2010

Year: 2010

Lawrence Hosting Five Events During Third Annual Fox Cities Book Festival

Lawrence University, co-sponsor of the annual Fox Cities Book Festival, will host five events during the third annual celebration that runs Sunday, April 11 through Sunday, April 18. More than 60 presentations by 48 authors, including two Lawrence faculty members, are planned throughout the Fox Cities during the eight-day festival.

David McGlynn, assistant professor of English at Lawrence and author of the 2008 short story collection “The End of the Straight and Narrow,” will participate in the panel presentation “How to Get Published” Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. in the Appleton Public Library.

Helen Boyd, lecturer in gender studies at Lawrence, discusses her two books, “My Husband Betty” and “She’s Not the Man I Married,” Monday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Harmony Cafe in downtown Appleton.

Award-winning writer Jane Hamilton, author of “The Book of Ruth,” which won the PEN/Hemingway Award for First Fiction and “A Map of the World,” a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, presents “The Journey from ‘Domestic Fiction’ to Comedy” Friday, April 16 at 8 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre.

Other book festival events being held on campus include:
• “Aama’s Journey” by Broughton Coburn, Tuesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema.

• “Principles of Reading, Principles of Writing,” by Bishop Robert Morneau of the Green Bay diocese, Friday, April 16 at 6 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre.

•. “Logomaniacs,” a theatric performance by students from the Renaissance School of the Arts, Saturday, April 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema.

• “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by Wisconsin native David Wroblewski, Saturday, April 17 at 5 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

All of the above events are free and open to the public.

Former U.S. Ambassador, International Banking Expert Discusses World Economy at Lawrence University

Former U.S. Ambassador to India and U.S. Treasury official David Mulford discusses the state of the world economy Tuesday, April 13 in an address at Lawrence University.

Mulford will examine the ongoing economic and financial crisis in the major industrial countries and its lingering effect on the global economy at 1:30 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema. The event is free and open to the public.

David-Mulford_web
David Mulford

A 1959 graduate of Lawrence, Mulford was appointed Ambassador to India in 2004 by President Bush and served until February 2009. He joined the U.S. State Department after spending 11 years as chairman international of the London-based banking firm Credit Suisse First Boston, where he directed worldwide, large-scale privatization business and other corporate and government advisory assignments.

Since leaving his ambassador’s post, Mulford has returned to Credit Suisse in London as vice chairman of the bank’s international division.

Prior to his ambassadorial appointment, Mulford served in public service as a senior international economic policy official in the U.S. Treasury Department under Secretaries Donald Regan, James Baker and Nicholas Brady.

His financial experience also includes eight years as managing director and head of international finance at the Boston-based investment bank White, Weld & Co., Inc. In 1974, he was named senior investment advisor to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), where he oversaw the management and development of investment programs of Saudi oil revenues until 1983.

His work in both the public and private sectors has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Legion d’Honneur presented by the president of France, the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Secretary of the Treasury in recognition of extraordinary service and benefit to the Treasury Department and the nation, the Order of May for Merit from the president of Argentina and The Officer’s Cross of the Medal of Merit presented by the president of Poland.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in economics from Lawrence, Mulford earned a master’s degree in political science from Boston University and a Ph.D. from Oxford University. Lawrence recognized him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1984. A football and basketball standout as an undergraduate, Mulford also was inducted into Lawrence’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Artist Berel Lutsky Discusses Image and Language in Visiting Artist Series Lecture

Artist Berel Lutsky explores the interplay between image and language in his artwork Tuesday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium in a Lawrence University 2009-2010 Visiting Artist Series address. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will examine the often misplaced trust people place in appearances and well-crafted explanations. The vast amount of both visual and verbal information bombarding  people today often causes them to ignore the sources and manipulations of image and word. Focusing on the blurred line between fact and fiction, Lutsky’s artwork examines the consequences of ignoring the complexities of the truths that drive the world.

Lutsky, an associate professor of art at UW-Manitowoc, works primarily with paper, specializing in commercial and fine art printmaking, drawing and photography. He recently spent a month-long residency in Israel at the Jerusalem Print Workshop. His artwork has been exhibited publicly in the U.S., Israel and Japan and also can be found in private collections in China, Belgium and Germany.  One of his pieces was selected last summer for the Wisconsin Visual Artist’s Biennial, a state-wide fine arts competition open to all visual artists in the state.

Visiting Poet Rebecca Wolff Conducts Q & A, Reading

Poet Rebecca Wolff reads from her latest collection, “The King,” Thursday, April 15 at 8 p.m. in the Kohler Gallery of Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center. A reception and book signing follows.

Rebecca-Wolff_web
Rebecca Wolff

Prior to her reading, Wolff will conduct a question-and-answer session at 4:30 p.m. in Main Hall 104. Both events are free and open to the public.

“The King,” which includes short poems that challenge the traditional views of motherhood, is Wolff’s third collection of poetry. Her first, “Manderley,” published in 2001, was selected for the National Poetry Series, while her second, 2004’s “Figment,” received the Barnard Women Poets Prize, which is awarded every other year for an exceptional second collection of poems written by an American woman who has already published one book of poetry.

In 1998, Wolff, along with a small group of editors, founded Fence magazine, a biannual journal of poetry, fiction, art and criticism. The same organization launched Fence Books in 2001 to publish poetry, fiction, critical texts and anthologies.

Wolff’s appearance is supported by the Mia Paul Poetry Fund.

Asthma Research Earns Michael Schreiber Invitation to 2010 Posters on the Hill Conference

Lawrence University senior Michael Schreiber has been selected to present his research on the mechanisms of common cold-induced asthma exacerbations Tuesday, April 13 at the 14th annual Posters on the Hill event at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Schreiber, a biochemistry and English major from West Allis, was one of only 80 undergraduate students from colleges and universities around the country chosen to share his research. Sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the Posters on the Hill conference showcases the value of undergraduate research and strives to ensure future federal funding for new research.

“This is a great opportunity to highlight the excellent research we do at Lawrence and the wonderful sponsors of that research, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the McNair Foundation and of course Lawrence itself,” said David Hall, associate professor of chemistry and Schreiber’s academic advisor. “Michael’s research is built upon insights garnered by previous Lawrence student researchers over the past eight years. Continued funding at all levels will ensure many more undergraduates will have top quality research experiences.”

Student presenters for the Posters on the Hill conference are selected on the basis of a submitted abstract of their research conducted in any of CUR’s divisions: biology, chemistry, arts and humanities, social sciences, psychology, mathematics/computer sciences, physics/astronomy and geosciences.

Schreiber’s research, in the chemistry division, investigates the function of compounds called G-proteins, which function as molecular switches in certain cells of the immune system. They play a role in turning on the inflammatory response to cold virus in the lungs. The poster is based upon a submitted article to the journal Innate Immunity co-authored by Schreiber, Bryce Schuler, a 2009 Lawrence graduate and Hall.

While in Washington, Schreiber will participate in a reception in which each of the submitted posters will be displayed for members of Congress, federal funding agencies and other area foundations.

Three Lawrence University Students Write Winning Analysis in International Modeling Competition

A 10-page report analyzing the effects that the accumulation of plastic debris has on the Pacific Ocean earned three Lawrence University students “Outstanding Winner” honors in a recently completed international interdisciplinary modeling contest.

Lu Yu, a junior from Guangzhou, China, sophomore Fangzhou Qiu from Shanghai, China, and Jian Gong, a sophomore from Chengdu, China, co-authored one of four reports that was designated as an outstanding winner from among 356 entries in the 12th annual Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) conducted by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP).

Lawrence was one of only two U.S. colleges designated an outstanding winner among the four. Foreign teams, primarily from China, Indonesia and Malaysia, accounted for 333 of the competition’s 356 entries.

Working in teams of three, students had five days to research, analyze, model and communicate a solution to the problem. In their report, the Lawrence team modeled the environmental impact of plastic debris in the ocean and how this impact varies with time, particle size and other factors.

“Their report was a tour de force drawn from multiple disciplines — mathematics, physical oceanography and chemistry among them,” said Stefan Debbert, assistant professor of chemistry, who served as the faculty advisor for the project. “It gave concrete advice as to how we can better protect our oceans.”

The analysis written by Yu, Qiu and Gong will be published later this year in The UMAP Journal, along with commentaries from the problem author and contest judges.

Joining Lawrence as the contest’s four outstanding winners were Carroll College in Helena, Mont., and China’s Jiaotong and Dianzi universities.

Based in Bedford, Mass., COMAP is a non-profit organization focused on improving mathematics education for students of all ages. Since 1980, it has created learning environments where mathematics is used to investigate and model real world issues.

LU Student Musicians Featured in Sunday WPR Broadcast

Three Lawrence University student musicians — pianists Marshall Cuffe and David Keep and saxophonist Sumner Truax — will be featured performers April 11 at 12:30 p.m. in the annual Neale-Silva Young Artist’s Winners’ Recital.

The recital, performed in the Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison, will be broadcast live statewide on the Classical Music Network of Wisconsin Public Radio and can be heard locally on WPNE, 89.3 FM.

Cuffe, Keep and Truax were named three of the five winners at the 2010 Neale-Silva Young Artist’s Competition conducted last month.

For Sunday’s recital, Cuffe will perform Bach’s “Chromatic Fantasy in D minor” and “Fantasy on Themes from ‘The Wizard of Oz’” by William Hirtz. Keep will play three movements from Alberto Ginastera’s “Sonata No. 1.” Truax will perform “Buku” by Jacob Ter Veldhuis and “Tableaux de ProvenceI” by Paule Maurice.

“Trip Around the World” Goal of Lawrence International’s 34th Annual Cabaret

With a theme of “Around the World in 90 Minutes,” more than 80 Lawrence University students promise a whirlwind global tour in two performances of Lawrence International’s 34th annual Cabaret Saturday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday April 11 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave. A buffet dinner featuring international dishes will be served in the Warch Campus Center following the Sunday performance.

Tickets, at $8 for the show and $15 for the show and dinner, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749. Children four and under are free.

“Cabaret is a unique and entertaining way to experience the music, dance, food and fashion of cultures from around the world,” said Tim Schmidt, Lawrence International advisor. “The students put so much of themselves into this every year and are so proud to share part of their culture. I encourage the Lawrence and Fox Valley community to join us and see first-hand all that Cabaret has to offer.”

Students will showcase traditional fashion from their native countries as well as perform a wide range of entertainment, including native dances from China, Japan, Latin America, the Subcontinent, Africa and Vietnam, music from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Korea and Brazil and a group didjeridu performance .

Food Presentation Examines Local Sourcing, Sustainability Issues

Dayna Burtness, a Sustainability Fellow with Bon Appétit, the management company that oversees Lawrence University’s dining services, presents “The Story Behind the Food” Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Burtness is one of three recent college graduates serving as fellows for Bon Appétit who are studying best labor and sustainability practices on the farms that supply the company’s 400 cafés in 30 states across the country. The presentation will examine several Bon Appétit initiatives, including Farm to Fork, a local sourcing program and Low Carbon Diet.

Burtness is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she was co-founder of the college’s student-run farm and served as an intern with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and later became a program associate for the Institute’s Local Foods Program.

The mission of the Bon Appétit Fellows program is to gather information that will lead to better partnerships with farms of all sizes that supply the company’s kitchens. Bon Appétit wants to help farmers build and improve on existing relationships with all their buyers to regionalize and strengthen the country’s food supply chain and improve food security and sustainability for the future.

Bon Appétit began buying direct from farmers through its Farm to Fork local sourcing program 10 years ago as a way to address the loss of flavor in food as a result of industrial agricultural practices and long shipping distances.

Following a spring 2009 visit to Florida’s tomato fields and talks with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Bon Appétit expanded the program, addressing labor issues throughout its entire supply chain. The fellows’ work is the company’s next step toward justice and fairness for farm workers.

Stage Reading Features New Play by Lawrence University Professor Tim Troy

A staged reading of a new play written by Lawrence University Professor of Theatre Arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama Timothy X. Troy will be held Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. in Harper Hall. The reading is free and open to the public.

“Radio and Juliet” is a cautionary tale that incorporates Shakespearean themes with shades of George Orwell and 1950’s science fiction amid the workings of an elusive crime spree only Juliet can solve.

It centers around an environmental crisis that forces the government to create two classes of citizens: the resettled Arids, who occupy the recently exposed lake bed of the Great Lakes and the Old Shores, who protect what remains of the fresh water supply. Juliet is on the eve of reaching adulthood when she falls in love with an Arid pirate broadcaster who challenges the assumptions upon which her culture depends.

The three-character reading features Lawrence junior Erika Thiede as Juliet and professional actors from the American Players Theatre and the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.

The reading, a preliminary step before being staged as a full production, will feature actors reading from music stands with minimal props. Following the reading, the audience will be invited to participate in a group discussion to offer feedback on the plot or characters.

Troy began working on the project in 2006 and completed it earlier this year while on sabbatical. Last December he participated in a Lawrence-sponsored study tour of China that examined environmental and water policy issues with 12 students and colleagues from the economics and geology departments. Many of the themes explored in “Radio and Juliet” grew out of his China trip experiences.