Thursday, 04 Apr 2024
Beyond Ecocriticism: Environmental Humanities in the Age of Climate Crisis
The 2024 Donald R. Benson Memorial Lecture, “Beyond Ecocriticism: Environmental Humanities in the Age of Climate Crisis,†will be delivered by Hunter Vaughan, senior research associate and associate professor, from 6â€"7:30 p.m. Thursday, April, 4, in Curtiss Hall. Light refreshments will be served.Vaughan is an environmental media scholar and a cultural historian at the University of Cambridge. He has done innovative...
Flipping the Table on Christian Nationalism
John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, activist, and storyteller from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Over the past decade, his thought-provoking blog, Stuff That Needs to Be Said, has reached a diverse worldwide audience with over one hundred million views. A twenty-five-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, Pavlovitz is committed to equality, diversity, and justiceâ€"both inside and outside faith communities.John's...
Lifting for the Health of It: Beyond Chalk Dust and Weight Belts
Dr. Stuart Phillips is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and a member of the School of Medicine at McMaster University in Canada. He is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health. Dr. Phillips' work centers on the interaction of exercise/physical activity, aging, and nutrition in skeletal muscle and body composition. Dr. Phillips is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)...
Tuesday, 09 Apr 2024
Optimism Matters
Barbara Hansen Lecture in Early Childhood Development Steve Gross, MSW, is a clinical social worker and pioneer in the field of using playful engagement and relationships to overcome the devastating impacts of early childhood trauma. Steve founded Project Joy, a nonprofit organization that used the power of joyful play to heal and strengthen homeless and impoverished children throughout Greater Boston, in 1989. In 2011, Life is...
An Evening with Hertz Farm Management- Emerging Issues in Agriculture
The Carl and Marjory Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture was created in memory of the founders of Hertz Farm Management Inc. to inspire generations of industry leaders, research scientists, and young professionals to reach their full potential. Join a panel of Hertz Farm Management leadership for a Q&A style discussion about emerging issues in agriculture, preserving agricultural legacies, developments in agriculture, and...
Thursday, 11 Apr 2024
The Musical Legacies of Phenomenal Women of Color
Enjoy works by phenomenal women of color such as Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and many more; learn about their journeys and the legacies they left behind. About the artist: "A compelling, sparkling virtuoso" (Boston Music Intelligencer), Michelle Cann is in great demand as soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and scholar. Last season included concerto performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic among other major symphony...
Transforming Africa: Navigating the AI Revolution in the African Landscape
Anicia Peters is the CEO of the National Commission of Research, Science and Technology (NCRST), an adjunct Research Professor at the University of Namibia, and the Presidential Task Force Chairperson on 4IR (2021-2022). She founded the Africa Human Computer Interaction Conference (AfriCHI), serves on the Steering Committee of ACM CHI, and was the Technical Programme Co-Chair for the ACM CHI2023 conference. From 2019 to 2023, she also...
Friday, 12 Apr 2024
Natural and Artificial Intelligence: How Rational Are Humans?
Are humans fundamentally irrational? Is that why so many people commit statistical and logical blunders and fall for fake news, medical quackery, paranormal woo-woo, and conspiracy theories? Is Artificial Intelligence rendering the human mind irrelevant? In this lecture, acclaimed scientist and author Steve Pinker presents an alternative. We humans, after all, have discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives, and...
Tuesday, 16 Apr 2024
Our Money and Our Attention: Spending, Investing, and Thriving in the Attention Economy
In today's world, our attention is a precious commodity, and we find ourselves immersed in what is often termed an "attention economy." With an overwhelming influx of information from various sources such as television, social media, websites, other humans…and even the data that comes from everything from our cars to our smartphones to our refrigerators, our brains are inundated with more data than we can effectively process. The same...
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2024
A Stolen History: The REAL Story of the Suffrage Movement
Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner is the Founder/Director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and teaches in Syracuse University’s Honors Program. Awarded one of the first doctorates in the country for work in women’s studies (UC Santa Cruz) and a founder of one the first college-level women’s studies programs in the United States (CSU Sacramento), Dr. Wagner has taught women’s studies courses for 53 years.Â
Reclaim Feminism
This event is free, open to the public, and does not require a ticket or preregistration for entrance. This event will not be recorded or livestreamed. Riley Gaines graduated from the University of Kentucky where she was a 12x All-American Swimmer. She has made waves for speaking out after tying UPenn’s Lia Thomas, a trans swimmer on the women’s team, at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming Championship. After this experience,...
The Onion: Comedy, Controversy, and the First Amendment
A First Amendment Days program. As head writer of satirical site The Onion, Mike Gillis is no stranger to writing and talking about writing with humor and parody. Hear Gillis discuss how the First Amendment protects speech, even when snarky in tone. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Gillis got his start at The Onion writing headlines as a contributor, eventually joining the staff as a writer and working his way up to head...
Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024
Confronting Cancer in College
Outspoken throughout his battle with testicular cancer, Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard will share his message of encouragement and the importance of the support he received from the community through his treatment. Then, hear from the American Cancer Society On Campus student group as they share stories and resources related to personal or familial cancer experiences.
Wednesday, 24 Apr 2024
Pathways to Peace: Drawing from the Experiences of Palestinian Refugees
This talk reflects on the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of Palestinian refugees, who have been marginalized in international attempts to resolve the conflict. So far, these international attempts, which have largely focused on a two-state solution have been unsuccessful. Drawing on the experiences of Palestinian refugees who have been at the center of the research Dr. Gabiam has...
Thursday, 25 Apr 2024
Brothers, Unlimited
Ben Jealous is an American civil rights leader, activist, and politician who is the seventh executive director of the Sierra Club, one of the largest and most influential environmental organizations in the United States. With a background in social justice advocacy, Ben brings a unique perspective to his role, focusing on issues of environmental justice, climate change, and conservation. Before leading the Sierra Club, he served as the...