WHAT: “‘Clean versus Green’ to ‘A time for Bridges not Tunnels,'” Professor Robert Ehrlich, George Mason University
WHEN: Wednesday, October 12 @ 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: 141 Loomis Lab, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana
From the event announcement: “Although the consensus of climate scientists is that a significant fraction of global warming is human-caused, there is a rising level of public skepticism about the matter. How and why that skepticism developed will be discussed, and how clean energy can be the bridge across the political chasm to deal with the matter in a way that is sound both politically and technologically.
WHAT: “Anxieties of Ascent: Middle Class Aspirations among Bolivian Return Migrants from Spain,” Maria Tapias (Associate Professor of Anthropology. Grinell College) and Xavier Scandell (Associate Professor of Sociology. University of Northern Iowa)
WHEN: Thursday, October 13 @ 12 noon
WHERE: 101 International Studies Building, 910 S. Fifth Street, Champaign
I was thinking that this would have to be one of the most specific topics of research ever, but if that were the case, why would there be two people speaking on it? It’s a little baffling, to be honest.
WHAT: “Food Safety: The Case for Food Irradiation – Science Meets Law,” Brenda Wilson, Associate Professor of Microbiology
WHEN: Monday, October 17 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: 140 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana
From the event announcement: “On July 17, 2007, U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the National Agriculture and Food Defense Act of 2007. The bill, which was in response to perceived gaps in our nation’s agriculture and food defense capabilities, aimed to help federal, state, and local governments work with private business to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from an agro-terror attack or deliberate food contamination, while maintaining the authority of States to oversee food within their jurisdiction. As part of the NAFDA Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of National Intelligence, were to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study relating to the use of irradiation technologies to enhance food defense capabilities. This seminar will detail how a scientist assisted in briefing policy makers to formulate part of this proposed legislation.”
You 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. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Tuesdays when classes are in session.