Search For Lectures

The Next Phase of Martian Exploration: The Search for Life - Peter Smith
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Peter Smith is a professor at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and was responsible for the $420 million Phoenix Mars Mission, part of NASA's search for elements of life in our solar system. During the five months of operations, the probe conducted science experiments and relayed more than 25,000 pictures of the Red Planet. Smith has participated in many of NASA's space missions, beginning with the Pioneer Venus mission and later the Pioneer Saturn project. His association with Mars began in 1993 when NASA accepted his camera proposal for the Pathfinder mission. In 1997 the camera returned images from the Martian surface and monitored the forays of the Sojourner Rover. Smith is a recent recipient of the American Geographical Society's prestigious Cullum Geographical Medal and is the first Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair in Integrative Science at the University of Arizona. Phi Beta Kappa Lecture and part of the National Affairs Series on Innovation.

Black Faces of War - Robert V. Morris
7:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Robert V. Morris is the author of the new illustrated history Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor from the American Revolution to Today. The grandson and son of two decorated army officers, Morris founded the Fort Des Moines Memorial Park and the WWII Iowa Tuskegee Airmen Memorial at the Des Moines International Airport. His documentary Tradition And Valor was broadcast on Iowa Public Television and preceded the release of his book by the same name. Morris is a graduate of the University of Iowa, taught journalism at Iowa State University and is a past-president of the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska Conference.

Will Climate Change Impact the Sustainability of Iowa Farms? Gene Takle
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Gene Takle is director of Iowa State's Climate Science Initiative team that was established in response to the public concern over global climate change and its impact on every segment of society. After receiving an undergraduate degree in math and physics from Luther College, he earned a doctorate in physics at Iowa State and then stayed on for a joint faculty appointment in the departments of Agronomy and Geological and Atmospheric Sciences. The Shivvers Memorial Lecture and part of the Live Green! Sustainability Series.

Giving AVATAR Its Voice: Creating the Na'vi Language - Paul Frommer
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Linguist Paul Frommer found himself on an unexpected Hollywood adventure when he was hired to create the language spoken by aliens on the distant moon of Pandora. Frommer developed the Na'vi language for James Cameron's Avatar, including its grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. He worked personally with the actors to perfect Na'vi pronunciation and handled all translations, from script, to song lyrics, to dialogue for Wii and X-Box video games related to the film. Frommer has an eclectic background that includes teaching in Malaysia with the Peace Corps, working as a strategic planner and business writer in the corporate world and, more recently, as a professor in the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. Frommer earned a doctorate in linguistics from USC, with a dissertation on aspects of Persian syntax. He also created the Martian language for the Disney film John Carter of Mars. The Quentin Johnson Lecture in Linguistics and part of the National Affairs Series on Innovation.

The 23rd Census of the United States, Official Statistics, and the Academic Discipline of Statistics - Robert Groves
7:30 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Robert M. Groves is the director of the United States Census Bureau. He will discuss the census operation and how the bureau issues official government statistics as well as how these processes differ from traditional survey statistics. Groves was previously a professor and the director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan and a research professor at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland. He also served as the Census Bureau's Associate Director for Statistical Design, Methodology and Standards. His many influential publications include Survey Errors and Survey Costs and Nonresponse in Household Interview Surveys. The Wayne A. Fuller Lecture.

Drilling into Plate Boundaries: Studying Earthquakes Three Miles under the Ocean - Demian Saffer
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Demian Saffer is an associate professor of geohydrology at Pennsylvania State University and a distinguished lecturer with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. His research looks at the role of fluids in earthquakes, faulting, and heat transport. He has been involved in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and is currently part of the leadership team for NanTroSEIZE, a series of drilling expeditions aimed at understanding subduction earthquakes and tectonics off of southwestern Japan. As part of this ambitious project, the team will drill several boreholes penetrating the plate boundary fault system, including one to the subduction megathrust at a depth of 6.2 km. Part of the Department of Geological & Atmospheric Sciences Distinguished Lecture Series.

Comics: An Art Form in Transition - Scott McCloud
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Illustrator Scott McCloud is known for his print and web comics, including Google Chrome, which explains the inner workings of the company's open source browser in comic form. His other creations include the 24-Hour Comic, The Morning Improv, and the 1980s series ZOT. McCloud is equally recognized for his theoretical work on how comics function as form of visual communication. His nonfiction works include Understanding Comics; Reinventing Comics, a more controversial look at the comics' revolutions in art, culture and technology; and Making Comics, which examines comics storytelling techniques. The Annual Goldtrap Lecture. No audio recording will be available for download or podcast.

Evolution and Creation: Conflicting or Compatible? Patricia Kelley
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Patricia Kelley, a Distinguished Lecturer for the Paleontological Society, seeks to bridge the divide between evolutionary science and the beliefs of the great religious traditions. Kelley is faculty in the Department of Geography and Geology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Centennial Fellow of the Paleontological Society. She holds a PhD in geology from Harvard University. Her own research focuses on the evolution and paleoecology of Coastal Plain molluscs. She is especially interested in predator-prey interactions and their role in the evolution of snails and clams. Part of the Department of Geological & Atmospheric Sciences Distinguished Lecture Series and the Women in STEM Series.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Celebration
4:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Musical performances and speakers celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. Members of the group Shy of a Dozen will perform, along with the violin duo of Claire Wandro and Jordan Trachtenberg. Speakers include Religious Studies professor Mary Sawyer, Government of the Student Body President Luke Rolings and Black Student Alliance President Monae Lane. Associate Provost Dawn Bratsch-Prince will present the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Advancing One Community Awards. Birthday cake graciously donated by Campus Dining Services.

Let Freedom Ring - Carillon Concert
11:50 AM – Central Campus - A carillon concert in honor of Dr. King, with Dr. Tin-Shi Tam, carilloneur. Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Series.