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Past Events

Friday, 2 Oct 2015

A New Chapter in the Living Legacy of George Washington Carver - Xavier Cavazos
8:00 PM – Brunnier Art Museum, Scheman Building, Iowa State Center - Xavier Cavazos, a 2013 graduate of Iowa State's MFA Program in Creative Writing and the Environment, will read from his new book of poetry, Diamond Grove Slave Tree. The collection is a product of Cavazos's time at Iowa State and inspired by stories of the life and times of one of the university's most distinguished alums, George Washington Carver. Diamond Grove Slave Tree won the inaugural Prairie Seed Poetry Prize from Ice Cube Press. Cavazos is also the author of Barbarian at the Gate and served as poetry editor for Flyway: Journal of Creative Writing and the Environment. He currently teaches in the Central Washington Writing Project, Africana and Black Studies, and the Professional and Creative Writing Programs at Central Washington University. Book signing and reception to follow

Thursday, 1 Oct 2015

Battling Ebola: How Technology is Transforming the Response to Global Epidemics - Steven VanRoekel
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Steven VanRoekel recently stepped down as the USAID chief innovation officer, where he was responsible for advising the agency on using technology and data in its response to the ebola epidemic. Previously, he served as Chief Information Officer of the United States. VanRoekel is a graduate of Iowa State, with a degree in management of information systems. Prior to his position in the White House he led digital communications programs at USAID and was managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, where he oversaw all operational, technical, financial, and human resource aspects of the agency. He worked at Microsoft Corporation from 1994 to 2009, including as a senior director in the Windows Server and Tools Division. World Affairs Series: Redefining Global Security

Wednesday, 30 Sep 2015

Future of Healthy Families Lecture - Velma McBride Murry
4:00 PM – 2019 Morrill Hall - Velma McBride Murry is the Lois Autrey Betts Chair in Education and Human Development and professor of Human and Organizational Development in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on the significance of context in studies of African-American families and youth, in particular the impact of racism on family functioning. 2015 Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair Lecture Series

Tuesday, 29 Sep 2015

The Presidential Campaign: A Search for Meaning - Juju Chang
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Juju Chang is an Emmy award-winning coanchor for ABC's Nightline. She also reports regularly for Good Morning America and 20/20. Chang has covered global events and issues like the earthquake in Haiti and maternal and infant mortality in Mozambique. Domestically, she has covered breaking news from Superstorm Sandy to the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. She received one of her two Emmys for team coverage of the California wildfires, and won one of her two Gracies for a 20/20 story on gender equality in the sciences. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in California, she graduated with honors from Stanford University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Chamberlin Lecture in Journalism

Monday, 28 Sep 2015

100 Voices Leading for Change - Onalie Ariyabandhu
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Iowa State graduate Onalie Ariyabandhu is a Social Change Entrepreneur of United Nations Population Fund in her home country, Sri Lanka. She will discuss its new "100 Voices Leading for Change" social change initiative aimed at mobilizing national youth networks to combat gender-based violence in Sri Lanka. Ariyabandhu earned her BSc. in economics, international studies and environmental studies from Iowa State, where she was president of the International Student Council. She and her family survived the horrific tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004. She later wrote an award-winning essay about the experience.

Thursday, 24 Sep 2015

Student Debt Forum - Documentary & Discussion
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - A forum focused on how Iowa State students can better manage student and personal debt will follow a screening of the film Default: The Student Loan Documentary (27 min). The film, which first aired on PBS, tells the stories of students who made enormous sacrifices to better their lives through higher education and found themselves in the situation of having to make monthly loan payments that were sometimes higher than their gross income. It also examines the cost of college tuition, the power of the private lending industry, and the consequences college debt and student loan default can have for a career, home ownership, and financial independence. Panelists include Tom Hill, Vice President for Student Affairs; Jonathan Fox, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies and director of the Student Financial Counseling Clinic; and Roberta Johnson, Director of Student Financial Aid. The discussion will be moderated by Iowa State faculty members William Carter, assistant professor of Germanic studies, and Kate Padgett Walsh, assistant professor of philosophy. Part of the Ethics of Debt Symposium.

Tuesday, 22 Sep 2015

Town Hall Meeting with Rick Santorum - Presidential Caucus Series
3:00 PM – Gallery, Memorial Union - No tickets required Rick Santorum served his home state of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995, and in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007. He served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he was a leader on US-Israeli relations. He authored both the "Syria Accountability Act" and the "Iran Freedom and Support Act," which he successfully fought to pass. He took on Washington's powerful special interests as a member of the "Gang of Seven" that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals. He was also an author and floor manager of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 that has empowered millions of Americans to leave the welfare rolls and enter the workforce. His record made him one of the most conservative senators in Pennsylvania's history. In 2012 Rick Santorum and his wife Karen co-founded Patriot Voices, a grassroots and online community that had an impact on a number of economic, social and national security issues. Since 1987, the Presidential Caucus Series has provided students, faculty, and community members with an opportunity to question presidential candidates or their representative before the precinct caucuses.

Monday, 21 Sep 2015

Catch Me If You Can - Frank Abagnale
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Frank Abagnale, a former con artist whose crimes inspired the memoir and movie Catch Me If You Can, is one of the world's most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. Following his five-year prison term, he was released after agreeing to help the FBI as an expert on fraud, going from a successful con artist to one of the world's top authorities on fraud prevention, and discussing the latest safeguards to protect organizations from fraud, identity theft and other cybercrimes. His security programs are used by more than 14,000 institutions worldwide. Greater Iowa Credit Union Business Lecture Series

Sunday, 20 Sep 2015

Haze - Documentary & Discussion
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - The documentary Haze examines college drinking culture in America, including the 2004 death of college freshman Gordie Bailey following a fraternity hazing incident at the University of Colorado. The film sheds light on the severity of college binge drinking and hazing through graphic images filmed at campus parties, during emergency medical calls, and from police files. A discussion will immediately follow the 36-minute film. Participants include Kenyatta Shamburger, Assistant Dean of Students and director of Multicultural Student Affairs; Natasha Croom, an assistant professor in the School of Education; Bobby Dennis, the Male-Outreach & Prevention Coordinator with the ACCESS Assault Care Center; and Joe Campos, assistant director of the Office of Student Conduct.

Thursday, 17 Sep 2015

Science in an Age of Doubters & Deniers - Carl Zimmer
8:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Carl Zimmer reports from the frontiers of biology where scientists are expanding our understanding of life. In addition to his column for the New York Times, he is the author of twelve books about science: Soul Made Flesh, a history of neuroscience; Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea; At the Water's Edge, a book about major transitions in the history of life; The Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins; Parasite Rex; Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life; Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed; A Planet of Viruses; and The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution, the first textbook about evolution intended for non-majors. He also coauthored Evolution: Making Sense of Life, a book for biology majors. National Affairs Series: When American Values Are In Conflict.