Friday, October 12, 2012

Catherine Kautsky — Professor of music

“Clowns, Colonies and Cakewalks: An audio-visual tour of Debussy’s Paris, c. 1900”
Claude Debussy’s music, with its sensuality and its evocative titles, couldn’t have been written anywhere but Paris. Professor Kautsky examines the Parisian political scene at the turn of the 20th-century — the cabarets and circuses that Debussy frequented and the artists with whom he surrounded himself. She also will perform several works most emblematic of the belle époque in this, Europe’s most tantalizing, city.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Jake Frederick — Associate professor of history

“Surviving the Apocalypse: 2012 and the Maya End of Days”
The media has made much of the Maya “prophesy” that the world will end on December 21, 2012. What exactly did the Maya predict? How do scholars view this extreme version of the Y2K crisis? Professor Frederick looks at just how the Maya viewed time and what, if anything, we should expect this winter when the current cycle of Maya time runs out.
 

Friday, February 8, 2013

Lori Hilt  — Associate professor of psychology

“The Psychology of Mindfulness Meditation”

Mindfulness meditation — paying attention, on purpose and without judgment — is an emerging area of treatment for a variety of psychological problems. Rooted in Eastern philosophy, it is now being widely applied in conjunction with more traditional Western approaches. Professor Hilt will explore the practice of mindfulness meditation and the research on its effectiveness for mental health. Come ready for some experiential learning!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Douglas Martin — Assistant professor of physics

“The Higgs Boson: Without You, We Can’t Have Mass”
After 50 years of searching, the scientific community celebrated with much fanfare the discovery of the Higgs Boson in the summer of 2012. In this audience-friendly address, Professor Martin will discuss what the Higgs Boson “is,” why we need it to have mass and how its discovery is both the end and the beginning of a story in fundamental physics.
 

Friday, April 12, 2013

Adam Galambos — Assistant professor of economics

“The Science of Strategy: From Auctions to Kidney Exchanges”
Game theory has grown from an obscure field in mathematics into a science that is central to economics. The Nobel Prize in economic sciences has been awarded to game theorists in 1994, 2005 and 2007. In this short introduction to game theory, Professor Galambos explores some of the most successful applications of game theory, including multi-billion-dollar government auctions, national kidney exchanges and internet advertising.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Julie Lindemann and John Shimon — Associate professors of art

“The Wisconsin Project: Examining Wisconsin Through Postcard Views Made and Found”
As subject matter goes, the Midwest, particularly Wisconsin, may be regarded by some as little more than banal, “fly over,” material. But photographers Julie Lindemann and John Shimon think otherwise. Their latest project utilizes postcards — some uncovered, others created — to explore the rural and urban ruins that serve as monuments to existences as people, businesses, and ideas come and go.