February 20, 2008
PEACE WITH NATURE: FINDING CONNECTIONS
In the summer of 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa to study the area’s chimpanzee population. Although it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of an African forest, the trip meant the fulfillment of Goodall’s childhood dream. (It’s worth noting that her favorite books as a young girl in London were The Story of Dr. Doolittle and The Jungle Book.)
Goodall’s work with chimps was more successful than anyone imagined. She was first to note their carnivorous rather than vegetarian diet, and gave them names rather than numbers. She observed two chimps strip leaves off of twigs and then use the twigs to retrieve termites from their nests—contradicting the prevailing belief that humans were the only animals to make tools. Goodall, named a Messenger of Peace (Hotlink to: http://www.un.org/sg/mop/) by the United Nations, will give the 2008 Lyceum II Lecture (Hotlink to: www.hum.utah.edu/display.php?&pageId=2544) on Tuesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. in Abravanel Hall. She will be joined by environmental writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams, with music by Phillip Bimstein and Red Rock Rondo.
The Lyceum II Lecture series, now in its fifth year, is modeled after Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Lyceum lectures, with a focus on environmental issues as they relate to the humanities. Each lecture aims to illustrate the power of place and explore the integration of community, culture, and landscape. Previous Lyceum II keynote speakers have included Terry Tempest Williams, internationally recognized poet W.S. Merwin, National Geographic explorer Wade Davis, and New York Times writer Elizabeth Kolbert. Peter Matthiessen is scheduled for next fall.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit the College of Humanities Environmental Humanities Program (Hotlink to: http://www.hum.utah.edu/eh//?pageId=1594) and the Jane Goodall Institute. (Hotlink to: www.janegoodall.org) For tickets ($10, $15, $20), contact ArtTix online (Hotlink to: http://www.arttix.org) or call 355-2787.
About the Environmental Humanities Program |
MIGRATION, RIGHTS, AND IDENTITIES—EXAMINING THE RANGE OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL NEEDS
“Human migration is the oldest form of globalization. Migration can be coerced or voluntary, under dire circumstances or simply in the pursuit of better opportunities. Today, the movement of peoples demands our attention as the world copes with an array of political, economic, social, and environmental pressures. Migration is also a human rights issue as we consider what citizenship means not only within national borders but for the planet.”
George Cheney
Director, Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy
With the issue of immigration on the front burner, timing for this conference (Hotlink to: www.humanrights.utah.edu/forum) on Feb. 28-29 couldn’t be better. Two keynote addresses will be presented on main campus. Philosopher Seyla Benhabib, (Hotlink to: www.humanrights.utah.edu/2008KeynoteBrochure.pdf) of Yale University, will speak on The Great Immigration Debate: Facts and Fictions, Ideals and Illusions on Thursday, Feb. 28, at noon in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts Dumke Auditorium. Sociologist Alejandro Portes, (Hotlink to: www.humanrights.utah.edu/2008KeynoteBrochure.pdf) of Princeton University, will speak on Bridging the Gap: Ethnic Organizations and the Political Incorporation Process of Immigrants in the United States, on Friday, Feb. 29 at noon in Orson Spencer Hall’s Read Auditorium. Additional sessions, all at the Officer’s Club in Fort Douglas, will explore the reasons for migration in various parts of the world and examine the experiences of migrating individuals, families, and groups (including a display of photographs, excerpts from oral histories, and films). Taking a look at the local scene, policy recommendations of representatives of the wider Salt Lake community will be considered.
The conference will include issues of specific concern to Utahns while making comparisons and contrasts with other parts of the world, and will encourage informed and frank discussion of one of the most important issues facing the world today.
The event is sponsored by the Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy, with additional support from many campus entities.
FYI Mystery Photo Contest
Photo by Ann Floor
Where is this on campus? Send your answer (be specific) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by noon on Monday, Feb. 25 for a chance to win two tickets to The Ten Tenors on Saturday, Mar. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Kingsbury Hall, courtesy of Kingsbury Hall.
The winner will be randomly selected from the pool of those submitting the correct answer and then listed in the Mar. 5 FYI News.
Thanks to Kingsbury Hall for providing the prize!
This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only.
Last Issue’s FYI Mystery Photo Contest Answer
The Feb. 6 FYI Mystery Photo shows the north side of the Merrill Engineering Building. From the correct responses we randomly chose Sathya Vijayakumar as the winner of the Feb. 6 FYI Mystery Photo Contest! She is a graduate student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, doing research in cardiac MRI. “I work at the Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR), Department of Radiology for my research,” she says. “I graduated from the U three years ago with a masters, worked in the R&D of Philips Medical Systems, and just came back for my doctoral program this semester.” Sathya received two tickets to the Utah vs. San Diego State men’s basketball game, courtesy of Utah Athletics. Thanks to all who entered and thanks to Utah Athletics for donating the tickets. |
12 QUESTIONS FOR GEORGE CHENEY
Professor of Communication, Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, and Director of the Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy
1. What book should every person read and why?
This first question is also the toughest. I don’t want to pick just one! But, looking at my book shelf at the moment, I’d say Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (Penguin, 2005).
2. What building on campus do you think is the most interesting architecturally?
The City Library—Oops, it’s not on our campus(!). In terms of existing buildings at the U, I’d say the newly remodeled buildings in the lower part of Fort Douglas. They have a human scale, maintain historic charm, and seamlessly incorporate contemporary technologies and other amenities
3. If you could meet any legendary person, who would it be?
One would be Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish priest and writer who in 1514 became one of the first vocal critics of the conquest of the Americas. I would ask about his own journey of personal and ethical transformation and what events and encounters most affected him.
4. How will the next generation of scholars—today’s students—change your field in the decades to come?
There’s a new realization in my home discipline of communication that we academics don’t have to choose between theory and practice. Today’s students (tomorrow’s scholars) can help us to take the best of new technologies and novel ways of organizing human activity in order to address persistent problems of society.
5. Name a favorite place to eat.
One World Café on 300 East, between South Temple and 100 South. This is more than a restaurant—it embodies a vision of how to do business, relate to customers, and treat employees with the highest principles in mind.
6. Will a liberal arts education remain relevant to students in our increasingly technological society?
A well-rounded education is the best tool anyone can find, not only for navigating their own lives and careers but also for trying to sort through the clutter of things, messages, ideas, and issues that is our world today. A liberal arts degree is also the best foundation for any career.
7. List two of your favorite Web sites.
On the serious side: www.doctorswithoutborders.org. It is easy to navigate and it brings together well a variety of types of media and sources of information. On the lighter side: www.TheOnion.com. It helps to put things in perspective, but still has a bite.
8. What reading material is on your bedside table?
Ramachandra Guha’s India after Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy (HarperCollins, 2007).
9. If politicians had to pass an exam before they were allowed to serve in public office, what question would you add to the test?
I would ask that all aspiring leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors take an empathy test. This would help to quell the fires of ambition and the desire for ever more power. It would also yield better policies.
10. What is one thing you would like to ask people to do to change the world for the better?
To paraphrase 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams, whose work on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines was both straightforward and revolutionary: pick an issue, get off your butt, draw people together, and do something to better the world.
11. Among the complex moral and political issues that affect humanity, which do you believe will never be resolved and why?
Solutions to our major problems are there to be grasped. What worries me most is that we do not see the solutions even when we already have good examples of how to do things better. It’s time for our civilization to reexamine what counts as “progress” and chart a sharply different course.
12. What’s the best advice you ever got?
Pause. Look. Listen.
CAMPUS MASTER PLAN
FINAL TOWN HALL MEETINGS
Thursday, Feb. 28, Chase M. Peterson Heritage Center
8:30-11:00 a.m. and 2:30-5:00 p.m.
Two meetings on Feb. 28 will offer a final opportunity for public comment on the campus master plan. (Hotlink to: http://campusmasterplan.utah.edu) Participation from faculty, staff, and students is encouraged and appreciated. The campus master planning process was introduced to the U of U community at a town hall gathering on May 2, 2007 with a second meeting Oct. 4, 2007. Input from those attending provided valuable insights.
The plan, developed by U planners with consultants from Skidmore Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM), San Francisco, includes an analysis of campus land use, landscape, formal and informal open space, pedestrian and vehicular circulation, TRAX and public transportation, parking, predominant building use, utility infrastructure, land ownership, campus edges and community interaction, and design features and opportunities. Plan to attend the meeting on Feb. 28. You may submit comments (hotlink to http://campusmasterplan.utah.edu/feedback_form2.php) and read project updates (hotlink to: http://campusmasterplan.utah.edu/) online. For more information contact Facilities Planning (Hotlink to: http://www.facilities.utah.edu/) or call 585-6751.
FROM THE ORIENT TO THE OCCIDENT
This January, the University’s Executive Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program (Hotlink to: http://www.mpa.utah.edu/exec.html) welcomed 23 mid-career professionals from Hainan Province, China. The students will spend 16 months on campus completing coursework and other necessary requirements for the MPA Degree.
“The agreement represents an ambitious attempt by the Hainan provincial government to develop leadership and management skills of its promising mid-career officials,” says Rick Green, MPA program director. “An MPA education at the U will expand their managerial and policy skills, as well as provide them with important understanding about different approaches to administrative practices across national boundaries.”
The connection with Hainan Province also presents opportunities for current and future MPA students, alumni, and other Utahns who work in public agencies and nonprofit organizations to exchange insights with the Chinese students about managing, organizing, and leading in different cultures.
RECOGNIZING U
Chris Ireland, (Hotlink to: www.pharmacy.utah.edu/medChem/faculty/ireland.html)
professor and chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, received the Governor’s Medal for Science & Technology this past fall. The medal is given to recognize those who made career achievements and/or provided distinguished service that has benefited the State of Utah in the areas of science and technology.
Glenn Prestwich, (Hotlink to: www.pharmacy.utah.edu/medChem/faculty/prestwich.html)
Presidential Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, has been appointed by President Young as presidential special assistant for faculty entrepreneurism. He will mentor faculty who want to start companies (technology transfer). Prestwich is quite the entrepreneur himself and has begun at least five biotech companies.
Read more about the accomplishments of your colleagues in Recognizing U. (Hotlink to ttp://unews.utah.edu/?action=recognizingU).
UPCOMING ON CAMPUS
• Tristan and Yseult
Feb. 20 - March 2
Babcock Theatre
Based on an ancient Celtic/French legend of a tragic pair whose story became part of the Arthurian legend, this tale is not a story of epic love, but rather of love the way we ordinary humans experience it—with all the joy and hurt that accompany love betrayed. According to Emma Rice, who adapted and directed the first production, “This is for those of us who know that love is a trap as well as a liberator—that the pain of choosing one person over another tears the soul and never quite heals.”
For tickets ($9 for faculty/staff) and show times, contact the Kingsbury Hall ticket office online (Hotlink to: www.kingsburyhall.org/) or call 581-7100.
NOTE: A panel discussion will be offered immediately following the matinee on Saturday, March 1, in the Babcock Theatre. Panelists include Maria Dobozy, professor of languages and literature, Kathleen Cahill, writer and senior editor with PBS’s “Masterpiece,” and L.L. West, director of the production.
• A World in a Grain of Sand
Utah Symposium in Science & Literature
Feb. 21-23
Aline Skaggs Biology Building
From the vastness of the universe to the tiniest subatomic particle, the question of scale influences what we see, know, and dream—in science, and also in art, poetry, architecture, economics, music and philosophy.
A poet, a physicist, and a philosopher will give keynote presentations at an interdisciplinary symposium (hotlink to: www.scienceandliterature.org) which examines the influence of scale on how we experience the world. University of Michigan poet Linda Gregerson’s presentation titled The Scale of Habitation: The Body, the Cell, the City, will be presented on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.; Harvard University physicist Lisa Randall’s talk titled What’s So Small to You is So Large to Me, is Friday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., and Rice University writer, designer, and philosopher Sanford Kwinter will speak on Beat Science on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. All presentations will be in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building (ASB). In addition, the keynote speakers will discuss the symposium theme during a live broadcast of KUER’s Radio West with host Doug Fabrizio on Friday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. in room 210 ASB. Those attending the broadcast must arrive by 10:30 a.m. and be seated by 10:45 a.m.
The symposium is free and open to the public but registration (Hotlink to: http://www.scienceandliterature.org/images/registration-07.pdf ) is required. For more information, contact Angela Allen at 581-7236 or angela.allen@utah.edu.
• Gymnastics Faculty/Staff Night
Friday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Don’t miss the annual Utah Gymnastics (Hotlink to: http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/w-gym/utah-w-gym-body.html) Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night when your No. 2-ranked Utes go against Utah State University and Southern Utah University. Present your UCard at any entrance for free admission. Parking is also free. Utah Gymnastics thanks you and invites you to continue to support the team on its road to the national championships. For more information, call 581-UTIX. Go Utes!
• 2008 McMurrin Lecture
Monday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Olpin Union Saltair Room
Charles Mann will give this year’s McMurrin Lecture, exploring topics from his book, 1491—New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (2006), with a focus on the effect on Native American populations of contact with Europeans, and the resulting consequences on the environment. The McMurrin Professorship, named for the late Sterling A. McMurrin, professor of philosophy and dean of the graduate school, addresses values of concern to undergraduates from an interdisciplinary perspective.
• Annual Campus Planning Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 5 p.m.
540 Arapeen Way in Research Park
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear a review of all campus construction projects during 2007 and plans for 2008. Discussion will also cover updates on the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) (Hotlink to: www.ustar.utah.edu) initiative, U sustainability efforts, and the Universe Project. The public is welcome. For more information, contact Kate Ferebee at k.stone@ucomm.utah.edu) or call 585-9244.
• Founders Day 2008—A Celebration of Innovation
Feb. 26-27
Four distinguished alumni and one honorary alumnus will be honored at the Founders Day (Hotlink to: www.alumni.utah.edu/foundersday) banquet on Wednesday, Feb. 27. As part of the programming around this annual event, several lectures (Hotlink to: http://www.alumni.utah.edu/foundersday/docs/FD08-flier.pdf) by the distinguished Alumni Award recipients will be presented to the campus community and the public.
Ann Weaver Hart (BS’70 MA’81 PhD’83) will give a talk titled The Academic Track and Leadership Preparation in Higher Education, on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in Milton Bennion Hall, Room 201. Hart is the first female president of Temple University.
David M. Grant (BS’54 PhD’57) will conduct a seminar titled A Half-Century of NMR Research and Development—The Ever-Expanding Science, with Special Focus on NMR Crystallography on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Henry Eyring Chemistry Building, Room 2008. Grant is considered a pioneer in the use of magnetic devices and a process known as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry.
Informal lunches/discussions by J. Brett Harvey (BS’77) and Charlie Monfort (BS’82) are open to the public if space is available. Information on those lectures is available here. (Hotlink to: http://www.alumni.utah.edu/foundersday/docs/FD08-flier.pdf)
• Career Fair Goes Green
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Union Ballroom
Career Services is utilizing a sustainable event guide developed by the campus Sustainability Committee for its upcoming Career Fair. Employers are encouraged to think green and instructed on how to minimize paper consumption. The career fair is open to all U students and alums. See a list of participating employers. (Hotlink to http://www.careers.utah.edu/downloads/SP08CFCOMP.pdf). Call Julie Swaner at 585-5036 for more information.
• Sustainability Conversation Series
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.
City Library 4th Floor Conference Room
David Chapman, scientist and dean of the graduate school, will join Julia Corbett and Ron Yaros, both professors in the Department of Communications, to explore the hurdles and strategies for improving communication between scientists and the general public on global climate change. Craig Forster, director of the U’s Office of Sustainability, will moderate the discussion. The new lecture series is sponsored by the Osher Institute (Hotlink to: https://continue.utah.edu/osher/index.php) and the Office of Sustainability, (Hotlink to: http://www.sustainability.utah.edu/) in conjunction with the Salt Lake Sustainability Salon. For more information, call 585-9352.
• Theatre Department’s Senior Players Preview New York Show
Sunday, March 2, 2 p.m.
Salt Lake Acting Company
168 West 500 North
Talented seniors from the theatre department’s Actor Training Program (Hotlink to: http://www.theatre.utah.edu/programs/atp.htm) will perform their Senior Showcase in Salt Lake City before taking it to New York in March. The performance is free and open to the public as space permits. The Senior Players group is dedicated to helping talented student actors bridge the gap between education and employment. This year’s group includes Aaron Abbott, Aaron Anderson, Aaron Buckner, Nao Dobashi, Jesse Dornan, Brandon Econ, Anthony Gaskins, Shanna Jones, Nicol Razón, Stacy Sobieski and Nick Zaharias. Christine Macken, a senior performing arts design major, serves as stage manager and Peder Melhuse is the faculty advisor for the 2008 Senior Showcase. For more information, contact Tillie Wilber at 581-5404 or tillie.wilber@utah.edu.
• Photographs by cat palmer
Women’s week art exhibit reception
Monday, March 3, 4-7 p.m.
Art & Architecture, Bailey Exhibition Hall
Utah photographer cat palmer loves the unexpected and absurd things in objects and people. Her photographs, which always incorporate metal or pipes, focus on women “because they have such beauty and strength.” Women’s Week 2008 (Hotlink to: http://web.utah.edu/womensweek/2008/index.html) runs March 3-14.
• Diluting the Discourse: How Special Interest Groups Capture the Media
Monday, March 3, noon
Olpin Union Saltair Room
Patrick Byrne, chairman and CEO of Overstock.com speaks about the ease with which media outlets can be captured by special interests. For more information, contact Heidi Brett at heidi.brett@utah.edu or 585-9521.
• Mirror, Mirror: Body in the Mind’s Eye
Conference features annual David P. Gardner lecture
Wednesday, March 5, 7 p.m.
UMFA Dumke Auditorium
A two-day conference on body image, (Hotlink to: www.hum.utah.edu/humcntr/?pageId=2057) March 5-6, features Rose Weitz, a professor of women and gender studies at Arizona State University, presenting the 2008 David P. Gardner Lecture titled, Eve's Daughters: A Cultural History of Women's Bodies.
BULLETIN BOARD
• John R. Park Teachers' Fellowships named
Martha Bradley, a professor in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Kim Martinez, assistant professor of art and art history in the College of Fine Arts, will be awarded the John R. Park Teachers’ Fellowship for 2009. The fellowship is awarded to faculty who undertake one semester actively studying at a site outside the state of Utah with the purpose of enlarging and enriching the individual’s teaching role.
• When magazines tell you that your body isn't good enough...
A message from the Counseling Center
While standing in line at the grocery store we are often bombarded with magazines that have media images of unrealistic representations of the human body. Today’s women and men are receiving increased social pressure to conform to the ideal body image, along with messages regarding dieting, muscularity, and cosmetic surgery. And the message is clear… “The way you look is not good enough.” This can lead to negative feelings related to body image, which is defined as internal representations or perceptions of how an individual views his or her body or outer physical appearance. Perceptions of body image often do not match up to reality, and may be underestimated, exaggerated, or distorted. The quest to attain the ideal body can move body-image dissatisfaction into the realm of disordered eating.
Tips for a Healthy Body Image
- Accept that bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This is what makes us interesting!
- Remember that you can be your own worst critic. Allow yourself to be open to how others find you attractive.
- Expect normal weekly and monthly changes in weight and shape.
- Be aware of your own weight prejudice. Explore how those feelings may affect your self-esteem.
- Explore your internal self, emotionally and spiritually. Look at yourself as a growing, changing human being.
- Decide how you wish to spend your energy: pursuing the perfect image or enjoying the people and positive things in your life.
- Don’t forget that you are not alone in your pursuit of self-acceptance. It is a life-long process that many people struggle with.
• Take an Insider Tour
You can now experience the U’s world-class research, extraordinary academic offerings, service learning, and campus collaborations through Insider Tours. (Hotlink to: http://www.alumni.utah.edu/insidertours/) Available now through June, every tour has a different focus and showcases classes, facilities, and ground-breaking research. For more information contact Nancy Lyon at nancy.lyon@utah.edu or 581-7684, or Coralie Alder at coralie@ucomm.utah.edu or 581-5180.
• Learn the basics of LASIK
Moran Eye Center (Hotlink to: http://uuhsc.utah.edu/MoranEyeCenter) offers free LASIK information seminars (Hotlink to: http://uuhsc.utah.edu/MoranEyeCenter/patient_care/mvc/educational_forum.htm)each month. For more information call 581-2352.
• Call for nominations
University Equity and Diversity Awards
Nominations for the annual University Equity and Diversity Awards are due March 14. Recipients will be honored at a lunch on April 16. The award recognizes excellence in fostering leadership and commitment to enhance diversity and expand opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. The award honors programs and individuals making important and sustained contributions to equity and diversity. Nominations should be made by letter describing in detail how the nominee has enhanced equity and diversity within their own sphere or at the University. Self-nominations are welcome. For more information, email The Office of the Associate Vice President for Diversity at diversity@utah.edu or call 581-7569.
Send campus mail nominations to:
Equity and Diversity Awards
Associate Vice President for Diversity
204 Park Building
Campus
Or by email to: diversity@utah.edu
U SAVING ENERGY
Since the U’s behavioral energy-saving program began in July 2003 the U has saved the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 10,772 homes for one year.
TIP: Turn off lights in offices, conference areas, kitchens, and lunchrooms when these areas are not in use. Just because you did not turn something on does not mean you can’t be proactive in turning it off. Limit unnecessary lighting where you see opportunity.
Source: U of U Energy Management. For more information contact Bianca Shama at 585-1171 or Bianca.Shama@fm.utah.edu.
