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The Divine Nine: Greekdom, Black History and the Responsibility to the Campus Community - Lawrence Ross
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Lawrence Ross is the author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities and an advocate for eliminating pledging and hazing. His talk includes information about the origins of the Greek system in general, and Black fraternities and sororities in particular. He also discusses the Greek legacy of leadership, community service, achievement and distinction. Ross is a graduate of UCLA and the author of five books, including two novels. He contributes frequently to national media outlets, including CNN, National Public Radio, Ebony, Essence, and theroot.com.

Evolution in Immune Systems - Michael Deem
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Michael Deem is a computational theorist whose work has contributed significantly to our understanding of important aspects of immunology, evolution and materials science. He researches Newton's laws of biology, the theory of personalized critical care, physical theories of pathogen evolution, and the structure of zeolites. He has shown that the speed at which life evolves is constantly increasing because of horizontal gene transfer and created a database of more than 4 million possible molecular configurations for zeolites. He will discuss methods he has developed for predicting vaccine effectiveness and for determining which strains of the flu to cover in annual vaccine formulations. Michael Deem is the John W. Cox Professor in Bioengineering and a professor of physics & astronomy at Rice University. Phi Beta Kappa Lecture.

The 2012 Elections: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - Dianne Bystrom & Steffen Schmidt
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Join Dianne Bystrom and Steffen Schmidt for a discussion of the outstanding moments of the 2012 caucus, primary and election season. Dianne Bystrom is director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics and has more than thirty years of experience covering, working in, and studying political campaigns. She is a coauthor, coeditor or contributor to fifteen books on topics ranging from political communication strategies, media coverage of women candidates, and women in Congress. She is a frequent commentator on women's and political issues for local, national and international media. Steffen Schmidt is University Professor of Political Science and longtime contributor to Iowa Public Radio's weekly political call-in show. He has become one of the most quotable political science experts in the media on the Iowa caucuses and U.S. presidential elections. He is a coauthor of the best selling textbook American Government and Politics Today. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Lecture Series

Private Lands and Public Priorities: EPA, Iowa Agriculture, and the Quest for Land Health - Karl Brooks
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Karl Brooks is the Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 7. He supervises EPA operations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and nine tribal nations. For the first time in generations, Iowans have the opportunity to tackle one of the nation's biggest water quality challenges: nonpoint source pollution. The elements are in place for a concerted effort to reduce the nutrients that degrade Iowa waters and contribute to problems that extend well beyond the state's borders. Dr. Brooks will discuss collaborative efforts of the EPA, Iowa farmers, state agencies, and Iowa State University to seize this opportunity to address water quality concerns related to agriculture.

Ending Racism in About an Hour with W. Kamau Bell from TOTALLY BIASED
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - W. Kamau Bell is host of FX's hit series Totally Biased, with Chris Rock as the executive producer. This comedic, topical exploration of the current state of America's racism is combined with a little (unknown) history, a little PowerPoint, and a whole bunch of Kamau. And because racism is always attacking in new ways and from new angles, Kamau attacks back by constantly adding new material for a seamless mix of stand-up comedy, video and audio clips, personal stories, knowledge-dropping, and solo theatrical performance. As one of the fastest rising socio-political comics in the United States, he is founding member of the stand-up comedy collective Laughter Against the Machine, and cohost of The Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture podcast with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid. No audio recording available.

Diversity: What's In It For My Community? - Nancy "Rusty" Barcel
12:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Nancy "Rusty" Barcel is the president of Northern New Mexico College and served previously as the Vice President and Vice Provost for Equity and Diversity the University of Minnesota. Once the only Chicana student at the University of Iowa, Barcel has since become one of the nation's most highly respected authorities on equity and diversity in higher education. She speaks regularly about diversity and institutional transformation in universities. The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies named her their 2012 Scholar, a prestigious academic award bestowed by the organization. She has also held administrative positions at the University of Washington and the University of Iowa. Part of the 2013 Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity, ISCORE.

The Thin Line: Breaking the Silence on Eating Disorders - A One-Woman Play & Discussion
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - The Thin Line uses live theatre to begin the conversation about eating disorders and reduce the stigma surrounding this mental illness. It illustrates the pain of one girl's struggle and her loved ones' resolve to understand and to help. The program features four characters with distinct voices, all played by a professional actor. The play reveals the devastating impact eating disorders have on both the individual struggling as well as those around them. Members of the Student Counseling Services eating disorder treatment team will discuss how to access services at Iowa State and lead a Q&A immediately following the 30-minute play. Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Writing and the Environment - Charles Fishman
9:00 AM – Cardinal Room, Memorial Union - Join Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, for an informal discussion about science writing and writing about the environment. Charles Fishman is an award-winning investigative and magazine journalist who has spent the last twenty years trying to get inside, understand and explain important organizations, from NASA to Tupperware to Wal-Mart. Since 1996 he has been a senior writer at Fast Company magazine. He is also the author of The Walmart Effect. He will discuss the process of researching and writing The Big Thirst. Melissa Lamberton will moderate the discussion. She is a candidate in the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Environment and a communications graduate research assistant at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Sustainable Innovations to the Triple Bottom Line: A Discussion with Corporate Leadership
8:30 AM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Four perspectives on sustainability from Iowa-based, multi-million dollar corporations: Adam Hammes, Manager of Sustainability, Kum and Go; Daniel Krohn, Global Sustainability Lead, Becker Underwood, Inc/BASF Michael Smith, Associate Vice-President Real Estate and Sustainability, Hy-Vee, Inc.; and Liv Watson, Director of International Business Development, WebFilings. Part of the Symposium on Sustainability. There is no charge to register for the entire Symposium at: http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/symposium/2013/

The Big Thirst - Charles Fishman
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Charles Fishman is author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, which explores the politics, economics and culture of water and our complex relationship to this precious resource. As we've begun to reimagine our relationship to food, we must also rethink how we approach, manage and use water. Fishman shows that a host of advances are under way, from harvesting rainwater to innovations by companies such as IBM, GE, and Royal Caribbean that are making breakthroughs in water productivity. Charles Fishman is an award-winning investigative and magazine journalist who has spent the last twenty years trying to get inside, understand and explain important organizations, from NASA to Tupperware to Wal-Mart. Since 1996 he has been a senior writer at Fast Company magazine. He is also the author of The Walmart Effect. Prior to the Lecture, there will be a reception and poster display from 7 to 8 p.m. in the South Ballroom. University Symposium on Sustainability Keynote Speaker and part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness & the Environmental Imagination and the World Affairs Series. No audio recording available.