Search For Lectures


Past Events

Monday, 4 Apr 2016

Airquakes: Climate Change, Ontology and Urbanization - Albert Pope
5:00 PM – Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building, Iowa State Center - Albert Pope is a key voice in the world on questions of urbanization, urban form and problems of the contemporary city, tying together discussions of architecture, design, space, philosophy and politics in a way few others do. He has written and lectured extensively on the broad implications of post-war urban development and is the author of Ladders, a book-length study of the postwar American City. His current research addresses the urban implications of climate change. Pope is the Gus Sessions Wortham Professor of Architecture at Rice University and director of the school's Present/Future Program. He received his B.Arch at Southern California Institute of Architecture, and his M.Arch from Princeton University. Part of the Center for Excellence in the Arts & Humanities Symposium "What Is the Urban?"

Friday, 1 Apr 2016

Trend Forecasting - Lorynn Divita
4:00 PM – Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall - Dr. Lorynn Divita, an associate professor of apparel merchandising at Baylor University, will discuss trend forecasting as it applies to fashion, accessories, and beauty products, including skincare and makeup. How do retailers decide what products to feature in their stores? How do cultural influences, consumer research and social media factor into trends. Divita is the author of the fourth edition of Fashion Forecasting and will be a guest judge at this year's Iowa State Fashion Show. She has a PhD in textile products marketing from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Thursday, 31 Mar 2016

We Are Survivors - Film & Discussion
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Vanessa McNeal, an Iowa State alum and survivor of familial sexual abuse and sexual assault, will provide opening remarks before introducing her 15-minute film, "We Are Survivors." The film was co-produced with Iowa State alum Michael Phipps and former ISU student and graduate of the Carolina Film Institute Quinton Wayne. "We Are Survivors" features the voices of eight survivors of sexual violence. Following the film, McNeal, a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa in the social work program, will join a panel discussion that focuses on ways to support, encourage and empower survivors. Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Preventing Falls in Older Adults - Debbie Rose
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Debbie Rose directs the Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Fullerton, where she is a professor of kinesiology. She is also a codirector of CSU's Fall Prevention Center of Excellence. Rose's work focuses on balance and mobility in aging populations, and she is internationally recognized for her work in the area of fall risk reduction. She developed the program FallProofâ„¢, which the National Council on Aging recognized as a "Best Practice" program to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. The program is currently being used in numerous community-based settings and retirement communities throughout the United States. Pease Family Scholar in Kinesiology

Returning to Our Roots: Inventing the Bio-based Vehicle at Ford - Debbie Mielewski
4:00 PM – Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall - Deborah Mielewski is the Senior Technical Leader of Sustainable Materials and Plastics Research at Ford Motor Company. She has worked at Ford Research in automotive paints, polymer processing and materials development and initiated their biomaterials program in 2001. Mielewski's team was the first to demonstrate soy-based foam that met all the requirements for automotive seating. The group continues to pioneer the development of sustainable plastic materials that meet stringent automotive requirements, including natural fiber reinforced plastics and polymer resins made from renewable feed stocks. Mielewski received her PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and has worked at Ford for twenty-eight years. She has been featured in NOVA's Making Things series and has been honored with such awards as the R&D100 and American Chemical Society's Industrial Innovation Award.

Wednesday, 30 Mar 2016

What's the Future of the American Dream? A Town Hall Meeting - Brian David Johnson
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Join futurist Brian David Johnson for a conversation about the future of the American dream, a year-long project timed to overlap with the 2016 presidential campaign. Johnson, the first futurist ever at the Intel Corporation, is currently the futurist in residence at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination and a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. As an applied futurist, Johnson has worked with governments, militaries, trade organizations, start-ups and multinational corporations to help envision their future as well as develop an actionable 10-15 year vision. His work is called future-casting, and he uses ethnographic field studies, technology research, cultural history, trend data, global interviews and even science fiction to provide a pragmatic roadmap of the future. National Affairs Series.

Tuesday, 29 Mar 2016

Technology in 2025: Designing the Future - Brian David Johnson
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Brian David Johnson was the first futurist at the Intel Corporation, where he worked for a decade helping design over 2 billion microprocessors. As an applied futurist, Johnson has worked with governments, militaries, trade organizations, start-ups and multinational corporations to not only help envision their future, but to help develop an actionable 10-15 year vision. His work is called future-casting, and he uses ethnographic field studies, technology research, cultural history, trend data, global interviews and even science fiction to provide a pragmatic roadmap of the future. He is currently the futurist in residence at Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination and a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. National Affairs Series.

Hands to Earth: Exploring Agriculture through Performance Art - Cherie Sampson
7:00 PM – Campanile Room, Memorial Union - Cherie Sampson is a visual artist and dancer who creates multi-media videos and installations focusing on ecology and agriculture. She will discuss her current project, "Hands to Earth," which explores Midwestern small-scale agriculture through filmed dance performances in fields and orchards. Her presentation includes video examples of her work as well as a performance of a short dance piece from "Hands to Earth." Sampson hopes to create a dialog about the importance of agriculture beyond agricultural science. She earned an MFA from the University of Iowa in Intermedia and Video Art, teaches at the University of Missouri, and has exhibited and performed in places such as Finland, Hong Kong, and Italy. Her fellowships and grants include two Fulbright Awards and a Change Foundation Grant.

Monday, 28 Mar 2016

Movement BE: Tell Your Story - Nate Howard
7:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Nate Howard made the front page of the LA Times in 2013 for sparking a movement against racial profiling after 79 Los Angeles Police officers shut down his event at the University of Southern California, where he was a student. Realizing someone was attempting to tell his story, Howard founded Movement BE, a non-profit organization that creates curriculum to help young people discover themselves and challenge the status quo through poetry. With the mission of "tell your story before they do," the program has had a direct impact on thousands of students. Howard has also since partnered with a civil rights lawyer to build Movement BE's "Know Your Rights" workshop, which educates individuals about their rights during encounters with law enforcement.

The Illusion of Free Will and Its Impact on Moral Responsibility - August Berkshire
7:00 PM – Pioneer Room, Memorial Union - August Berkshire will discuss the ramifications of a natural universe without gods or free will, in which evolution shapes our thoughts and actions. Berkshire has been an atheist activist for more than thirty years. He is a past president and a current member of the board of directors of the Minnesota Atheists, past vice president of Atheist Alliance International and is on the national board of directors of the American Atheists.