of the important and fundamental role fire has played in our biological evolution. It actually changed our species enabling us to have larger brains,” said Mr. Jerome during his pre-event interview, citing one piece of his current research.

These days, Mr. Jerome spends much of his time researching, with the end goal being to harness information that might revolutionize the food industry. “There are massive challenges. The global population is at about eight billion people and that will grow to upward of 11 billion. We need to increase our food supply by more than 50 to 60 percent in the coming years, which is quite a challenge,” said Mr. Jerome. “But, through innovation, those problems can and will be solved. While there is a lot to lament about our current food and agriculture industry, there is also positive change. Food is more abundant and safer, which has resulted in longer life spans, reductions in infant mortality and improved literacy.” 
 
Though Mr. Jerome’s schedule is often booked with events and meetings, he always makes time to speak to students, as he holds gratitude and knowledge-sharing as two hallmarks of his own career. 
 
“I lived in Blairstown and I would attend Skeptics occasionally. There were so many great speakers and I look forward to revisiting to speak again,” said Mr. Jerome. 
 
Particularly for the younger generation, he hopes to impart one piece of wisdom: “One life lesson that is really important to me is that what people often see as ‘normal’ isn’t always optimal. What people accept as ‘this is the way things are’ isn’t always how things should be,” said Mr. Jerome. 
 
To watch Ralph Jerome's Skeptics presentation click "play" below.

History of Skeptics
 
The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.
The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.