IPR's Politics Day on the Road
6:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Join Ben Kieffer, host of IPR's River to River, and a panel featuring Iowa State University students and political science professor Karen M. Kedrowski, as he takes the weekly talk show "Politics Day” on the road to Iowa State. During the event, we'll aim to capture the perspectives of young voters -- considered to be swing voters -- as we approach the 2024 election. Attendees can register to vote at the event thanks to the Catt Center's #CyclonesVote program.Please note: this lecture will not be recorded.

The Immigrant Survival Guide to Silicon Valley
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Carlos Quezada will share his transformative journey from humble beginnings in Degollado, Jalisco, Mexico to a top Latino executive at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. His life's narrative is a powerful testament to the extraordinary outcomes that stem from curiosity, boldness, and authenticity. Carlos, now a father, technologist, mentor, and public speaker, intertwines his personal journey with a commitment to community upliftment.  Quezada’s book, The Immigrant Survival Guide to Silicon Valley, shares his story and insights from other professionals who share their experiences to help other immigrants succeed in any challenging industry. His book emphasizes expanding your horizons beyond your comfort zone to achieve ambitious goals. This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.

Daymond John's 5 Shark Points: Fundamentals for Success in Business and Life
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house and moving his business operation into its basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with over $6 billion in product sales world-wide. Former President Barack Obama appointed Daymond John a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) to harness his energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs both at home and abroad.John is an award-winning entrepreneur and has received 100s of awards including the Brand Week Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was named #2 on LinkedIn’s Top 20 Voices, a list of the top influencers, who are using their voice to help us analyze today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries, and find balance. Most recently, Real Leaders Magazine named Daymond John one of the Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World in 2023, a list of “real teachers — people who speak from experience.”His marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands have made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. His marketing firm The Shark Group offers advice on how to effectively communicate to consumers through innovative means and connects brands with the world’s top celebrities for everything from endorsements to product extensions.John is also the author of 6 best-selling books including his latest New York Times best-seller, The Power of Broke (2016) and Rise and Grind (2018). In 2020, John released his fifth book, Powershift, which walks through his tried-and-true process of how to transform any situation, close any deal, and achieve any outcome. John's most recent book, Little Daymond Learns to Earn (2023) is his first for kids, and reached the New York Times and Amazon best-seller list the first week of its release. The book addresses the current void of educating our children about money in a fun and engaging story for parents and kids to connect. John’s mission is to continue challenging the status quo and leave a lasting legacy of inspiring other leaders to do the same.Finally, John is celebrating his 14th season on ABC TV’s critically acclaimed business reality show Shark Tank by renowned producer Mark Burnett, which has reinvigorated entrepreneurship around the world. Shark Tank has now gone on to win five Emmy® in the US and millions of weekly viewers worldwide tune into the show as John demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights.The University Book Store will be onsite selling Little Daymond Learns to Earn, The Power of Broke, Rise and Grind, and Powershift at the event.This lecture will be recorded and added to the Available Recordings site only for those with an ISU Net ID for two weeks following the conclusion of the event.This event will include a 70-minute lecture followed by a brief book signing.

RESCHEDULED How to Grow (Almost) Anything: The Use and Future of Synthetic Biology
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - This event will now be on Oct. 24 @ 6pm in the Great Hall. We apologize for any inconvenience. Synthetic Biology is an emerging field of research where researchers construct new biological systems and redesign existing biological systems. Synthetic biology can change the genetic material in viruses, bacteria, yeasts, plants, or animals to give them useful new characteristics. For example, integrating spider DNA makes a silkworm produce super strong, ultra-lightweight silk (per the Government Accountability Office).The technology could help address challenges in areas such as medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, and the environment.Dr. David Sun Kong empowers diverse communities through biotech, which means asking broad, vital questions. How do we design a future in which biotech, and science are generally accessible to everyone? How do we demolish artificial divisions between culture and engineering, science and art? How can we involve underrepresented people in cutting-edge STEM fields?Biotech is arguably the major science of the 21st century. But to expedite its arrival, Kong argues, we need new models of knowledge production—diverse, distributed groups doing vital work away from traditional labs—much like the homebrew computing groups that gave way to Apple. It’s all about getting communities engaged now while the tech is still being shaped. But that also means the movement hinges on accessibility of tools, spaces, and infrastructure. Kong champions grassroots labs away from college, federal, and corporate structures, designed specifically to be available and appealing to people who might never encounter biotechnology. He’s the co-founder and managing faculty of “How to Grow (Almost) Anything,” an MIT course on synthetic biology that reaches labs in places like Switzerland, Latin America, and Japan, yet still demonstrates how to perform fruitful genomic experiments.David is a synthetic biologist, bio designer, community organizer, musician, and photographer based in Lexington, Massachusetts. He is the Director of the MIT Media Lab's Community Biotechnology Initiative. His research explores the multidisciplinary domains of synthetic biology, biological design and art, collective intelligence and movement building, and STEAM learning.David conducted his graduate studies at MIT’s Media Lab, receiving a Master's degree for developing technology for printing nanostructures with energetic beams and a Ph.D. for demonstrating the first gene synthesis in a microfluidic (“lab-on-a-chip”) system. He was recognized as an emerging leader in synthetic biology as a "LEAP" fellow, and served as a guest faculty member at the Marine Biology Lab. He founded and chaired new Microfluidic and Hardware Tracks for the International Genetically Engineered Machines Competition (iGEM) and is the official iGEM DJ. He was Technical Staff in the Bioengineering Systems & Technologies group at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory and a founding member of the synthetic biology team.David’s work has been covered via outlets such as The Washington Post, Science, Showtime, the Boston Globe, NEO.Life, NPR Boston, Gizmodo, STAT News, Chronicle, and WBZ News. He has performed as a DJ, beat-boxer, vocalist, and rapper at hundreds of venues, including South by Southwest, the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and Brooklyn Bowl, where he opened for The Tonight Show bandleader and hip-hop legend Questlove. He teamed up with DJ Jazzy Jeff to make beats from the human microbiome. He is also an award-winning vocal arranger and producer. His photography has been exhibited at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, the Japanese American National Museum, and other museums and galleries across the country. This lecture will be recorded and ready to view for those with an ISU Net ID on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.

2024 Norman Borlaug Lecture: So Our Children Can Eat: Conserving and Protecting Crop Biodiversity
5:30 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2024 Norman Borlaug LectureDr. Geoffrey Hawtin and Dr. Cary Fowler will receive the 2024 World Food Prize for their extraordinary leadership in preserving and protecting the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity and mobilizing this critical resource to defend against threats to global food security. Over the last 50 years, their combined efforts as researchers, policy advisors, thought leaders and advocates have succeeded in engaging governments, scientists, farmers and civil society towards the conservation of over 6,000 species of crops and culturally important plants.A reception and student poster display will precede the lecture from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Sun Room/South Ballroom, Memorial Union. Posters will address world issues and are submitted by undergraduate and graduate students. This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.

Technology as Storytelling: How Engineering, Science, and Faith Play
6:00 PM – Cardinal Room, Memorial Union - When we do our science and technology, our stories interpret what we see and direct what we make. In turn, we tell our stories not only by word and voice, but also by what we theorize and create. What does it mean when Christian scholars suggest all academic disciplines --including engineering-- are in the storytelling business? Or that God's Spirit is behind all knowing, even our technical and scientific know-how?  How does a story-based revelation add depth and meaning in our learning and doing of science and technology? Dr. Ethan Brue's study takes a nuanced, holistic, and historical look at how technology taps into human dreams for a better world, even while grappling with the challenges arising from new technologies.  Ethan Brue received his PhD in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University. He currently is the Dean for Technology and Applied Sciences at Dordt University, where he's taught engineering since 2000. Dr Brue is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.), having previously worked as an engineeringconsultant and project manager in the energy generation sector as well as a research and development engineer in the agriculture industry. Dr Brue is a co-author of "A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers" (Intervarsity Press), which looks at the ethics and norms involved in technology design, biblical themes and passages that relate to technology, and how engineering and technology tap into human dreams for a better world. His research interests include thermochemical reactor design, the history of science and technology, solar energy engineering, biomass gasification and combustion, and fluidization. This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.

Multifunctional Hierarchical Materials: Taking Inspiration from Nature
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Biological systems in nature have evolved over millions of years to adapt to environmental and ecological challenges. Nature seeks to leverage available materials with an emphasis on hierarchy and local control of microstructure to meet functional needs using the least amount of material. As such, biological systems incorporate intelligent, unique, and complex structural design concepts. Where general principles have been identified across several organisms, these have not been translated into engineered materials with similar generality. As an alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques, additive manufacturing (AM) has accelerated the growth of complex parts that can greatly expand the possibilities for bioinspired applications. This talk will describe the use of bioinspiration in two cellular, hierarchical natural systems: combs made by honeybees and a deep-sea sponge known as the “Venus Flower Basket”.Dr. Nikhilesh Chawla is the inaugural Associate Dean for Engineering in Indianapolis and Ransburg Professor in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University. He joined Purdue in 2020, after previously serving as Founding Director of the Center for 4D Materials Science and Fulton Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University. Prof. Chawla’s research is in the area Four-Dimensional (4D) materials science with a particular emphasis on the deformation behavior of advanced materials at bulk and small length scales.This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.

Journey to the Future: How an ISU Alum Leads Investment in Game-Changing Cancer Research
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union -  The future of cancer research is today.  And this impacts all of us tomorrow. Iowa State University alum Shane Jacobson, CEO of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, will share insights on the work of the V Foundation for Cancer Research and how their distinctive approach to investing in game-changing research advances the field of cancer research. He will also share insights on his career journey, leadership principles, and lessons learned as a Cyclone and an accomplished nonprofit executive.Shane Jacobson is an accomplished senior executive with experience leading teams to achieve record-setting revenue, developing best practices culture, and delivering partnerships with ambitious impact goals. At the V Foundation, Shane and the staff focus on funding all-star scientists to accelerate victory over cancer and save lives. They masterfully link networks inside and outside of sports.  Shane has been part of revenue targets aimed at investing more than $3 billion in mission-critical opportunities. He has a positive history of CEO-Board relationships and utilizes his expertise in board best practices, including as an author.Shane has enhanced organizational culture by aligning core values, strategic planning, Objectives, and Key Results. The team has sustained significant growth in its market development through the signature events portfolio, business partnerships, and principal gift strategies. As a result, revenue and grant-making have each grown by more than 100%, respectively, annually breaking results across the board. He negotiated the largest partnership in V Foundation history: a $30M framework announced at the 2024 ESPYs. Shane has secured several of the largest gifts in the history of the V, each seven- and eight-figure gifts, while leading the cultivation and closure of game-changing business partnerships with ESPN and Disney; negotiated the V Foundation becoming the official charity of the National Hockey League; and delivered partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Lexus, Constellation Brands, First Watch restaurants, the WWE, multiple NFL teams, Hearst Communications, Pepsi, Under Armour, and more. He believes in integrated and co-created win-win opportunities that attract forward-facing engagement, leverage multimedia assets, build powerful content for linear and streaming services, often using sports as an accelerator, and uncover a 2-and-3-way collaboration that enhances brand equity.This lecture will be recorded and available to view for two weeks to those with an iastate.edu email address on the Available Recordings page, approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.