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Past Events

Thursday, 1 Apr 2010

Marriage Equality Forum: A Legal Perspective
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Camilla Taylor was lead counsel when the Iowa Supreme Court voted unanimously that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples. She is Senior Staff Attorney with Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest legal organization working for the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, the transgendered. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. From Yale College, and is currently an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law. Mark Kende is the James Madison Chair in Constitutional Law and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Drake University Law School and teaches both sides of the ruling. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Iowa State philosophy professor Clark Wolf will moderate. Wolf is director of the Bioethics Program, and much of his published work is in political and legal philosophy.

Gambling: The Hidden Addiction - Peg Naylor
6:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Peg Naylor is the Gambling Treatment Coordinator for Community and Family Resources. Her professional experience includes working in the mental health and substance abuse fields, as a research analyst in the Iowa Legislature, as well as an adjunct faculty member at Buena Vista University. Naylor holds a masters degree in public policy and state certifications in both substance abuse and gambling treatment. She is also certified as a medication manager, trained as a Qualified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner and trained as a domestic abuse advocate. Naylor recently served for two years on the Iowa Gambling Training Advisory Committee and the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program Advisory Committee.

Wednesday, 31 Mar 2010

Catholicism on Eco-justice - Anne Clifford
7:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Anne Clifford is the Msgr. James Supple Chair of Catholic Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Iowa State. In recognition of the fortieth anniversary of the first Earth Day, she will discuss Catholic eco-justice teachings, with a focus on their roots in creation theology and their call to responsibility for the environment. Clifford is a former consultant for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Environmental Justice Program and has written on the topic of Catholicism and environmental stewardship. She is also the author of Introducing Feminist Theology and coeditor of Christology: Memory, Inquiry, Practice. Msgr. James Supple Lecture

Where's the Math - Juanita Copley
7:00 PM – Reiman Ballroom, Alumni Center - Juanita Copley is recognized internationally for her work in early childhood mathematics. She is the author or editor of four books and numerous articles on the topic for such organizations as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and Creative Curriculum. She recently presented a series of national Math Webcasts for Head Start. Copley is the former chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Department at the University of Houston. She will discuss how young children learn mathematics, what an effective curriculum in early childhood mathematics should include, and how we assess children's knowledge of the subject. The 2010 Barbara E. (Mound) Hansen Early Childhood Lecture.

Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead - Frank Meeink
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Frank Meeink speaks about his descent into America's Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over hatred and addiction. By age sixteen, Meeink was one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast. By eighteen, he was doing hard time in an Illinois prison, where he began to question his hatred, thanks in large part to his African-American teammates on a prison football league. Shortly after being paroled, Meeink defected from the white supremacy movement. The Oklahoma City bombing inspired him to try to stop the hatred he once had felt. He began speaking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League and appeared on MTV and other national networks as a part of his efforts. Meeink, who was the director of fan development for the Iowa Chops hockey team, is the founder of the Hockey for Harmony Foundation, which encourages youth of all races to play hockey. Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead is his first book.

Monday, 29 Mar 2010

Death by Alcohol: The Sam Spady Story - Brian Alley
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Binge drinking kills nearly 2,000 college students each year. The SAM Spady Foundation educates students on the dangers of alcohol, specifically high-risk consumption, and the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning. The foundation honors the memory of Samantha Spady, a Colorado State student who died of alcohol poisoning in 2004. Sam was a nineteen-year-old Nebraska homecoming queen, high school class president, and scholarship winner. She had looks, brains, youth, and promise. But all that came to a sudden and tragic end when Sam shared too many shots of vodka, passed out, and died alone in a fraternity house. Executive Director Brian Alley delivers the foundation's message that alcohol can kill and provides information to empower students to use good judgment and drink responsibly.

Engineering the Future - Jonathan Wickert
8:00 PM – Campanile Room, Memorial Union - Jonathan Wickert, dean of Iowa State's College of Engineering, will speak on how today's students can become leaders for a cleaner, healthier, safer, and more sustainable world. His talk is part of the Triangle Fraternity Last Lecture Series. Wickert, who has nearly twenty years of experience as a mechanical engineer, urges students to view engineering in its social context, as a creative profession that uses technology to improve people's lives. Wickert has served on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University and Iowa State, as a visiting research fellow at the University of Cambridge and as a visiting professor at Helsinki University of Technology. His research has advanced the technology of high-density computer data storage and improved the design of automotive disk brakes and gas turbine blades.
Triangle is a professional organization focused on engineering, architecture, and science. Triangle Last Lecture Series.

No Apology: The Case for American Greatness - Mitt Romney
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will speak on his new book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. Romney was CEO of Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, and cofounder of Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm. He left the private sector to organize the 2002 Winter Olympics as President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. As Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007, he presided over a reversal of the state's economy, enacted education reform, and proposed and signed into law private, market-based healthcare reform. Romney was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election. No audio recording available for download or podcast.

Saturday, 27 Mar 2010

Climate Change and Grasslands: What We Think We Know is NOT What We Need to Know - Alan Knapp
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Alan Knapp's research on plants focuses on understanding ecological patterns and processes from the leaf to the landscape. It reflects his training as a plant physiological ecologist and a twenty-year association with the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program. He is also involved with the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research Program, which looks at the dynamics and sustainability of grasslands as they are influenced by phenomena such as changes in land use, climate change, nutrient enrichment and invasive species. Knapp is the coauthor of Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie. He is a professor and senior ecologist in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University. Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference Keynote Address.

Friday, 26 Mar 2010

College of Business 25th Anniversary Distinguished Scholar Series - Shyam Sunder
9:30 AM – Schaller Seminar Room, 3164 Gerdin Business Building - Shyam Sunder is the James L. Frank Professor of Accounting, Economics, and Finance at the Yale School of Management. An accounting theorist and experimental economist, he is a pioneer in the fields of experimental finance and experimental macroeconomics. Sunder's current research includes the problem of structuring U.S. and international accounting and auditing institutions to achieve balance between regulatory oversight and market competition. Sunder is the author of six books, including Experimental Methods: A Primer for Economists and Theory of Accounting and Control. Part of the College of Business 25th Anniversary Distinguished Scholar Series