Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Habitat for Humanity’s “Green” Efforts Examined in Environmental Studies Lecture

John Weyenberg, executive director of the Fox Cities chapter of Habitat for Humanity and George Elias, a member of the organization’s board of directors, will discuss Habitat’s efforts to promote “green building” practices in the second installment of Lawrence University’s environmental studies lecture series on green architecture.

Weyenberg and Elias present “The ReStore Recycled Building Materials Project” Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102.

Habitat for Humanity is the only large-scale home builder in the country that adheres to “green building” standards in an effort to provide more energy-efficient and durable housing at the lowest possible cost for its partner families.

In addition to providing an overview of Habitat’s environmental initiatives to promote cost-effective, best-practice construction methods, Weyenberg and Elias will discuss the Fox Cities “ReStore” operations. Opened last September in a former grocery store on Appleton’s east side, Habitat’s ReStore is a retail store that sells reusable and surplus building materials to the public, providing quality construction materials at reduced costs.

A retail hybrid of Goodwill and Home Depot, the Appleton ReStore center is one of only three such operations in Wisconsin. Staffed completely by volunteers, all profits from ReStore sales are used to fund local Habitat house construction. Since it opened, ReStore has averaged $20,000 in sales per month.

Weyenberg has directed the Fox Cities chapter of Habitat for Humanity since 1999. Elisa has been a member of HFH’s board of directors in 2003.

The environmental lecture series is sponsored by the Spoerl Lectureship in Science in Society. Established in 1999 by Milwaukee-Downer College graduate Barbara Gray Spoerl and her husband, Edward, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on the role of science and technology in societies worldwide.

Noted Chinese Economist Delivers Pair of Addresses in Visit to Lawrence University

Leslie Young, the executive director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business and professor of finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will deliver a pair of economic addresses during a visit to Lawrence University.

Young presents “The Optimal God: Religion and the Institutional Foundations of Capitalism,” Wednesday Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. On Thursday, Feb. 2 at 4:30 p.m., Young will present “China and India in the World Economy.” Both presentations will be held in Lawrence’s Science Hall, Room 102 and are free and open to the public.

In his opening address, Young will compare and contrast the Western and Eastern models of political economy that developed from the influences of Christianity and Islam. According to Young, politics and religion overlapped in the West because the Church competed for resources. Religion, in turn, became the bridge over which law came to limit politics. Under Islam, law emerged from religion as a control on personal behavior, leaving politics as a separate entity that was able to oppress the economy with no restrictions on tyranny and expropriation.

Young’s second talk will focus on the medium and long-term effects of the growth of China and India on the world economy. In tracing the balance of payment problems between the United States and China to their demographic structures, he will explain why China’s growing impact on the global environment could ultimately harm its own economic development.

A native of Guangzhou, China, Young’s research interests focus on international trade, political economy and corporate governance. He has served as a consultant to the governments of Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and New Zealand and has been a long-time member of the editorial board of the American Economic Review, the leading academic journal in economics.

Young, who earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Oxford University by the age of 20, spent nine years on the faculty at the University of Texas as the V.F. Neuhaus Professor of Finance and Professor of Economics. He also has taught at the University of Canterbury in New Zeeland and held visiting professorships at the Australian National University in Canberra as well as at M.I.T. and the University of California, Berkeley.

He is the author of the book “Black Hole Tariffs and Endogenous Redistribution Theory” and co-editor of “The Hong Kong Securities Industry” and “China’s Financial Markets.”

Young’s appearance is sponsored by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation of Milwaukee and the Henry Luce Foundation Program in the Political Economy of East Asia.

ArtsBridge America Program Awarded $250,000 Grant for Elementary School Initiative

Lawrence University and its ArtsBridge America program will share in a $250,000 grant from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation to bring an innovative geography-through-music curriculum to Fox Valley elementary schools.

Beginning in February, Lawrence will partner with Appleton’s Edison Elementary School fifth graders to introduce “Mapping the Beat,” a curricular program developed in 2002 by the Artsbridge America program at the University of California, San Diego that combines geography content with culture-based arts instruction.

ArtsBridge scholar Sarah Tochiki, a senior music education major from Aiea, Hawaii, will work with host teachers Katie Lecker and Matt Bronson at Edison to introduce the “Mapping the Beat” curriculum. The National Geographic Foundation grant will allow ArtsBridge to offer “Mapping the Beat” to additional fifth-grade classrooms in the Fox Valley starting in Fall, 2006.

Using music as a common language, “Mapping the Beat” ArtsBridge scholars will lead fifth-grade students on a musical journey through American history. The curriculum will explore migration patterns to the United States and the meaning of music within various communities and ethnic groups.

During the program, students will explore music and geography linked to their social studies curriculum and discover why music from one region sounds differently than that of other regions. The program is designed to raise awareness about the geographic features that determine culture and art forms around the world and create a connection between music and its place of origin.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to introduce the ‘Mapping the Beat’ curriculum to elementary children and their teachers in the Fox Valley,” said Jasmine Yep, national coordinator of the ArtsBridge America program. “‘Mapping the Beat’ was built around three main concepts — environment, identity and movement — which were selected for their parallel significance in the study of music. Past experience with this program has shown that students are truly energized as they create music in the classroom and understand the connection between that music and its place of origin in the world.”

Lawrence is part of a six-campus consortium working with the ArtsBridge America program that will share the National Geographic grant for the “Mapping the Beat” project. Lawrence will receive $30,000 over the next three years to implement the program in the Fox Valley. Sharing the grant with Lawrence is the California State University, Long Beach, Michigan State University, Oklahoma State University, the University of California, San Diego and the Center for Learning Through the Arts at the University of California, Irvine.

Founded in 1996 by current Lawrence President Jill Beck when she was at UC Irvine, ArtsBridge America is a university/community arts education and outreach program featuring a network of 22 universities in 13 states and Northern Ireland and their surrounding schools. The program creates university and K-12 school collaborations by partnering university arts students with a K-12 teacher to introduce interdisciplinary arts instruction through ArtsBridge projects.

Since its inception, ArtsBridge America has delivered arts curriculum to more than 300,000 pupils, professional support for more than 1,500 teachers and scholarship support for nearly 4,000 university arts students. In 1998 ArtsBridge was the recipient of a national dissemination award from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and has received several awards for its work with schools and communities.

Lawrence serves as the national headquarters for the 22 university-based ArtsBridge America partners.

Lawrence University Celebrates Black History with Student Showcase

Lawrence University commemorates African-America history and culture with the 5th Annual Celebration of Black Heritage: New Beginning of the Sistah. The event, which replaced Lawrence’s celebration of Kwanzaa, takes place February 4 in the Buchanan Kiewit Center gym on the Lawrence campus. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the program starting at 5:30 p.m.

The event, which includes both a student showcase and dinner, focuses on accomplishments and culture as it relates to today — how we apply history to the present day, according to Rod Bradley, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs. The student showcase presents historical snapshots of African-American history and things that are happening today that we may not be aware of.

“It’s a creative way to make a point,” said Bradley. “It’s educational and entertaining. People really enjoy it.”

Tickets are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749, and are $10 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. The event is sponsored by the Black Organization of Students.

Lawrence University Jazz Series presents NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson

The Lawrence University Jazz Series will continue on February 17 with NEA Jazz Master and saxophonist Benny Golson. Joining Golson on stage will be the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble (LUJE) and the Lawrence Jazz Trio.

The concert, which takes place at 8:00 p.m., will be held at Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Tickets for this concert are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749, and range from $15 for students to $22 for adults.

Golson comes to Lawrence University through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters On Tour program, organized by the NEA and Arts Midwest and supported by Verizon.

A composer, arranger, lyricist, producer and tenor saxophonist of world renown, Golson has contributed his distinctive saxophone style to ensembles led by such jazz greats as Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic and Art Blakey.

For more than five decades Golson has made major offerings to the world of jazz by composing standards such as “Killer Joe,” “Along Came Betty,” “Five Spot After Dark” and “I Remember Clifford,” along with compositions and arrangements for musicians such as Count Basie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald. He has given hundreds of performances in the United States, Europe, South America, Far East and Japan.

In 1996, Golson was named an NEA Jazz Master. Established in 1982, the NEA Jazz Masters program honors living legends for their exceptional contributions to jazz and helps to connect them, and their music, to the American people through broadcasts, publications, educational initiatives and NEA Jazz Masters On Tour. The NEA Jazz Masters Initiative is sponsored by Verizon with additional support provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through a grant to Chamber Music America.

Most recently, Golson appeared as himself in Steven Spielberg’s film, “The Terminal” and recorded his new CD “Terminal 1,” which was released in June 2004, with Concord Records. He is currently putting the finishing touches on two books, a major college textbook and his autobiography.

For additional information on this and other “Performing Arts at Lawrence” series concerts, please visit www.lawrence.edu/news/performingartsseries.

Lawrence University Artist Series Presents the Empire Brass with Douglas Major

The Lawrence University Artist Series will continue with the Empire Brass Quintet. Joining the Empire Brass on stage will be Douglas Major, organist.

The concert takes place February 4 at 8 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Tickets are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749 and range from $15 for students to $22 for adults.

The Empire Brass enjoys an international reputation as North America’s finest brass quintet, renowned for its brilliant virtuosity and the unparalleled diversity of its repertoire. The five musicians, all of whom have held leading positions with major American orchestras, perform more than 100 concerts a year in cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., London, Zurich and Tokyo.

The Empire Brass has been featured on CBS’s “Good Morning America,” NBC’s “Today Show” and “Sunday Today” and PBS’s “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.”

A series of best-selling compact discs on the Telarc label offers music that spans 500 years from a dozen different countries. The most recent of these are Romantic Brass, an anthology of Spanish and French music; Brass on Broadway; Class Brass – On the Edge, featuring works from Khachaturian, Prokofiev, Bernstein, and Copland; and Mozart For Brass, arrangements of Mozart works by Rolf Smedvig, one of the group’s trumpeters, with the collaboration of the electronic percussionist Kurt Wortman.

Organist Douglas Major has made solo appearances in major cities around the world and has performed with artists and ensembles ranging from Ravi Shankar, Aretha Franklin and Dave Brubeck to the National Symphony, the French National Orchestra, the Folger Consort, and the Marine Corps Band. Major plays many solo recitals and dedications of new organs in the United States as well. In May 2001, he participated in the first American Organists Festival in Kiev, Ukraine, playing recitals to standing-room-only audiences.

As a composer, Major’s works include anthems, canticles, and psalms for chorus; organ solo music; and music for synthesizers and choir, as well as piano and vocal compositions. His solo recordings include eight organ compact discs recorded on the Washington National Cathedral’s magnificent 185-rank Skinner organ. With the Empire Brass, Major has recorded “A Bach Festival” for Angel/EMI.

For additional information on this and other “Performing Arts at Lawrence” series concerts, please visit www.lawrence.edu/news/performingartsseries.

Acclaimed Harvard Physicist Explores Hidden Dimensions in Lawrence University Convocation

The universe is keeping secrets and noted Harvard University physicist Lisa Randall would like nothing better than to expose some of them during a Lawrence University convocation.

Randall, a rapidly rising “star” in the world of theoretical physics, presents “Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions” Thursday, Jan 26 at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Recently featured in Newsweek’s special edition “Who’s Next” for 2006, Randall, 43, has been hailed for her ground-breaking theories on a new, fifth dimension of infinite extent beyond the four known dimensions of time and space. Many within scientific circles believe the implications of Randall’s research in theoretical high-energy physics, in which she investigates “warped” geometries, holds the promise of a 21st-century breakthrough on the scale of Einstein’s theories of relativity 100 years ago.

Randall’s work on hidden dimensions has attracted widespread attention and has been the subject of stories in the Science Times section of The New York Times as well as in The Los Angeles Times, The Economist and numerous magazines, among them New Scientist, Science and Nature. As a result of two highly regarded research papers — “A Large Mass Hierarchy From a Small Extra Dimension” and “An Alternative to Compactification” — Randall is considered the world’s “most cited” theoretical physicist in the last five years with nearly 10,000 citations.

A New York City high school classmate of acclaimed physicist Brian Greene, one of the world’s foremost proponents of string theory, Randall holds the unique distinction of being the first female physicist to earn tenure at Princeton University and the first female theoretical physicist granted tenure first at MIT and later at Harvard, where she has taught since 2001.
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Last September, Randall’s work was brought to the attention of the general public with the publication of her book, “Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions,” in which she presented an accessible account on the possibility of additional unseen dimensions. The New York Times included “Warped Passages” on its 2005 list of the 100 most notable books of the year.

A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Physical Society, Randall earned both a bachelor’s and a doctorate degree at Harvard. She spent two years (1987-89) as a President’s Fellow at the University of California and one year as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory before joining the faculty at MIT in 1991.

“Axis of Evil” Focus of Opening Address in Lawrence University International Studies Lecture Series

While the country focuses on the continuing struggle to bring democracy to Iraq, Geoffrey Kemp, director of regional strategic programs at the Nixon Center in Washington, D.C., will examine the potential dangers posed by Iran, Syria and Libya in the opening address of Lawrence University’s three-part international studies lecture series “Pariah States and Policy Responses.”

Kemp presents “The Axis of Evil: The Current Membership” Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium, 613 E. College Ave., Appleton. The event is free and open to the public.

Kemp will discuss the rationale used by the Bush administration to place Iraq, Iran and North Korea on an “axis of evil” while ignoring other possible candidates such as Syria and Libya. He also will contrast Iran with Libya, a country that has basically received a clean pass by renouncing its weapons of mass destruction program, outline the dilemma the United States and the European Union face in challenging Iran and explain why this is a potentially dangerous confrontation.

Iran has recently drawn the ire of the international community by threatening to block inspections of its nuclear facilities, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — described by Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold as “one of the scariest persons in the world” — insist are solely for the production of nuclear energy.

On Jan. 13, Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that if his country was confronted by the United Nations Security Council, it would stop cooperating with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran has been voluntarily allowing short-notice IAEA inspections since 2003.

A native of Great Britain, Kemp began his career as a research associate for the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London before moving to the United States 1967. He worked in the U.S. Defense Department’s Policy Planning and Program Analysis and Evaluation offices in the 1970s, contributing to studies on U.S. security policy and options for Southwest Asia. In 1981, he joined the first Reagan administration, serving in the White House as a special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Near East and South Asian Affairs on the National Security Council Staff.

Prior to joining the Nixon Center in 1995, Kemp was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he served as director of the Middle East Arms Control Project.

He is the author of numerous articles on foreign policy challenges, particularly those in the Middle East, including “Forever Enemies? American Policy and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” “Europe, Iraq and the War on Terrorism,” and “Stopping the Iranian Bomb” which appeared in The National Interest in 2003.

Kemp earned his bachelor and master’s degrees from Oxford University and holds a Ph.D. In political science from M.I.T.

Other scheduled speakers in this year’s lecture series include:

• February 21— Lee Feinstein, deputy director of studies and senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and International Law, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C, “A Duty to Prevent.”

• March 1 — Jack DuVall, president and founding director of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, Washington, D.C., “The Right to Rise Up: People Power and the Virtues of Civic Disruption.”

The “Pariah States and Policy Responses” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Olympic Games — Then and Now — Examined in Archaeological Institute of America Lecture

With the XXth Winter Olympics set to begin in Turin, Italy in less than a month, Lawrence University Hiram A. Jones Professor of Classics Daniel Taylor offers a historic perspective on the celebrated games and explain why the Olympics are “not just another sporting event” in an Archaeological Institute of America lecture at Lawrence University.

Taylor presents “The Olympic Games 776 B.C. — 2006 A.D.” Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public and includes a reception with the speaker following the address.

Taylor’s slide-illustrated presentation will tour the ancient Olympic stadium as well as the first modern one, introduce gods and goddesses and provide a glimpse of ancient Greek athletes in action as well as the exploits of modern Olympic heroes. He also will compare and contrast the ancient and modern games and offer philosophical reflections on the nature of athletic competition.

Considered one of the world’s leading scholars on Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC), ancient Rome’s most prolific and authoritative language scientist, Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in classics from Lawrence and his Ph.D. in classics from the University of Washington before joining the Lawrence faculty in 1974.

He has been the recipient of two research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and been cited by the American Philological Association with its National Award for Excellence in Teaching the Classics.

Lawrence University Environmental Studies Lecture Series Examines “Green” Architecture

The emerging field of “green building,” with its emphasis on resource-efficient methods of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance and even demolition will be the focus of a three-part Lawrence University environmental studies lecture series.

Nathan Engstrom, program director of Madison-based Green Built Home, opens the series Thursday, Jan. 19 with the address “Better Building..Better Living…Better World!” The presentation, at 7:30 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102 on the Lawrence campus, is free and open to the public.

Engstrom will discuss the concept of green building and why it is becoming increasingly important. He also will provide an overview of Green Built Home and Green Built Remodeled Home programs and discuss ways individuals and developers can incorporate green building into their future projects.

Green Built Home is a partnership program with the Madison Area Builders Association. It promotes green building practices by certifying new homes and remodeling projects that meet sustainable building and energy standards. It encourages sustainable community development by promoting building practices and products that reduce the ecological footprint of new home construction.

While it is estimated a green building typically costs 2% to 3% more initially than one built with conventional construction methods, those costs are eventually recovered because green buildings are less expensive to operate, saving money on energy and water consumption. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, since then President Clinton announced plans in 1993 to make the White House a model of efficiency and waste reduction, the “greening of the White House” has created $300,000 in annual savings and led to similar efforts in other government buildings.

Engstrom has directed the Green Built Home program since 2003. He previously served as an energy services advisor fot he Wisconsin Energy Initiative 2 program and was is the co-author of a chapter in the book “Sustainable Architectures.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and environmental studies from Northland College and a master’s degree in sustainable design from the University of Texas.

Other talks scheduled in the series include:

• Feb. 2 — John Weyenberg, director of the Fox Cities chapter of Habitat for Humanity, “The ReStore Recycled Building Materials Project.”

• March 2 — Judy Corbett, co-founder of Village Homes, Davis, Calif., “Beyond Green Buildings: Planning for Sustainable Neighborhoods and Regions.”

The environmental lecture series is sponsored by the Spoerl Lectureship in Science in Society. Established in 1999 by Milwaukee-Downer College graduate Barbara Gray Spoerl and her husband, Edward, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on the role of science and technology in societies worldwide.