Prof. Georgia Irby Honored with 1961 Professorship
The 1961 Professorship is a part of a cycle of termed professorships at William and Mary which honor and encourage the work of professors. The 2025 recipient of this esteemed honor is Professor Georgia Irby from the department of Classical Studies.
How would you describe your work for a general audience ?
I am interested in ancient science: how the Greeks and Romans understood, interpreted, and worked within their world, with (or against) the natural environment. A lot of my work has focused on ancient cartography and the watery world (a great deal more to it than aqueducts!) To answer these questions about ancient Greeks and Romans and their science, I get to engage with lots of authors from nearly every genre of literature, not just philosophers and technical writers, but there is a great deal of science to be found in Greek tragedy and Latin epic. One of the most fascinating aspects is how ancient science comes into ancient "pop culture", be it Aeschylus or Euripides or Virgil or Ovid, just to name a few. I get to read broadly, think broadly, and find interesting connections that might otherwise go unnoticed.
How will the 1961 Professorship help you continue your work as a teacher and scholar?
It is a wonderful and humbling honor to know that my work is recognized for its value. The 1961 Professorship is like a jolt of adrenalin, urging me to delve into the next project as soon as possible. That project is a monograph on sea monsters (anchored in Greece and Rome, but this one will be multi-and cross cultural: Greco-Roman, Norse, Pacific islander, Japanese, and even native American. I also hope to be able to develop new courses for both first-year students and more advanced students.
What do you like best about teaching at W&M, and what is unusual/new/different about something you do with students?
The creative, SMART students who always push me to do my best, are usually onboard for some of my zanier ideas. They inspire me. And so much of my work (a Latin textbook and my two water books (Conceptions of the Watery World in Greco-Roman Antiquity and Using and Conquering the Watery World in Greco-Roman Antiquity) are very much shaped by conversations that I've had with W&M students within and outside the classroom. These students inspire me!
