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The Voiceless - Film & Discussion
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Filmmaker Vanessa McNeal, a graduate of Iowa State, premiers her documentary "The Voiceless," which features the stories of five men and their experiences as victims of sexual violence. The film explores the taboos and stereotypes of sexual violence against men and their impact on male survivors. McNeal will provide opening remarks before a screening of the hourlong documentary, after which subjects featured in the film will join in a discussion about ways to support male survivors. The film was co-produced by PLVTO Productions and was funded by the Iowa Board of Regents, Heart and Solutions Counseling Agency, and the Center for Violence Prevention and the Office of the Provost at the University of Northern Iowa, where McNeal is currently a graduate student. Sexual Assault Awareness Month

(Un)Natural Histories: From Fantasy to Historical Fiction - Readings by David Anthony Durham & Benjamin Percy
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - David Anthony Durham is the author of Pride of Carthage, the Acacia Trilogy, and other works of historical fiction and fantasy. His novels have twice been New York Times Notable Books and his novel Gabriel’s Story won the First Novel Award and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. Most recently, Durham won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer of Science Fiction. He currently teaches popular fiction at the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program. Benjamin Percy is the author of three novels, most recently The Dead Lands, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga. His forthcoming book, The Dark Net is a 21st-century horror novel where black hat hacker culture meets the supernatural. Percy also writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series at DC Comics and is a member of the WGA screenwriters’ guild and has sold scripts to FOX and Starz. Pearl Hogrefe Visiting Writers Series

From Fantasy to Historical Fiction: Two Novelists on the Craft of Writing - David Anthony Durham & Benjamin Percy
2:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - David Anthony Durham is the author of Pride of Carthage, the Acacia Trilogy, and other works of historical fiction and fantasy. His novels have twice been New York Times Notable Books and his novel Gabriel’s Story won the First Novel Award and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. Most recently, Durham won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer of Science Fiction. He currently teaches popular fiction at the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program. Benjamin Percy is the author of three novels, most recently The Dead Lands, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga. His forthcoming book, The Dark Net is a 21st-century horror novel where black hat hacker culture meets the supernatural. Percy also writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series at DC Comics and is a member of the WGA screenwriters’ guild and has sold scripts to FOX and Starz. Pearl Hogrefe Visiting Writers Series

How to Change Attitudes toward LGBT Rights - Melissa Michelson & Brian F. Harrison
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Political scientists Melissa Michelson and Brian Harrison are co-authors of the newly released book Listen, We Need to Talk: How to Change Attitudes toward LGBT Rights. In it they explore how identity and communication affect attitudes about LGBT policies like marriage equality, employment non-discrimination legislation, and transgender rights. Michelson researches persuasive communication on issues such as transgender bathroom access. She holds a PhD in political science from Yale University and is a professor at Menlo College. Harrison's research focuses on political communication, public opinion and political behavior. He holds a master's degree in communication from DePaul University and PhD in political science from Northwestern University, where he currently teaches.

TESTED: Who Has Access to Quality Public Education? - Documentary & Discussion with Filmmaker Curtis Chin
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Tested, a new documentary by filmmaker Curtis Chin, explores the question of access to a high-quality public education, taking on such issues as affirmative action and the model-minority myth. The film follows a dozen families in New York City from different racial, socio-economic and religious backgrounds as they prepare to pass the grueling standardized test to get into one of the city's best high schools. It highlights how extreme the gaps in opportunity are for minority groups. Curtis Chin is a writer, producer and community activist and is currently a visiting scholar at New York University. Filmmaker Curtis Chin will provide brief opening comments and lead a discussion immediately following the 70-min documentary.

Game Development in Flyover States - Jarryd Huntley
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Jarryd Huntley is a technologist and independent game designer who has been working in IT and software engineering for nearly a decade. He will discuss how the rise of independent development and mid-sized studios had made game development outside traditional West Coast hubs more viable. Huntley is the coauthor of The 2016 Game Career Guide and The Artist’s Guide to Game Programming. He has played important roles in Cleveland, Ohio’s growing game development scene as both an instructor at Lorain County Community College and as an independent game developer.

Why We Explore Space - Former Astronaut Kathryn Thornton
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Kathryn Thornton is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions during her 12 years in the NASA astronaut corps. She is currently director of the University of Virginia's Aerospace Engineering Program. Thornton logged in more than 975 hours in space, including more than 21 hours of extravehicular activity. Her missions included flights on Space Shuttles Discovery, Endeavor, and Columbia, and include space walks to repair both the International Telecommunications Satellite and later the Hubble Space Telescope. Thornton left NASA in 1996 and joined the faculty at the University of Virginia, where she previously served as the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Women's Leadership Series

ISCORE Keynote Address - Lakota Harden
12:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Lakota Harden (Minnecoujou/Yankton Lakota and HoChunk) is an orator, activist, community organizer, workshop facilitator, and poet. The daughter of seven generations of Lakota leaders, she has dedicated her life to social justice. Harden first became an accomplished speaker as a representative of the early American Indian Movement's “We Will Remember” Survival School on the Pine Ridge reservation. She has continued her activism over the years, and now conducts trainings and workshops on unlearning racism, sexism and other social oppressions. The 2017 Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity, ISCORE, Keynote Address

Programming Molecules in the Age of Nanotechnology - Robyn Lutz
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - When scientists combine computer science with the information-processing power of molecules, science fiction becomes a reality. Self-assembling, programmable systems at the nanoscale are poised to have a major impact on society, from personalized medical therapeutics to biosensors that could detect pollutants in our water or disease in your body. Iowa State professor of computer science Robyn Lutz will describe research aimed at using computer science and software engineering methods to design molecular programmed systems that are efficient, verifiably correct, and safe for use. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Lecture Series

Using Exercise to Treat Depression - James Blumenthal
7:00 PM – Richard and Joan Stark Lecture Hall, 1148 Gerdin Business Building - James Blumenthal, a clinical psychologist at the Duke University Medical Center, will discuss the relationship of exercise and physical activity to mental health. People who are physically inactive are at increased risk not only for a variety of diseases, including diabetes and hypertension, but also for a number of mental health disorders, ranging from clinical depression to dementia. Dr. Blumenthal will share evidence that prescribing exercise for patients with depression may be an effective alternative treatment. James Blumenthal is the JP Gibbons Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University Medical Center. His research examines the effects of lifestyle behaviors, including exercise, on psychological functioning in healthy older adults, in patients with cardiovascular disease, and in individuals with major depression and cognitive impairments. 2016-17 Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair Lecture Series