Even with Thanksgiving break approaching, the academic scene still has a lot to offer this month. Here are a dozen campus-related events happening this month.
WHAT: Mindful Meditation
WHERE: Gallery of African Cultures, Spurlock Museum
WHEN: November 6, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. (this event continues through December)
ABOUT: Present-moment awareness can be elusive and we often find ourselves distracted or lost in thought. Through the training and practice of mindful meditation we can discover a calm amidst our to-do lists and more fully appreciate the gift of each day. Mary Wolters from Green Yoga Spa will lead free, 25-minute drop-in mindful meditation sessions at the Spurlock Museum.
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WHAT: Sudden Sound Concert Series: Adam Rudolph and Ralph Jones
WHERE: Krannert Art Museum Gelvin Noel Gallery
WHEN: November 7, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
ABOUT: With a musical bond first established in 1974, percussionist Adam Rudolph and woodwind/reed player Ralph M. Jones have developed an alchemic understanding of their music, unleashing inspired performances that dynamically span musical forms, languages, instrumentation, and cosmologies of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the African diaspora. The duo will perform in the Gelvin Noel Gallery at Krannert Art Museum on November 7 at 7:30 pm. The Sudden Sound Concert Series presents leading artists in improvised music and the jazz avant-garde, establishing KAM as a destination for progressive music enthusiasts.
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WHAT: Lecture: Dorothy Roberts (George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights, University of Pennsylvania), “The New Biopolitics of Race, Gender, and Reproductive Bodies”
WHERE: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
WHEN: November 7, 2013 at 4:30 p.m.
ABOUT: This lecture explores the convergence of expanding reproductive technologies that incorporate advances in genetic science and a new biopolitics that relies on re-inventing race in biological terms using cutting-edge genetic science and biotechnologies. Women are increasingly expected to use genetic screening to guarantee good health in their children. At the same time, companies that market race-based biotechnologies now promise to extend the benefits of genetic research to people of color in the form of race-specific pharmaceuticals and gene-based testing services. What are the implications of including women of color in the market for reproductive technologies and in the expectation that women will use them to manage genetic risk? Roberts critically explores the role of race and racism in new ways of governing reproductive bodies in the genomic age.
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WHAT: Lecture: Ping Fu, Founder of Geomagic and Chief Strategy Officer of 3D Systems
WHERE: Deloitte Auditorium, College of Business Instructional Facility
WHEN: November 11, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.
ABOUT: The College of Business will be hosting the V. Dale Cozad Lecture on Entrepreneurship featuring Ping Fu, Founder of Geomagic and Chief Strategy Officer of 3D Systems, as the keynote speaker. Her lecture is titled “From a Start-Up to One of the Fastest Growing Tech Companies in America: How I Did It.”
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WHAT: Film Screening, A Perfect Soldier
WHERE: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
WHEN: November 12, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
ABOUT: As an orphaned child in Cambodia in the mid-seventies, Aki Ra was soon groomed to be an instrument of war by the Khmer Rouge, a regime that killed nearly two million Cambodians. In his adult life, Aki Ra has worked to combat the violence in which he once took part by removing what he can of the six million landmines that still mar Cambodia’s countryside. Aki Ra’s efforts to eradicate landmines and address –in a makeshift roadside museum– the horrible remnants of war, led to the establishment of the Cambodian Landmine Museum and School and his recognition as one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes in 2010. A Perfect Soldier is an inspiring documentary about the power of one man to create change in society.
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WHAT: Ecofeminism Summit Keynote Lecture with Severn Cullis-Suzuki
WHERE: Room 112, Gregory Hall
WHEN: November 13, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
ABOUT: In 1992, Severn was a 12-year-old Canadian who shot to fame as an icon of the environmental movement when she spoke at the Earth Summit in Rio, appealing, with eloquence and passion, to world leaders to protect Earth not for the sake of politics or economics but for the families they love. The speech, now known as “The Girl Who Silenced the World for 6 Minutes”, continues to inspire environmentalism globally. Today, Severn is a Canadian environmental activist, speaker, television host and author. She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind, and take individual responsibility.
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WHAT: Lecture: Ron Schleifer (George Lynn Cross Research Professor of English and Adjunct Professor in the College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma), “Law that Will Govern the Future”: How the Experience of the Humanities can help Train Doctors
WHERE: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
WHEN: November 14, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
ABOUT: This lecture examines the concept of “schema-based medicine” that Schleifer developed in his book, The Chief Concern of Medicine, in relation to the new MCAT exam that will be introduced in 2015. It includes two video clips from Dr. Jerry Vannatta, Schleifer’s co-author on the book, and Dr. Rita Charon talking about the ways that the humanities can enhance the practice of physicians. This talk touches on narrative theory, semiotics, and the nature of the humanities in general.
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WHAT: Chat ‘N Chew – Native American House Lunch Series, The Ancient Symbols of Anahuak: A Path to Native Meta-Languages—Akaxe Yotzin, Young Master of the Ancient Nahua Traditions, Temachtiani of the Native American Arts & Sciences of Chikomostok Academy
WHERE: Native American House, 1206 W. Nevada St., Urbana
WHEN: November 15, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
ABOUT: Join OIIR every weekday for free lunch and noontime discussions throughout the academic year. Lunch is on us, and features speakers, panels, and resources at the University of Illinois introducing you to the cultures, histories, and societal issues that the diverse communities of our campus face.
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WHAT: Middle East Film Series: “Leila”
WHERE: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
WHEN: November 17, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
ABOUT: “Leila” (Iran 1997, 129 mins.), written, directed and produced by Dariush Mehrjui; Farabi Cinema Foundation. New York: First Run Features. Farsi with English subtitles. A wife in Iran who cannot have children is pressured by her in-laws into persuading her husband to take another wife so that he may have sons. A portrayal of the clash between tradition and modern marriage in Iran. The film series is funded in part by a grant from the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language program, International Studies Division of the U.S. Department of Education.
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WHAT: MEET THE PROS: Ralph Roether III
WHERE: Room C118, Parkland College
WHEN: November 20, 2013 at 1 p.m.
ABOUT: Local graphic designer, artist, and musician Ralph Roether III will provide a free lecture for Parkland College’s MEET THE PROS series on Wednesday, Nov. 20. His talk will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in room C118 at the campus and is open to the public. Currently creative coach and senior lead designer at Horizon Hobby, Roether has been a working professional graphic designer for more than 18 years. An award-winning artist whose work ranges from cartoon doodles to graffiti style to illustrative portraits, he also occasionally performs locally as lead singer for the rock band, The Keylocks. Roether has studied and created art since his talents were discovered in grade school. At the University of Illinois, he was one of two students named as “Outstanding Senior in Graphic Design” the year he graduated with his BFA.
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WHAT: Thursdays@12:20 Concert Featuring UI Trombone Consortium
WHERE: Beckman Institute Atrium
WHEN: November 21, 2013 at 12:20 p.m.
ABOUT: The Beckman Institute “Thursdays at 12:20 Concert Series” features performances by members of the University of Illinois School of Music.
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WHAT: Prairie Skies: A Planetarium Event
WHERE: William M. Staerkel Planetarium, Parkland College
WHEN: November 22, 2013 at 7 p.m. (other events throughout the month)
ABOUT: A live-narrated tour of the wonders of tonight’s sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended for all ages. We plan to feature how to find Comet ISON this fall as it hopefully brightens late in the season. Admission: $5 adults; $4 students, seniors, children under 12.
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We live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Here’s a sampling of the talks and events you can find in the not-so-ivy-covered buildings near you. These events are free and will fill your brain with yummy knowledge (and sometimes will fill your stomach with free eats).