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Past Events
Tuesday, 19 Sep 2023
Olivia’s Legacy: Raising Awareness of Alcohol Culture on Campuses and How to Stay Safe
5:30 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page. In January 2021, Iowa State student Olivia Chutich died of hypothermia and acute alcohol intoxication in her sorority's parking lot. Hear from her mother, Dr. Penny Wheeler, recently retired chief executive officer of Allina Health, as she shares the story of her daughter's spirit, the impact of her loss, and considerations for alcohol education and increasing safety in situations where alcohol is involved.Follow-up event: Join a discussion group on September 20 from 12:00-12:45pm at Sloss. Bring your lunch, process what you learned at the lecture, and share questions you have next about the topic.
Friday, 15 Sep 2023
Why They Come
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union - This talk will explore why immigrants are crossing our southern border. Contrary to popular belief, it is not in search of a better life or to take advantage of U.S. generosity. When one nation builds roads into other nations to steal their raw material and cheap labor, we should not be shocked when those individuals take those same roads following what has been stolen from them. This immigration crisis is a product of foreign colonialist policies which began in the 1840s. A brief history will be explored to better grasp why people show up at our borders. Rather than going to charitable virtues as a reply, the talk debunks such self-gratifying responses and focuses instead on restitution as a more appropriate answer. This is a challenging talk which will help students think more critically about the current immigration issue.Dr. Miguel De La Torre is an international scholar, documentarian, activist, and author. Dr. De La Torre's academic pursuit is social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, especially how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He serves as professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Thursday, 14 Sep 2023
Poetry and Conflict Resolution
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - This lecture is part of the Pearl Hogrefe Visiting Writer Series.Poet and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centres around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. Working fluently on the page and with groups of people, Pádraig is a skilled speaker, teacher and group worker. His work has won acclaim in circles of poetry, politics, religion, psychotherapy and conflict analysis. In this lecture, he will explore conflict resolution through the lens of contemporary poetry.Mr. Ó Tuama will do a book signing after the event. The University Book Store will be onsite selling his books.This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Tuesday, 12 Sep 2023
Women, Power, and Rape Culture: The Politics and Policy of Underrepresentation
6:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Bonnie Stabile is Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs and Associate Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, where she also founded and directs the Gender and Policy (GAP) Center. Professor Stabile’s teaching repertoire in public policy and public administration includes courses on policy analysis, program evaluation, ethics, and gender. She was the 2019 recipient of the Schar School's Teaching Award. During her 16-year tenure at the Schar School, she has also served as MPP and MPA program director.Her book, Women, Power and Rape Culture: The Politics and Policy of Underrepresentation, co-authored by Graduate Research Assistant and doctoral candidate Aubrey Grant, was published by Praeger in September 2022. Other publications include articles in peer-reviewed journals including Public Integrity; the Journal of Public Affairs Education; Sexuality, Gender and Policy; Rhetoric Review; and Politics and the Life Sciences. She writes for Ms. Magazine and serves on the Ms. Committee of Scholars.Professor Stabile served as Editor-in-Chief of World Medical & Health Policy, a peer reviewed academic journal published by Wiley, from 2019 - 2020, after having served as Deputy and then Co-Editor since 2011. Her federal government work experience includes acting as Installation Coordinator of a U.S. Army post in Amberg, Germany, and as a Program Analyst for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. From 1989-1993 she was Program Coordinator of the Senior Managers in Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Follow-up event: Join a discussion group on September 13 from 12:00-12:45pm at Sloss. Bring your lunch, process what you learned at the lecture, and share questions you have next about the topic.This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Monday, 11 Sep 2023
Ted Bundy and the Unsolved Murder Epidemic
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union - Dr. Matt DeLisi revisits the life and crimes of Ted Bundy in his newbook, Ted Bundy and the Unsolved Murder Epidemic, which seeks to reconcile the contradictions and controversies about his life that underscore the broader U.S. unsolved murder problem, one that is estimated between 250,000 to 350,000 open, unresolved, or cold cases. The incidence of crime is far greater than is captured by official statistics; most offenses are never detected, a concept known as the dark figure of crime which is explored here. Drawing on 25 years of practitioner, research, and consultant experiences with the most violent criminals, Dr. DeLisi offers solutions toward clearing the current backlog of unsolved murders in the United States many of which were never reported and disproportionately perpetrated by offenders like Bundy. This compelling book speaks to students, academics and readers interested in true crime, serial murder, homicide and criminal justice.Matt DeLisi is Professor and Coordinator of Criminal Justice Studies and Faculty Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University. Professor DeLisi's primary research interests include criminal careers/career criminals, self-control theory, corrections, psychopathy, and the molecular/behavioral genetics of antisocial behavior.The University Book Store will be onsite selling his books at the event.This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Thursday, 7 Sep 2023
The Economics of Artificial Intelligence
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - I.W. Arthur Memorial LectureEconomist Tyler Cowen will discuss the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). Cowen believes that those who are worried about AI destroying humankind need to make a more convincing case for their concerns. Cowen thinks that those worried about AI are too willing to limit freedoms and empower government to reduce the uncertain risk.Cowen is a professor of Economics at George Mason University and at the Center for the Study of Public Choice. He is also the director of the Mercatus Center, which does research to advance the knowledge about how markets solve problems. Dr. Cowen writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. His latest book, Talent, was published in 2022.About I.W. ArthurIra W. “Duke” Arthur was born in Iowa in 1893. He graduated from Ames High School in 1912 as president of his senior class. He then attended Iowa State College where he studied animal husbandry. After graduating in 1916, he briefly taught animal husbandry at the University of Georgia. However, when war broke out he became a World War I flier with the United States Air Corps. After the war, he returned to Ames where he completed a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics in 1927. He continued his study of economics, first at the University of Chicago and then at the University of Minnesota where he received his doctorate in 1939. I.W. Arthur joined the Iowa State Economics Department in 1936. He became a full professor in 1959. His duties were divided between extension and teaching. His extension research and activities included contributions in the areas of farm leases, land tenure, social security, partnership agreements, pork and beef marketing, and rural human capital. However, his greatest contributions were in undergraduate teaching. His students admired him both for his kind, compassionate nature and for his straightforward, no-nonsense approach to economic problems. The Department of Economics at Iowa State is proud to dedicate this seminar to the memory of I.W. Arthur and to the academic spirit that he strived to enhance. The University Book Store will be onsite selling his books at the event.This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Saturday, 29 Apr 2023
Heralds: A Symphony of Women's Voices Auguring Change
7:30 PM – Simon Estes Music Hall - The ISU Symphony Orchestra and Artistic announces Symphony of Diversity 2023: Heralds: A Symphony of Women’s Voices Auguring Change.†The 2023 concert boldly tackles the societal issue of violence against women through a free public symposium, hosted by the Ames Public Library on Friday, April 28 at 4pm, and a free orchestral performance on Saturday, April 29 at 7:30pm at Simon Estes Music Hall, Iowa State University.
The public symposium, to begin with a short musical performance, will bring together three influential: world-famous violinist Lara St. John, whose successful campaign to hold the Curtis Institute accountable for her assault when she was a student there made international headlines; Rebecca Stienstra, a senior policy analyst from the Canadian Ministry of Women and Gender Equity; and Assistant Chief Carrie Jacobs of the Iowa State University Police Department. The moderated panel discussion at the Ames Public Library auditorium will focus on the prevention of violence against women and holding institutions accountable.
NOTE: This event will not offer card scanning for extra credit.
Thursday, 20 Apr 2023
How are We Approaching Cancer Treatment? From Cyclops Sheep to Vaccines
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Speaker: Amy Andreotti
Ignite Your Spark
11:00 AM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Speaker: Magan Lewis, Ph.D.
More details to come.
Wednesday, 19 Apr 2023
A Humorous Guide to Financial Success
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union - Speaker: Colin Ryan
Featured everywhere from NPR and PBS to the Moth Radio Hour and Reader’s Digest, Colin Ryan is a comedic financial speaker, author, and an award-winning storyteller.
Colin was named one of the top 10 finance presenters in America, and to date has spoken to over 1 million students and adults.
Colin is the author of “A Comedic Guide to Money†and the creator of “Public Speaking for Leaders.†As a speaker’s mentor, Colin is dedicated to helping talented educators, experts, leaders and public figures become unforgettable communicators.
Colin served as a passionate advocate for economic equality on the Vermont Commission on Women, and now lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Lindsey Lathrop and their dog Remy.