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Past Events

Thursday, 1 Mar 2012

Improving Eyewitness Evidence and Avoiding Wrongful Convictions - Gary Wells
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Iowa State psychology professor Gary Wells is internationally recognized for his work on the reliability of eyewitness memory and identification, specifically the mistaken identification of suspected criminals in police lineups and photo spreads. His findings have been incorporated into standard textbooks in psychology and law, and his research-based proposals on lineup procedures, such as his idea of double-blind lineups, are being increasingly accepted in law enforcement practices. Wells was a founding member of the U.S. Department of Justice group that developed the first set of national guidelines for eyewitness evidence and co-chaired the panel that wrote the Justice Department training manual for law enforcement on eyewitness identification evidence. He holds the title of Distinguished Professor and Stavish Chair in the Social Sciences. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Lecture Series.

The Creative Process of a Public Artist - Live Talk with Terry Allen!
6:00 PM – 2019 Morrill Hall - Artist Terry Allen works in a wide variety of media, including sculpture, painting, drawing and video. He is also an accomplished songwriter, musician and has written for and worked in both radio and theater. In 2009 the Iowa State University Museums commissioned Allen to create a public work of art for the State Gymnasium addition. His project, A Public Perception, includes eighteen neon sculptures located throughout the new student recreation center. Terry Allen's talk accompanies an exhibit showcasing is creative processes as a public artist, from conception through installation. The exhibit features many of his drawings and notebooks and will be on display in the Christian Petersen Art Museum, 1017 Morrill Hall, January 9 - May 4, 2012. A book signing and reception featuring live music by Cup of Tea will immediately follow the talk.

Wednesday, 29 Feb 2012

Myths and Realities of Homelessness & Poverty: A Plan for Transforming Cities - Jane Ramsey
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Jane Ramsey is president of the Chicago-based Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, which combats poverty, racism and anti-Semitism in partnership with the city's diverse communities. Under her leadership since 1979, JCUA has become one of Chicago's most influential organizations speaking on behalf of human and civil rights issues, including immigration, homelessness and community displacement, community reinvestment, police misconduct, and government accountability. Jane Ramsey served for two years as director of community relations for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. She has also served as a board member for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Chicago Coalition to Protect Public Housing, and the Public Welfare Coalition, and as commissioner for Private Industry Council and the Women's Commission of the City of Chicago. Ramsey has a master's degree from The University of Chicago, School of Social Administration and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Beauty Undressed - Shannon Cutts
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Shannon Cutts battled anorexia and bulimia for fifteen years and now helps young adults put "beauty" into perspective. While only 1 percent of the population suffers from a diagnosed eating disorder, nearly 100 percent of the population have felt insecure or shameful about their physical appearance. Shannon Cutts will also discuss her experience as a mentor to women who have struggled to find support and understanding in day-to-day life following treatment for an eating disorder. It is the basis for her book Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back and inspired her to found MentorCONNECT, a program that partners individuals struggling with eating disorders with those who have recovered. Eating Disorder Awareness Week. No audio recording available for download or podcasting.

Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012

Ethical Behavior in Finance: Expectations, Incentives and Accountability - Erin Krupka
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Erin Krupka is an experimental behavioral economist who studies how the desire to conform to economic social norms influences immoral and selfish behavior. She tries to understand why individuals often behave in a manner consistent with group norms, even in settings where there is no strategic advantage for doing so, including corporate settings. Her research also explores why economic decisions are highly sensitive to the specific context in which they are made. Erin Krupka is faculty in the University of Michigan School of Information and an affiliate of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). She received a Master's in public policy from the University of Chicago and a PhD in behavioral decision research at Carnegie Mellon University. Part of the Women in STEM series.

Sustainapalooza: Celebrating Our Cardinal, Gold, and Green!
4:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Join in the celebration of the many accomplishments of Iowa State's Live Green! initiative through interactive displays and presentations about sustainability efforts on campus. The event will include a poster session, "empowering" stations, and the opportunity to walk down the Green Carpet. Speakers will include Merry Rankin, Director of Sustainability, and leaders from the Council on Sustainability. Students Chandra Peterson and Matt Santee, co-presidents of the Green Umbrella, will be your hosts for the evening. Food, pictures, and a unique appreciation gift for all attendees will round out the occasion. Don't miss this exCYting event!

Monday, 27 Feb 2012

Energy Sustainability in a Changing World - Ellen D. Williams
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Ellen Williams is Chief Scientist at British/Beyond Petroleum, one of the world's largest oil & gas companies. Ellen plays a role in determining how developments in science and technology can contribute to sustainable, secure and environmentally responsible energy. She will discuss specific examples of carbon capture and storage, as well as biofuels. She is on leave from the University of Maryland where she is Distinguished University Professor of Physics and director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. Part of the Women in STEM Speaker Series and the Live Green! Sustainability Series.

Memory Wall: A Reading - Anthony Doerr
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Anthony Doerr is the author of four books, The Shell Collector, About Grace, Four Seasons in Rome, and, most recently, Memory Wall, which takes place on four continents and addresses issues from Alzheimer's in South Africa to infertility in Wyoming to fishing for endangered sturgeon in Lithuania. His writing has been recognized with numerous awards, including four O. Henry Prizes, the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and the 2010 Story Prize. Anthony Doerr also writes a regular column on science books for the Boston Globe. He lives in Boise, Idaho. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination.

Lecture: Stories and Revelations from a Postmodern Travel Writer - Rolf Potts
4:00 PM – Campanile Room, Memorial Union - Rolf Potts has reported from more than sixty countries for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, Slate.com and Outside. His adventures have included piloting a fishing boat 900 miles down the Laotian Mekong, hitchhiking across Eastern Europe, traversing Israel on foot, bicycling across Burma, driving a Land Rover across South America. Potts is perhaps best known for promoting the ethic of independent travel and his book on the subject, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. His most recent book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer, became the first American-authored book to win Italy's prestigious Chatwin Prize. Though he rarely stays in one place for more than a few weeks or months, Potts feels somewhat at home in Bangkok, Cairo, Pusan, New Orleans, and north-central Kansas, where he keeps a small farmhouse on thirty acres near his family. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness & the Creative Imagination.

On Travel Writing - Anthony Doerr and Rolf Potts
2:00 PM – Campanile Room, Memorial Union - Anthony Doerr is the author of four books, The Shell Collector, About Grace, Four Seasons in Rome, and, most recently, Memory Wall, which takes place on four continents and addresses issues from Alzheimer's in South Africa to infertility in Wyoming to fishing for endangered sturgeon in Lithuania. Rolf Potts has reported from more than sixty countries for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, Slate.com and Outside. He is perhaps best known for promoting the ethic of independent travel and his book on the subject, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel and, more recently, Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness and the Creative Imagination.