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What's Going On in Egypt? Mahmoud Hamad
8:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Mahmoud Hamad joined the Politics Department at Drake University in 2008 after teaching at Cairo University, Brigham Young University, and the University of Utah. As a Fulbright scholar, he attended Brandeis University's Summer Institute for Israel Studies. His teaching and research interests focus on Middle East politics, comparative judicial politics, civil-military relations as well as religion and politics. His current research projects focus on the judicialization of politics in the Middle East. He received his PhD from the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah and his BA and MA in Political Science from Cairo University, Egypt.

A Call to Climate Action: Our New National Purpose - Rob Hogg
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Rob Hogg is a state senator from Cedar Rapids and author of the new book America's Climate Century. In the book he argues that everything Americans do this century will be shaped by the need to reduce carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases while at the same time dealing with an increasing number of climate-related disasters. Senator Hogg represented Cedar Rapids during the flood of 2008. A fourth-generation Iowan, he is a graduate of the University of Iowa and earned a master's degree in energy policy from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota as well. Hogg is serving his second term in the Iowa Senate after two terms in the Iowa House.

Unplanned Pregnancy & the Choice for Adoption - Catelynn & Tyler
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra shared the story of their teen pregnancy and decision to place their daughter, Carly, up for adoption on MTV's "16 and Pregnant." Now students at Baker College, the couple speaks frequently in support of adoption. They discuss their sacrifice in order to give Carly a better life; the role of family, friends, and counselors in their decision; and their choice for an open adoption, which allows for regular communication and face-to-face visits. Catelynn and Tyler have also appeared on MTV's "Teen Mom."

A Hearing on Agricultural Trade with China: U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
8:00 AM – Curtiss Hall Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall - The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission was created by the United States Congress in October 2000. it has a legislative mandate to monitor, investigate, and submit to Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China, and to provide recommendations, where appropriate, to Congress for legislative and administrative action. The full schedule and testimonies are available at China's Agriculture Policy and U.S. Access to China's Markets

Human Computer Interaction and the Automobile: Promises and Perils - John D. Lee
2:00 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - John D. Lee is the Emerson Electric professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and director of the Cognitive Systems Laboratory. His research seeks to better integrate people and technology in complex systems, such as cars, semi-autonomous systems, and telemedicine. This involves developing models of human-technology interaction and interface designs that consider how technology mediates attention. He recently help edit the Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Engineering, the Handbook of Driving Simulation for Engineering, Medicine, and Psychology, and two books on distraction, Driver Distraction: Theory, Effects, and Mitigation and Driver Distraction and Inattention. 10th Annual Emerging Technologies Conference.

Evolving UX research while Reimagining Windows - Melinda Knight
12:00 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Eight years ago, Melinda Cerney Knight was a PhD candidate in Human Computer Interaction at Iowa State. While presenting at a conference, she snuck into a Microsoft recruiting event and dropped her resume on the pile. Today, she's a senior lead in Windows Research, managing a team responsible for user experiences in the Start screen, touch keyboard, search, multitasking, and apps like Mail, Calendar and more. Since joining Microsoft, she has helped guide product design and vision within multiple releases of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 as well as Windows services such as Messenger and SkyDrive.com. Tenth Annual Emerging Technologies Conference.

Finding Her Voice: Writing about Women's Struggles and Triumphs - Rekha Basu
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Rekha Basu has been a columnist for the Des Moines Register since 1991, focusing on human rights, racial and gender issues and commenting on cultural trends. A collection of her columns was recently published as Finding Her Voice. Born in India to United Nations parents, Basu grew up internationally. She has worked as a reporter, editorial writer and columnist at newspapers in Iowa, New York State and Florida. Basu's column appears three times a week on the Register's opinion pages and is syndicated by Gannett News Service. Her many awards include the 2008 Women of Influence Award, the Iowa Interfaith Alliance Award, and the Iowa Farmers Union Media Award. She has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a master's degree in political economy from Goddard Cambridge Graduate School.

VEISHEA Comedy! Harvard Sailing Team
9:00 PM – Stephens Auditorium, Iowa State Center - Harvard Sailing Team is the New York-based sketch comedy group that features clean-cut performers in preppy clothes, none of whom went to Harvard or sail. The group performed weekly at the New York City People's Improve Theater for six years and have been featured on CBS, VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central.com and even Sesame Street. They are winners of the 2011 Nightlife Award, the Friars Club Sketch Competition and the ECNY and INNY awards. VEISHEA 2013

Graphic Storytellers: Illustrating Horror and Fantasy Books - Jeremy Caniglia
7:00 PM – Kocimski Auditorium, 101 College of Design - Jeremy Caniglia is a successful studio-based artist and commercial illustrator. His artwork has been used on the covers of more than fifty CDs, magazines and books, including novels by such authors such as Stephen King, Ray Bradbuy, Douglas Clegg and F. Paul Wilson. He also painted the cover image for a new, limited edition of Max Brooks's novel World War Z. Caniglia will discuss his artwork as well as artists throughout the ages who have used graphic storytelling to depict the human condition and build compositions in religious, mythological, allegorical and political narratives. He received his BFA in drawing and painting from Iowa State in 1993 and his MFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1995.

How to Be Black - Baratunde Thurston
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Baratunde Thurston is a technology-loving comedian from the future. He co-founded the political blog "Jack and Jill Politics" and served as Director of Digital for The Onion before launching the comedy and technology startup Cultivated Wit. He writes the monthly back-page column for Fast Company, and his first book, How To Be Black, is a New York Times bestseller. Thurston resides in Brooklyn, lives on Twitter and performs standup comedy regularly in New York City. He grew up in the inner city of Washington DC in the 1980s, attended the Sidwell Friends School on a scholarship, and graduated from Harvard.