Browse All Upcoming Lectures

Blood Dazzler: A Poetry Reading - Patricia Smith
1:00 PM @ Sun Room, Memorial Union - Patricia Smith’s fifth book of poetry, Blood Dazzler, chronicles the human, physical and emotional toll exacted by Hurricane Katrina and the disaster’s lasting spiritual and political impacts. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award. Recognized not only as a writer and poet but also as a performer, Smith is a four-time national individual champion of the notorious and wildly popular Poetry Slam - the most successful competitor in slam history. She was featured in the film Slamnation and appeared on the award-winning HBO series Def Poetry Jam. Smith’s other works include Teahouse of the Almighty; Close to Death; Big Towns, Big Talk; and Life According to Motown. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination. Smith will also participate in the panel "Aftermath: Surviving Disaster" following her talk, at 2:15 p.m. in the Sun Room.

Aftermath: Surviving Disaster - A Panel with Patricia Smith
2:15 PM @ Sun Room, Memorial Union - Poet Patricia Smith and Iowa State faculty members Benjamin Percy and David Zimmerman will discuss how themes of violence, destruction, and disaster—personal, cultural, environmental—factor into their writing. The works of all three writers suggest strategies for facing and surviving the aftermath of catastrophic and violent events. Patricia Smith’s Blood Dazzler, chronicles the human, physical and emotional toll exacted by Hurricane Katrina and was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination.

The Lives of Rocks: Field Notes on Finding Home - Rick Bass
7:00 PM @ Sun Room, Memorial Union - Author and environmentalist Rick Bass is the author of twenty books, including the autobiographical Why I Came West and the short story collection The Lives of Rocks. His first short story collection, The Watch, set in Texas, won the PEN/Nelson Algren Award; and his 2002 collection, The Hermit’s Story, was a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and an O. Henry Award, Bass started writing short stories during his lunch breaks while working as a gas and oil geologist in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1987 he moved to the Yaak Valley in the northern Rockies, where he has been active in protecting the land from roads and logging and serves on the board of the Yaak Valley Forest Council and Round River Conservation Studies. Part of the Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination Symposium.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 50th Anniversary Celebration Keynote - Graham Spanier
7:00 PM @ Great Hall, Memorial Union - Iowa State alum Graham Spanier has served as president of Penn State since 1995. His prior positions include chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Oregon State University, and vice provost for undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. A family sociologist, demographer, and marriage and family therapist, he is the author of ten books and the founding editor of theJournal of Family Issues. Spanier earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and his bachelor's and master's degrees from Iowa State University.

Event Being Planned
3:00 PM @ Sun Room, Memorial Union - Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration event to be announced.

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species - Sean Carroll
8:00 PM @ Great Hall, Memorial Union - Sean Carroll, a professor of molecular biology and genetics and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Wisconsin, is known for his ability to popularize molecular genetics and their explanation for the process of evolution. He is the author of three books, including Remarkable Creatures and The Making of the Fittest, as well as coauthor of two scientific textbooks. Major discoveries from his laboratory have been featured in such publications as TIME and U.S. News & World Report, he has been featured on such programs as NPR’s Science Friday, and he recently helped produce a PBS NOVA special marking the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s publication of Origin of Species. He earned his B.A. in biology at Washington University in St. Louis and his Ph.D. in immunology at Tufts Medical School.Part of the National Affairs Series.

Event Being Planned
7:30 PM @ Sun Room, Memorial Union - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Lecture Series. Speaker to be announced.

Event Being Planned
12:00 PM @ Gerdin Business Building - Speaker to be announced. Part of the College of Business 25th Anniversary Distinguished Scholar Series

Innovation in Sustainable Engineering and Energy: A Whole Foods Perspective - Kathy Loftus
8:00 PM @ Great Hall, Memorial Union - Kathy Loftus is Global Leader for Sustainable Engineering, Maintenance and Energy Management for Whole Foods Market, the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods. She coordinates strategic energy procurement, efficiency upgrades, engineering and maintenance best practices, and green building efforts for the chain. Her work includes coordinating program partnerships and efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and U.S. Green Building Council. Loftus holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is a Certified Energy Manager through the Association of Energy Engineers. Part of the National Affairs Series: Innovation and Ethics and the Women in STEM Series.

The Super Bowl: The Field Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Green - Jack Groh
8:00 PM @ Great Hall, Memorial Union - Jack Groh is the director of the NFL Environmental Program, which was created to minimize the environmental impact of NFL events on the communities in which its games are played. The program evaluates the impact of events like the Super Bowl and then partners with local organizations and agencies to develop cost-effective ways to address those impacts. Efforts include reducing solid waste, increasing recycling and landfill diversion, tapping renewable energy for game-day usage, food recovery from Super Bowl parties for distribution to local food banks, and donations of materials used to construct and decorate temporary structures. The program also initiated a carbon-neutral initiative, a first in U.S. sports history. Part of the National Affairs Series: Innovation and Ethics.