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Confronting Cancer in College
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Outspoken throughout his battle with testicular cancer, Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard will share his message of encouragement and the importance of the support he received from the community through his treatment. Then, hear from the American Cancer Society On Campus student group as they share stories and resources related to personal or familial cancer experiences.This lecture was recorded and will be available for two weeks on the Lectures website at https://www.lectures.iastate.edu/recordings/available-recordings

The Onion: Comedy, Controversy, and the First Amendment
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - A First Amendment Days program.As head writer of satirical site The Onion, Mike Gillis is no stranger to writing and talking about writing with humor and parody. Hear Gillis discuss how the First Amendment protects speech, even when snarky in tone. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Gillis got his start at The Onion writing headlines as a contributor, eventually joining the staff as a writer and working his way up to head writer. His work has also appeared in The New Yorker and across the internet.This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.

Reclaim Feminism
6:00 PM – Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - This event is free, open to the public, and does not require a ticket or preregistration for entrance.This event will not be recorded or livestreamed.No picket signs, banners, or other materials that could block views or be used as a weapon will be permitted.Riley Gaines graduated from the University of Kentucky where she was a 12x All-American Swimmer. She has made waves for speaking out after tying UPenn’s Lia Thomas, a trans swimmer on the women’s team, at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming Championship. After this experience, Riley began to speak out to challenge the rules of the NCAA, USA Swimming, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and other governing bodies.Riley now works for the Leadership Institute, traveling and speaking in defense of women’s single-sex spaces and has testified before the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.

A Stolen History: The REAL Story of the Suffrage Movement
5:30 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner is the Founder/Director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and teaches in Syracuse University’s Honors Program. Awarded one of the first doctorates in the country for work in women’s studies (UC Santa Cruz) and a founder of one the first college-level women’s studies programs in the United States (CSU Sacramento), Dr. Wagner has taught women’s studies courses for 53 years. This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.

Our Money and Our Attention: Spending, Investing, and Thriving in the Attention Economy
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union - Financial Literacy Month LectureIn today's world, our attention is a precious commodity, and we find ourselves immersed in what is often termed an "attention economy." With an overwhelming influx of information from various sources such as television, social media, websites, other humans…and even the data that comes from everything from our cars to our smartphones to our refrigerators, our brains are inundated with more data than we can effectively process. The same principles of scarcity that apply to economics also apply to our attention.Navigating this sea of information poses a significant challenge. How do we distinguish between what is relevant and what is not, or between fact and opinion? In this talk, Dr. Chaffin will draw parallels between financial planning and cognitive psychology, outlining how we can live and thrive in this attention economy. Most importantly, we will focus on how we can develop a spending and investing plan for our two most valuable resources: Our money and our attention.Dr. Charles Chaffin’s work encompasses a broad range of fields, from educational and cognitive psychology to financial planning. He has served as the author or lead editor of 7 different books within financial planning and cognitive psychology, helping practitioners become more client-centered and helping individuals and companies address distraction in the workplace.Dr. Chaffin is co-founder of the Psychology of Financial Planning instructional programs, designed to help practitioners better understand the biases, behaviors, and perceptions of their clients. He consults with financial planning firms across various business models to help fine-tune their communication and develop strategies that will help people make better financial decisions. He co-launched the Financial Psychology Inventory, a detailed assessment that can outline and predict client risk tolerance and financial decision-making during market volatility and life events. His Psychology of Financial Planning program has been incorporated into the curriculum of close to 100 colleges and universities in 12 countries.He served as co-Academic Director of the Client Psychology program at The Wharton School as well as Program Lead of the Financial Planning Teaching Seminar at Columbia University. He led research and education activities at CFP Board for close to 12 years. He is also the co-founder of Affirming Advisor™, a first-of-its kind program designed to help advisors and firms better serve LGBTQIA+ clients and allies.He is Professor of Practice in the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University.The ISU Book Store will be at the event selling copies of the speaker's book.This lecture will be recorded and available to view within 24-36 hours after its conclusion on the Available Recordings page.

Natural and Artificial Intelligence: How Rational Are Humans?
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - The 2024 Goldtrap LectureAre humans fundamentally irrational? Is that why so many people commit statistical and logical blunders and fall for fake news, medical quackery, paranormal woo-woo, and conspiracy theories? Is Artificial Intelligence rendering the human mind irrelevant? In this lecture, acclaimed scientist and author Steve Pinker presents an alternative. We humans, after all, have discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives, and discovered the benchmarks for rationality itself. And despite the hype, we are not ready to let AI run simple errands, watch after our babies, or even drive our cars through city streets. Pinker argues that humans think in ways that are sensible in the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives, but we fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning our best thinkers have discovered over the millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, correlation and causation, and optimal ways to update beliefs and commit to choices individually and with others. Current AI, in the form of deep learning networks and large language models, is yet another tool in the kit of ways we have enhanced out natural intelligence, better in many ways than natural intelligence but worse than others. Another source of irrationality is that the rational pursuit of self-interest, sectarian solidarity, and uplifting mythology by individuals can add up to crippling irrationality in a society. Collective rationality depends on norms that are designed to promote objectivity and truth. Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral progress.Steven Pinker is a cognitive scientist who has been named by TIME as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. His keynotes have helped millions demystify the science behind human language, thought, and action. Pinker is a Harvard professor, a TED speaker, and a bestselling author, twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Highly respected in the scientific community, his work and opinions are extensively covered in the mainstream media, and have won a wide general audience. In his latest book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, Pinker argues that we fail to take advantage of the most powerful tools of reasoning discovered by some of our best thinkers: logic, critical thinking, probability, correlation and causation. These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book—until now. A native of Montreal, Steven Pinker is Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Previously, he taught at Stanford and at MIT. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has won a number of teaching prizes, and his research on visual cognition and the psychology of language has received numerous awards, including the Troland Award from the National Academy of Sciences.The ISU Book store will be at the event selling copies of the speaker's book.This lecture has been recorded and is available for viewing to those with an ISU login on the Available Recordings page.

Transforming Africa: Navigating the AI Revolution in the African Landscape
7:30 PM – Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Anicia Peters is the CEO of the National Commission of Research, Science and Technology (NCRST), an adjunct Research Professor at the University of Namibia, and the Presidential Task Force Chairperson on 4IR (2021-2022). She founded the Africa Human Computer Interaction Conference (AfriCHI), serves on the Steering Committee of ACM CHI, and was the Technical Programme Co-Chair for the ACM CHI2023 conference.From 2019 to 2023, she also served as an Editor for the African Scientific Journal in collaboration with Elsevier and the Next Einstein Forum. Anicia received the prestigious 2020 Google Inclusion Award and a research grant from Google AI in 2021. She was a Google scholar in 2012 while at Iowa State University.Anicia completed her PhD in Human Computer Interaction from Iowa State University in 2014 and a MSc degree in 2011, under a Fulbright International Science and Technology PhD Award, a Schlumberger Faculty for the Future Award, and a Google Scholar award. Furthermore, she holds a National Diploma and a B.Tech degree in Information Technology (Bus. Comp.), both with honors (cum laude), from the Namibia University of Science and Technology. She completed a Post-Doc at Oregon State University and worked in Silicon Valley complementing her industry experience in Namibia. With over 30 years of academic, industry, and managerial experience both in Namibia and internationally, she has developed a diverse range of expertise.This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.

The Musical Legacies of Phenomenal Women of Color
7:00 PM – Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall - Enjoy works by phenomenal women of color such as Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and many more; learn about their journeys and the legacies they left behind. About the artist: "A compelling, sparkling virtuoso" (Boston Music Intelligencer), Michelle Cann is in great demand as soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and scholar. Last season included concerto performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic among other major symphony orchestras, and this year brings her to the Des Moines Symphony in March. Ms. Cann is Chair of Piano Studies at the Curtis Institute and winner of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence.Pianist Michelle Cann will also be giving a solo Town & Gown recital on Friday, April 12 at 7:30pm. Tickets and program information for this solo recital are available at www.amestownandgown.org Please note: This event will not be recorded.

An Evening with Hertz Farm Management- Emerging Issues in Agriculture
7:00 PM – 127 Curtiss - The Carl and Marjory Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture was created in memory of the founders of Hertz Farm Management Inc. to inspire generations of industry leaders, research scientists, and young professionals to reach their full potential. Join a panel of Hertz Farm Management leadership for a Q&A style discussion about emerging issues in agriculture, preserving agricultural legacies, developments in agriculture, and questions from you! The panel will include:Chad Hertz, COO Hertz Farm ManagementRandy Hertz, CEO Hertz Farm ManagementJeff Troendle, President Hertz Farm ManagementDoug Hensley, President Hertz Real Estate ServicesThis lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.

Optimism Matters
6:00 PM – South Ballroom, Memorial Union - Barbara Hansen Lecture in Early Childhood DevelopmentSteve Gross, MSW, is a clinical social worker and pioneer in the field of using playful engagement and relationships to overcome the devastating impacts of early childhood trauma. Steve founded Project Joy, a nonprofit organization that used the power of joyful play to heal and strengthen homeless and impoverished children throughout Greater Boston, in 1989. In 2011, Life is Good invited Project Joy, now The Playmaker Project, to be the sole social mission of the brand.Through an outpouring of love, optimism, experience, and expertise, Steve and a trusted team of researchers and colleagues, have spent 30+ years developing the Life is Good Playmaker Project program.Please note: this will be a 60-minute lecture followed by audience Q&A.This lecture is available to watch on the Available Recordings page.