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Martin Luther King Jr. Community Birthday Celebration
6:00 PM – Ames Middle School, 3915 Mortensen Road - Celebrate with song, story and birthday cake. An Ames tradition! Join us at 6:00 for cake and music, followed by an hour-long program beginning at 6:30pm. Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Series

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

Amazing Iowa Women - Lecture and book release party with Katy Swalwell
1:00 PM – Sloss House - Katy Swalwell, an associate professor of education at Iowa State, is the author of the new illustrated children's book, Amazing Iowa Women. Swalwell worked with over 25 Iowa women artists and RAYGUN to create the book, which celebrates the incredible accomplishments of a diverse set of women throughout Iowa’s history. Swalwell will share highlights from the book as well as discuss her research and writing process. Books will be available for purchase, and a book signing will follow her presentation.

Rewriting DNA: Genome Editing in the CRISPR Era - Dipali Sashital
7:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Genomes are the blueprints for our cells, containing the information needed to grow and sustain life. The recent discovery of CRISPR tools have enabled scientists to precisely alter DNA through a process called gene editing. We now have the power to redesign cellular blueprints in all forms of life, including humans, opening the door for new disease treatments, improved food supplies, and new sources of energy. Iowa State assistant professor of biochemistry Dipali Sashital is an expert in CRISPR technology, and research in her lab focuses on understanding and improving these tools. Sashital will share the story of the development of this groundbreaking technology, from its humble beginnings as a bacterial immune system to the incredible promise its many applications hold. Sigma Xi Lecture Series

A Seat at the Table: Creating Deliberately Diverse and Intentionally Inclusive Spaces in the Sciences - Danielle N. Lee
7:00 PM – Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall - Danielle N. Lee is a vocal advocate of science engagement among traditionally underrepresented and underserved audiences. She helped found the National Science & Technology News Service, a media literacy initiative to bring more science news to African-American audiences and promote science news source diversity in mainstream media. Lee began blogging about science and science education as a way to engage African-American and urban audiences in STEM. She hosts the Urban Scientist blog at Scientific American and teaches mammalogy and urban ecology at Southern Illinois University. Her many honors include being named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2017, EBONY Magazine’s Power 100 in 2014, and a White House Champion of Change in STEM Diversity and Access.

*NEW DATE & TIME* Lion Conservation on a Crowded Continent - Craig Packer
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Rescheduled from October 29 Craig Packer is director of the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, where he is a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior. For decades, Packer and his research team have conducted comprehensive long-term research on lion behavior and human-lion interaction for the famous Serengeti Lion Project. Their findings have shaped the way we understand lions and their role in complex savannah ecosystems and identified new approaches for protecting these dangerous predators. Packer is the author of Into Africa, which won the 1995 John Burroughs medal, as well as more than 100 scientific articles. Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture

Men and the Politics of Hegemony in Ghanaian Film and Fiction - Theresah Patrine Ennin
7:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Many times we focus on the victims of men’s destructive behaviour. How many times have we stopped to think that such behaviour can be detrimental to the one engaging in It.? In what ways do these behaviours cause harm to the men themselves? The presentation uses films and books to detail the measures these men undertake in their desire to reach the hegemonic ideal and the costs and consequences to themselves and their families. Theresah Patrine Ennin is the 2018 American Council of Learned Societies-African Studies Association Presidential Fellow. She is senior lecturer of African literature in the Department of English at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Ennin obtained her PhD in African Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was also a Fulbright JSDP Scholar at Wisconsin.

Children at War: Born into a War Zone - Panel Discussion with Jean-Pierre Taoutel
7:00 PM – Cardinal Room, Memorial Union - Members of the International Student Council’s Humanitarian Awareness Committee will share stories and facts about children growing up in nations at war or affected by war. The discussion will be led and moderated by Jean-Pierre Taoutel, a Senior Lecturer of French at Iowa State who also coordinates the university’s Arabic program and has led study abroad programs in France, Spain, and Morocco. Taoutel was born in Syria and grew up in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon. He moved to France to attend La Sorbonne in Paris and has been at Iowa State since 1999.

American Politics after the 2018 Midterm Elections - Panel Discussion
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Steffen Schmidt, Lucken Endowed Professor of Political Science at Iowa State, will moderate a panel analyzing the November 6 election results and discussing the future of American politics. Panelists are Jeff Zeleny, CNN Senior White House Correspondent; Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg Senior White House reporter and Iowa State University alumna; David Kochel, national campaign advisor and Iowa State University alumnus who served as chief strategist for Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign; and Jonathan Martin, New York Times National Political Correspondent.

Talking Black in America - Documentary & Discussion with Producer Walt Wolfram
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - African American English is the most controversial and misunderstood variety of speech in America. The film Talking Black in America showcases the history and symbolic role of language in the lives of African Americans and highlights its tremendous impact on the speech and culture of the United States. It addresses the persistent misinformation about African American speech and situates it as an integral part of the historical and cultural legacy of all Americans. The film’s executive producer Walt Wolfram will offer remarks and take questions following the 60-minute film. Wolfram is a Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University, a world leader in sociolinguistic research and publications, and the director of the Language & Life Project at NC State University, through which he has facilitated numerous television documentaries, audio compilations, and other publications.