At the crossroads of arts and sciences at Cornell University stands a very popular attraction: a Monday afternoon lecture series on "Mind and Memory," that has fast become an academic rite of spring.

The lectures, which are free and open to the public, are part of an English department course, "Mind and Memory: Explorations of Creativity in the Arts and Sciences," directed by Diane Ackerman and open to undergraduate and graduate students. Ackerman, visiting professor of English in the Society for the Humanities, is a renowned poet and naturalist and author of A Natural History of the Senses.

"Mind and Memory" explores the nature of creativity in a variety of fields. The lectures, initiated in 1996 by Cornell Professor Emeritus James McConkey, have grown in popularity each year since. This spring, up to 140 students are registered for a section of the cross-disciplinary course, which includes the Monday public lectures that have drawn up to 200 outside visitors.

The expert lecturers -- most, but not all of whom, are Cornell faculty members -- convey crucial aspects of their creative processes, both intellectually and emotionally, whether their fields are in the hard sciences, mathematics, performing arts or the humanities. Except for the week of Cornell's spring break, the lectures will be held on consecutive Mondays, 2:55-4:10 p.m. in Cornell's Uris Auditorium, beginning Feb. 1.

The speakers (Cornell faculty members unless otherwise noted), their professional disciplines and the titles of their talks follow:

• Feb. 1: Todd McGrain, sculpture, "Thinking with Your Hands";
• Feb. 8: Steve Ceci, research psychology, "False beliefs in very young children: Is there a 'Pinocchio Test?' ";
• Feb. 15: Bob Leathers, architect and president of Leathers and Associates, Ithaca, "Community Building: A Passion for Play";
• Feb. 22: Graeme Bailey, mathematics, "Creative Mathematics";
• March 1: Susan McCouch, plant sciences, "Creative Botany";
• March 8: David Borden, music, "What's in a Name";
• March 15: Martha Haynes, astronomy, "Discovering the Universe by Intent and by Accident";
• March 22: No class (spring break)
• March 15: Martha Haynes, astronomy, "Discovering the Universe by Intent and by Accident";
• March 29: Joyce Morgenroth and Allen Fogelsanger, theater trts, talking about dance choreographer Merce Cunningham.
• April 5: David MacDonald, zoology, "Keeping the Art in Science, and the Science in Art";
• April 12: Barbara Page, painting, "Reconstructing the Past";
• April 19: Stephen Sass, materials science and engineering, "The Substance of Civilization: Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon";
• April 26: James McConkey, writing, "Reality and Imagination in Literature and Psychology";
• May 3: PBS film about creativity.