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Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation - Documentary & Discussion with Filmmaker Colleen Krantz
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - In October 2002 the badly decomposed bodies of eleven undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America were found sealed inside a freight car in rural Dennison, Iowa. Train to Nowhere follows the the search for the smugglers who locked the group inside the railcar to throw off Border Patrol inspectors. It offers an in-depth look at the investigation and those involved, from two Guatemalan brothers who are sure their missing younger brother will be listed among the dead to a key immigration agent to a man charged in the case. Collen Krantz worked for a decade as a reporter for daily metro newspapers, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Des Moines Register, before turning to freelance journalism. She graduated from Iowa State with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. Krantz is the author of the book Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation and co-produced the television documentary by the same name. A discussion with the Colleen Krantz will immediately follow the 60-min film. Part of the AgArts Film Festival.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John - Documentary & Discussion with Farmer John Peterson
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - The Real Dirt on Farmer John follows the life of John Peterson, owner and operator of AngelicOrganics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States. Peterson took over the traditional family farm as a young man in the late 1960s and turned it into an experiment of art and agriculture. It became a haven for hippies, radicals and artists, and Peterson, an outcast in rural America, fell victim to local rumors, threats and violence. Following a soul-searching journey through Mexico he returned home to transform his land into a thriving farming community. Director Taggart Siegel made the film with footage he shot during twenty-five years of friendship with John Peterson. Using multiple media, from 8 mm home movies to modern video, he captures the life of this maverick Midwestern farmer. John Peterson (Farmer John) will provide introductory remarks and join a discussion immediately following the 80-minute film. Part of the AgArts Film Festival.

World of Jenks - Andrew Jenks
11:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Andrew Jenks is an award-winning filmmaker best known for his MTV documentary series World of Jenks. The show captures a range of voices and personal stories not usually covered by media, from a young homeless woman, to a physically abused football star, to a young adult with autism. Often dubbed "the voice of his generation," Jenks is currently MTV News's correspondent for the 2012 presidential campaign. He has an upcoming special, "When I Was 22," with interviews of candidates talking about how their early experiences shaped who they are today. Scholastic Books will release a collection of stories about his career as a young filmmaker in January. ISU After Dark

Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion across the Islamic World - Robin Wright
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Robin Wright is a journalist and foreign policy analyst. As a United States Institute for Peace Senior Fellow and a Wilson Center Distinguished Scholar, her projects explore new trends in the Islamic world that will be a major policy challenge for the United States and the West: the Arab revolts, the rise of political Islam and the counter-jihad against extremism. She edited The Iran Primer: Power, Politics and U.S. Policy and is the author of Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion across the Islamic World as well as The Islamists are Coming: Who They Really Are. Part of the World Affairs Series. No audio recording available.

Human Rights, Social Media, and the Kurds - Christian Sinclair
6:00 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Christian Sinclair is assistant director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona. He spent ten years living and working in the Middle East, including almost seven years in Syria. His research interests include Kurds of Syria and Turkey, human rights in the Middle East, freedom of press and media repression, and language and identity. He recently published an article at Middle East Report entitled "The Evolution of Kurdish politics in Syria" and is currently teaching Human Rights, Democratization, and Revolution in the Middle East and North Africa. Part of the Technology, Globalization and Culture Series.

Agriculture in the Anthropocene: Growing a Sustainable Human Ecology - Erle Ellis
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - There is growing scientific consensus that humans have now forced the planet into a new geological epoch: The Anthropocene. Ecologist Erle Ellis agrees and studies how our use and transformation of the earth, including agriculture, is a primary driver of global changes in climate, biodiversity and biogeochemistry. Ellis has developed a scientific approach to mapping the human footprint, including tools that link human and ecological change processes on a small scale with their global causes and consequences. He is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 2012 Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture.

The Blunt Truth about Medical Marijuana - Christian Thurstone
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Dr. Christian Thurstone is a medical director for Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention at Denver Health and Hospital Authority and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver. He speaks frequently about the controversial legislation of medical marijuana, with a focus on marijuana use in adolescents and substance abuse prevention. He will discuss his research on the negative impacts the state of Colorado's legislation has had on the communities allowing the use of medicinal marijuana.

The Ice Age Dispersal of Humans to the Americas: Do Stones, Bones and Genes Tell the Same Story - Ted Goebel
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Ted Goebel is an archaeologist who studies the Ice Age dispersal of modern humans to the Americas. He conducts fieldwork primarily in Siberia, Alaska, and the intermountain west of the United States and has investigated archaeological sites dating back 50,000 years. He has excavated sites that contain some of the earliest evidence of humans in Beringia. Most recently he directed field research at Serpentine Hot Springs, the Ice Age archaeological site on the Bering Land Bridge itself that contains the first dated fluted spear points in Alaska. Ted Goebel is the associate director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University, where he is an associate professor of anthropology and holds the endowed professorship in First Americans Studies. Sigma Xi Lecture Series.

Is It Time for a Change? Fundamentals in the 2012 Presidential Election - James Campbell
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - James Campbell is one of the nation's foremost experts in election modeling. He developed a Seats-in-Trouble forecasting model for House elections that was highly accurate in the 2010 midterm elections. He also developed the Trial Heat and Economy forecasting model for presidential elections in 1990. Campbell is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and chair of the department at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. His most recent book is The American Campaign: U.S. Presidential Campaigns and the National Vote, second edition. He is also the author of Cheap Seats: The Democratic Party's Advantage in U.S. House Elections and The Presidential Pulse of Congressional Elections.

Alcohol, Sex, and Stress: How Not to Make an A.S.S. of Yourself - Mary Peterson
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Mary Peterson served as the associate director of the Office of Student Life at the University of Iowa for twenty-four years. She speaks frequently on such topics as peer education, risk management, relationship development, and personal motivation. She is the former executive director of the Mid-American Panhellenic Council Association and former associate executive director of the Mid-American Interfraternal Council Association. She also served for many years as a volunteer consultant for the BACCHUS Peer Education Network. Mary Peterson was responsible for starting Dance Marathon at the University of Iowa in 1994 and has a variety of awards and scholarships named after her at the University of Iowa and in the fraternal world. This year she will receive the Association of Fraternity Advisors Jack Anson Award, one of their highest honors.