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Andrea Cesalpino (1524-1603): Philosopher, Botanist, and Pharmacist in Renaissance Tuscany
6:30 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Historians often consider Andrea Cesalpino as the precursor of scientists like Galileo, William Harvey, Spinoza or Linnaeus. Yet today he remains mostly unknown, his impact localized to Renaissance Tuscany. Not only is this oversight an injustice to Cesalpino’s complex work on nature, and especially on plants, but it also disregards his approach to philosophy, nature, and medicine. Fabrizio Baldassarri holds a Marie SkÅ‚odovska-Curie fellowship to conduct research on early modern natural philosophical studies of plants from Andrea Cesalpino to Marcello Malpighi, especially focusing on the intersections between natural philosophy, botany, and medicine.

We Rate Dogs®: A Conversation with Matt Nelson About Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, and Social Media Fame
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - WeRateDogs® grew to 17M followers by giving “better-than-perfect” scores to every pup they were sent. Come listen to WeRateDogs® creator Matt Nelson share his story of turning a meme account into a powerful force for good. You’ll hear how Matt came up with the idea, found his voice, built a community, and then harnessed it to start giving back, with the new non-profit foundation, 15/10. Join us to learn how to turn your jokes into a job.

Crop & Climate Adaptation in the Face of the Climate Crisis
12:40 PM – 1001 Troxel Hall - Dr. Cary Fowler is the U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security. Dr. Cary Fowler is perhaps best known as the “father” of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described as an “inspirational symbol of peace and food security for the entire humanity.” This facility provides ultimate security for more than 1 million unique crop varieties, the biological foundation of agriculture and the raw material for all future plant breeding and crop improvement efforts. Dr. Fowler is the former Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an international organization cosponsored by Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

How a Female Fighter Pilot Overcame Her Fears and Self-Doubt
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Michelle Curran, also known as MACE, led an impressive career as a Fighter Pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Upon joining this high performing team, she rapidly discovered the best part was not the flying, but the opportunity to inspire others. Michelle was only the 2nd woman to fly as the Lead Solo in the Thunderbird demonstration since the team’s creation in 1953. She realized this put her in a unique position to empower others. She will share her stories of unbelievable flying, facing fears, and unwavering trust with your team.

Moonshot Science for Climate Change and Food
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2022 Normal Borlaug Lecture Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of the United States will receive the 2022 World Food Prize for her seminal contributions to understanding and predicting the impacts of the interaction between climate and food systems. Through designing and leading rigorous, collaborative observational and modeling research, she provided the evidence used by thousands of decision-makers in more than 90 countries to both mitigate and adapt to climate change in local, national and global food systems. Now a Senior Research Scientist and head of the Climate Impacts Group at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), part of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Rosenzweig started her career as a farmer.

Urban Coyote Movement and Behavior
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2022 Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture Dr. Chris Schell studies the intersections of society, ecology, and evolution to understand how wildlife (mainly mammalian carnivores) are rapidly adapting to life in cities. The work of the Schell lab combines behavioral, physiological, and genomic approaches to demonstrate the myriad consequences of historical and contemporary inequites on organismal, population, and community-level dynamics of wildlife. In addition, Dr. Schell and his lab leverage human dimensions and community-engaged data streams to decipher how wildlife adaptation and human perceptions create landscapes of risk that contribute to human-carnivore conflict. This interdisciplinary work requires integrating principles from the natural sciences with urban studies to address how systemic racism and oppression affect urban ecosystems, while simultaneously highlighting the need to environmental justice, civil rights, and equity as the bedrock of biological conservation and our fight against the climate crisis.

ISU Town Hall with Deidre DeJear
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2022 ISU Lectures Campaign Town Hall Series Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for Iowa governor, will answer questions from students, faculty/staff, and the Ames community. Deidre is a small business owner and entrepreneur, who founded her firm almost 15 years ago to directly support the work of small businesses. Over the course of her career, Deidre has worked with over 1,000 businesses on developing growth strategy, marketing plans, and business planning. Deidre’s career began with helping companies after the Great Recession and has continued through the current Pandemic. Originally from Mississippi, and then Oklahoma, Deidre came to Iowa to attend Drake University and never left the state she fell in love with and now calls home. While still a student, Deidre co-founded the nonprofit Back to School Iowa to support youth to continue in their educational endeavors. She also served as a competitive coach for the East High girls basketball team, and was with the team during their 2011 undefeated state championship run. As a voting rights champion and community leader, Deidre previously ran for Secretary of State of Iowa in 2018, when she became the first Black woman to earn the Democratic nomination in a statewide race in Iowa. Deidre is now the Democratic nominee for Iowa Governor.

The Color of Success: Assimilation and Perception of Asian Americans as the Model Minority
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - A specialist in 20th century United States history, Dr. Ellen Wu is a nationally-recognized authority on Asian-Pacific America, migration, race, and the myth of the model minority. She is the Director of the Asian American Studies program at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she is also an Associate Professor of History. Her first book, The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority, recounts the astonishing makeover of Asians in the United States from the “yellow peril” to “model minorities” in the middle decades of the twentieth century. Charting this transformation within the dual contexts of the United States’ global rise and the Black freedom movement, The Color of Success reveals that this far-reaching, politically charged process continues to have profound implications for how Americans understand race, opportunity, and nationhood. The Color of Success received the First Book Award, an Honorable Mention for the Theodore Saloutos Book Award from the Immigration and Ethnic History Society along with the History Book Award from the Association for Asian American Studies, and was recognized by the Obama Foundation as as part of its AANHPI Heritage Month reading list. Wu is currently at work on Overrepresented: The Surprising History of Asian Americans and Racial Justice, a deep dive into the history of how “minority” rights have both strengthened and fractured ties between Asian Americans and other people of color since the 1960s—and divided the Asian American community itself. Pigeonholed as exceptional achievers, Asian Americans failed to secure widespread recognition as a “disadvantaged” racial group; they were seen as already “over-represented” in elite institutions, with no need for active interventions. Such dismissals glossed over the persistence of anti-Asian hostility as well as historical differences and socio-economic disparities among Asian American populations. In this unexpected account of racial justice, Wu demonstrates how much we miss when we see race as a fixed and predictable category, and illuminates the central role Asian Americans have played in the civil rights battles that have defined the nation.

ISU Town Hall with Admiral Mike Franken
11:00 AM – 3512 Memorial Union - 2022 ISU Lectures Campaign Town Hall Series Mike Franken, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, will answer questions from students, faculty/staff, and the Ames community.

Does Iowa Need a Gun Rights Amendment?
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - In November, Iowa voters will decide whether to protect gun owners’ rights in the state Constitution. Come learn what this amendment will do and hear from supporters and opponents. Get informed before you vote! Panelists: John Klaus, League of Women Voters of Ames/Story County on legislative history Dave Funk, President, Iowa Firearms Coalition Matt Sinovic, Executive Director of Progress Iowa and Co-Leader of Iowans for Responsible Gun Laws Moderator: Clark Wolf, Professor of Philosophy