Search For Lectures

Energy and Its Relationship to Agriculture and Food Production - Eldon Boes
7:00 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Eldon Boes has over thirty years of experience working on energy issues with an emphasis on renewable energy technology research and development. He is currently working with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, led by Senator Tom Harkin, on the energy title of the 2008 farm bill. Boes began his career at Sandia National Laboratories, where he worked in solar technology for sixteen years. He later directed the National Renewable Energy Laboratorys Energy Analysis Program, which focused on the economic, environmental, and energy security impacts of present and future energy technologies in different market and policy contexts. He has also served as a congressional fellow. Boes received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University. He taught mathematics for six years at New Mexico State University before joining Sandia. The discussion will be moderated by Pat Boddy, executive director of Polk County Conservation. Part of the Engineering Thematic Year on Energy and Sustainability.

Spreading the Gospel of the First Amendment - Odell McGhee
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Judge Odell McGhee is with the Polk County District Court and was recently elected president of the statewide Iowa Judges Association. He is a member of the Iowa National Bar Association, the state affiliate of the oldest and largest national association of predominately African American lawyers and judges, for which he served as president for over ten years. He is active in the groups efforts to make Des Moines "The First Amendment City, which includes raising funds to build a speaker's platform along the river in downtown Des Moines. Judge McGhee is licensed to practice law in the local, state and federal courts. A graduate of Drake Law School, he was previously with the Polk County Attorney's Office. The First Amendment Day Celebration Keynote Speaker.

The Freedom to Know: Freedom of Information and Open Government in the 21st Century
2:30 PM – 305 Carver Hall - Panelists include Clark Kauffman, Perry Beeman, Lisa Rood and Tom Barton of the Des Moines Register as well as Lauris Olson of Ames365.com. Part of the First Amendment Day Celebration.

Feast on the First Amendment
12:00 PM – Central Campus - Free food, music, drama, soap box debates and exhibits mark this annual event. Dione Somerville, ISU Dean of Students, will introduce the event, and Barbara Mack, associate professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, will kick off the soapbox debates. Part of the First Amendment Day Celebration.

Intimate Beauty - Beej Nierengarten Smith
7:00 PM – Christian Petersen Art Museum, Morrill Hall - Beej Nierengarten-Smith is a contemporary printmaker and multimedia artist, specializing in photolithography, Japanese woodcuts, digital images and etching. Her subject matter includes geographic icons, political and social commentary as well as fantasy and humor. Nierengarten-Smith will provide a first-hand account of an artist’s journey through the worlds of printmaking, subject matter, and interpretation, and will give her audience a unique look into the life and creative process of an artist.

Unfinished Business! Mark Engelbrecht
7:00 PM – Kocimski Auditorium, College of Design - After fifteen years as Dean of the College of Design, Mark Engelbrecht will step down from his post in June 2009. He will reflect on his fifty-year relationship with Iowa State University - beginning when he was a student in the 1960s and continuing through his years as a faculty member and his recent service as dean. He will point out changes and progress made in design education during that time and offer some thoughts on his future and the future of the college. Engelbrecht earned his bachelor of architecture degree from Iowa State in 1963.

Can There Be Freedom of the Press without a Press - A Panel Discussion
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Panelists include Ken Fuson, freelance journalist and former features reporter for the Des Moines Register; freelance journalist Kelly Eagle; Steve Buttry, editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette and GazetteOnline; and Angie Hunt, a correspondent for KCCI-TV. Moderated by Michael Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism. Part of the First Amendment Day Celebration.

He's Just Not That Into You! Greg Behrendt
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Greg Behrendt is a comedian and the coauthor of He's Just Not That Into You and It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken. He and his wife Amiira are currently writing a third book titled, It's Just a Bleeping Date. The former consultant for "Sex And The City" has appeared on HBO's Mantastic, Comedy Central Presents and last year's Uncool, seen exclusively on Comedy Central, as well as many appearances on late night shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His new DVD is called "Greg Behrendt: That Guy from That Thing.

The Adversity Paradox: Achieving Uncommon Success in Business - Barry Griswell and Bob Jennings
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Barry Griswell is chairman and former CEO of the Principal Financial Group. He is a past recipient of an Horatio Alger Award, given to individuals who have achieved great success while overcoming difficult backgrounds. In addition to his years of experience in the financial services industry, he is recognized for a wide range of philanthropic work, including the establishment of The Harvest Initiative to bring economic help to the people of Crow Creek County in South Dakota. He addresses his success and journey overcoming adversity in the book The Adversity Paradox: An Unconventional Guide to Uncommon Business Success, coauthored with Bob Jennings. Bob Jennings is president of Lean Management Group, a consulting company focused on senior management methods and execution. Prior to starting his own company he was president of EFCO Corporation, a world leader in the design and supply of forms for concrete construction, with operations in twelve countries. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, he received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University and his MBA degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

TO BE RESCHEDULED - Ron Meier
7:30 PM – 1352 Gilman - TO BE RESCHEDULED. Ron Meier is a Professor of Chemistry at Illinois State University, and Vice-Chair of e-Based Initiatives, a Quality Management Division of the American Society of Quality. He is the author of Holistic Enterprise-wide Risk Management and The Art and Science of Teaching Quality at the University. He has provided training and consulting services to a range of corporations organizations including Abbott Labs, Archer Daniels Midland, AT&T, Caterpillar, Sara Lee, State Farm Insurance, and Volition Software. He received his doctorate from University of Missouri, Columbia.