Distinguished Lecture SeriesWestern Washington University "India" sculpture by Anthony Caro - 1976
2007 - 2008 SPEAKERS TICKETS PARKING & DIRECTIONS
ARCHIVE TURNING POINTS CONTACT

   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Bruce Beasley
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Pinky  Nelson

 

 

 



 


KATHY KNUTZEN

 

 

 

 


 

 


Marsha Riddle buly
 

 

 

 


 

 

 


  Midori Takagi

 

2007 - 2008
Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series
 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 pm - CF 110 -  (Communications Facility)

    turning points FACULTY lectures are free & OPEN
                      TO THE PUBLIC- no tickets required

The Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series celebrates the wealth of knowledge & talent on Western’s campus. The series features one hour eclectic talks by faculty who are experts in their fields.  E-mail fran.maas@wwu.edu or, call: 360 - 650:7545  for special accommodations or more information.
      Sponsored by the Western Washington University Foundation
                             ▪ Directions to the Communications Facility
 www.wwu.edu/wwu_campus_map/  - CF 110 is on ground floor

 April 16 ▪ Bruce Beasley ▪ English- (NOTE-Date Chang: from 4/9 to 4/16)
 "Poetry and the Pleasures of the Strange"
To celebrate National Poetry Month, Bruce Beasley, award-winning poet and Professor of English, will examine the ways poetry, both ancient and contemporary, can comfort and terrify us through its extremity—emotional, linguistic, formal, spiritual, intellectual extremities that make poetry sometimes off-putting and strange in its intensities and its differences from ordinary speech. 

 Beasley has taught at Western since 1992 and is the author of six books of poetry, including The Corpse Flower: New and Selected Poems, published last year by the University of Washington Press.  He won the 1993 Ohio State University Press Award for his book The Creation; the 1996 Colorado Prize in Poetry (selected by Charles Wright) for Summer Mystagogia; and the 2005 University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series for Lord Brain, a poetic meditation on neuroscience, cosmology, and theology.  He has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Artist Trust of Washington.  His work has won three poetry Pushcart Prizes and was selected for inclusion in The Pushcart Book of Poetry: The Best Poems from the First Thirty Years of the Pushcart Prize.

Through a reading & discussion of his own poems and work by Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Theodore Roethke, Harryette Mullen, and other poets, Beasley will tour some of the ways in which poetry draws on chant, paradox, prayer, parable, metaphor, and ambiguity, as well as storytelling and the music of words.“This was a Poet—It is That--/Distills amazing sense/From ordinary Meanings--,” Emily Dickinson wrote.  Beasley will discuss ways in which poetry brings sense out of the intensities of our senses and “ordinary meanings” out of the mazes of language.  He will read from his book-in-progress Paradoxography, conceived as a 21st-century parallel to ancient Greek paradoxographies, which were literary collections of wonders: the strange, the inexplicable, the revelatory, and the marvelous.

November 14 - 07 ▪ George "Pinky" Nelson ▪Dir., Science Math & Technology Ed.

Sputnik plus 50 years – The Enduring Impact  
    Pinky Nelson, Science, Math & Tech. Ed. Dir. & Physics/Astronomy professor has been at WWU since 2002, & was a NASA astronaut/mission specialist aboard 3 space shuttle flights from 1978-89. 
   “In Oct. 1957, as a 7 year-old boy, along with millions of other Americans, I watched a faint ‘star’ move rapidly from west to east across the evening sky. I will never forget how excited it made me feel about the future, and how nervously the grownups reacted,” said Nelson. “In '89, after three trips into orbit, I was among the first westerners to visit Kazakhstan to stand on the launch pad where the Space Age started.”  
   50 years have passed since Sputnik was launched, but Nelson said its impact is still being felt in gov., military, schools, media, the scientific community and in our culture. He believes Sputnik was a turning point-the day we first left the planet to begin our expansion into the solar system and beyond.
   Nelson was Project 2061 director & senior staff member of American Assoc. for Adv. of Science. Project 2061 focuses on science, math, & tech. ed. reform at all levels–creating a system where all high school graduates are literate in science, math & technology.
   As an astronaut, Nelson’s missions included: 1st on-orbit satellite repair in '84; pilot for 1st operational flight of manned maneuvering unit & primary extravehicular crewman; crew on flight of Discovery-Sept. '89, immediately following the Challenger. Nelson has advised NASA as chair of the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions 3A & 3B External Independent Readiness Review Team.  

January 16 - 08 ▪ Kathy Knutzen ▪ Assoc. Dean, College of Humanities & Social Sciences & Professor of Physical Education - Active Living for Health
    Knutzen is director of WWU’s Center for Healthy Living and has taught at WWU since 1978.“Active Living for Health” reviewed health risks associated with physical inactivity and physical activity/inactivity trends across age groups. She examined the health benefits of physical activity demonstrating strong support for inclusion of regular physical activity for overall health. Different types of exercise ws examined ointing out benefits related to cardiovascular or strength exercise. Factors such as transportation, environment and lifestyle were explored from the role they play in influencing overall physical activity participation.
     A Professor in the Physical Education, Health & Recreation Department & Associate Dean of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Knutzen has taught courses in Kinesiology & Biomechanics since 1979 and has directed the Mature Adult Training Program since 1995 -  introducing hundreds of older adults to strength & physical activity for maintenance/ mprovement of function in aging.
     Knutzen coordinates the Center for Healthy Living activities, a center comprised of faculty from seven departments who promote health in the community. Her research interests include older adult function and exercise equipment evaluation. She recently completed the 3rd edition of a biomechanics/kinesiology textbook and she maintains an active publication/research presentation schedule. She is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and the Research Consortium of AAHPERD. She was recently inducted into the American Academy of Kinesiology, a prestigious organization with 150 active members who have made significant contributions to the fields of kinesiology & physical education.

February 13 ▪ Marsha Riddle Buly ▪ Elementary Education
Demystifying Bilingual Education
       Marsha Riddle Buly received the 2005-06 Excellence in Teaching Award and was the Spring 2006
commencement speaker. In her talk, she explored why bilingual education in the U.S. is misunderstood.  She notes that “countries throughout the world offer students opportunities to study at least two languages in elementary school.  In Finland and Spain, students regularly study/speak three languages, not just two.” But in the U.S., bilingual education in elementary schools is less common.
    Riddle Buly described the difference between additive & subtractive approaches to bilingual education. Additive or enrichment bilingual education is instruction that uses two or more languages where students fluently speak, read, write, and comprehend all languages of instruction. In subtractive or remedial bilingual education the goal is to replace whatever language a student speaks with only English. She  provided potential benefits of additive bilingual education for both English Language Learners and native U.S. English speakers.
     Marsha Riddle Buly joined Western's faculty in 1999. For 20 years she has worked in K-12 schools as a teacher, language and reading specialist, & mentor teacher in Spain, California, and WA. Her educational  focus is on literacy assessment/instruction with an emphasis on historically marginalized students in K-12.  Her interest in student achievement led to a 2nd focus on how teachers can effectively work with all students. Currently, her work in in  bilingual education focusing on how English Language Learners & native English speakers learn in a bilingual setting. Her work has been published in many journals and books.

March 5 ▪ Midori Takagi ▪ Fairhaven College
 "There are no Katos Here, Everyone is the Hornet: The Asian Hero in American Action Films"
   Takagi teaches Interdisciplinary Studies including U.S. history, African American history and
  comparative racial & ethnic studies.

This lecture will discuss the history of cinema heroes and the Asian American experience and why Hollywood won’t allow Asian men to “beat the bad guy, get the girl and ride into the sunset.”  The popularity of Asian stars in American movies has been growing for the past 30 years.  Since the 1970s, beginning with Bruce Lee, Asian actors have become more visible and have moved beyond a cult following.  Examples of recent popular Asian action stars include Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chow Yun Fat, and Jet Li, all of whom have been thrilling western moviegoers with feats of physical agility and power. With each of their box office successes, Asian actors in general are finding greater opportunities to play leading roles.  They are no longer limited to being the side-kick or chauffer-in the vein of Kato - to a crime-fighting hero such as the Green Hornet.  They now can play the Hornet himself.  While many critics, and many fans, readily honor Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, and Jet Li to be American action heroes, their crowns do not fit well.  Because in spite of these actors’ impact on Hollywood, they have not redefined the American action tradition to truly accept an Asian hero.   

                                              ▪ Turning Points  P A R K I N G ▪
 No permit is required to park after 5 p.m. in the gravel lots 12A and the C lots south of the
Communications Facility, near Fairhaven College.  Parking meters require payment all hours. 

                ▪ for more info. or disability accommodations ▪
                 call: 360-650-7545 or email Fran.Maas@wwu.edu
 

                   

   ▪ ▪ ▪ Past Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series Presentations  ▪ ▪ ▪

    ▪ ▪ 2006-2007 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Oct. 1, 2006 - Mary Janell Metzger - English - "Teaching and Learning in an Age of Fear and Corruption"  
The author of Shakespeare Without Fear: Teaching for Understanding, English professor Mary Janell Metzger explored the connections between student fear, corruption or what is more commonly known as “cheating,” and the nature of teaching and learning today. Through  her experience as a teacher of the anxiety producing Bard, Metzger examined the nature of today’s students’ fear of failure, the relationship between such fear, contemporary education debates, the culture of moral corruption advanced by global capitalism, and the work of teaching/learning. She argued that teachers & students must risk failure i to engage the work of writers like Shakespeare, writers that challenge us to think as clearly, and reasonably as we can about who they invite us to be as their readers — individually, historically, socially, politically – and what such an experience means for living in this world – in and outside the classroom.
A DVD of Metzger's presentation is available in Western's Library & can be checked out. 

Jan. 1, 2007 - Zite Hutton - Accounting   "The IRS: Myths and  Reality"  
Award-winning professor Marguerite "Zite" Hutton, a former IRS Agent and a CPA, discussed common "myths" related to the IRS and taxes, and countered those myths based on her own experience and observation and current research.  Hutton stated that "no one likes to pay taxes, even though tax revenue pays for the many services that are provided by our communities, states and country."  "There are so many myths -such as tax refunds are only delivered on Tuesdays" - and everyone hears horror stories, such as "do you know what the IRS did to a friend of a friend of a friend?" Hutton is the CBE Distinguished Teaching Fellow for 2006-09. She is also the recipient of: WA Society of CPA's "2005 Outstanding Accounting Educator for WA State;" WWU's Excellence in Teaching Award;  Chase Franklin Excellence in Teaching Award; & the American Taxation Association/Arthur Anderson Teaching Innovation Award.
A DVD of Hutton's ' talk  is available in Western's library - Special Collections.   M-F- 11 am-4 pm, or by appt.@ @ 650-3193. The tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out. 

FEB. 21, 2007 - Steve Globerman - Economics - "Competing for Highly Educated People:  Is the U.S. Economy in Trouble?"
Globerman, Kaiser Professor of International Business & Dir. of the Center for International Business, contended that highly educated workers are a major resource for innovation and economic growth. Traditionally, the U.S. has been a magnet for students seeking advanced degrees, and for highly educated and trained professionals. The inward migration of highly educated people has been a prominent reason for the prosperity the U.S. has enjoyed over the past decades. Researchers are increasingly concerned that the U.S. is becoming less attractive as a migration destination for highly educated people, including those who already hold U.S. citizenship. The presentation focused on the issues of whether and why the U.S. is becoming a less attractive location for highly educated people to live/work. Possible policy responses on the part of U.S. government officials was also discussed. Globerman has published articles, and books on international business topics. He is listed in Who’s Who in Economics; Who’s Who in International Business and Who’s Who in Business Education. His personal/professional interest in international migration issues  was honed by his own experience as a migrant who lived and worked in Canada.


March 7 - Gregory Pulver -Theatre Arts Chair  - "Feminism and  Costume History"  
 Pulver's lecture was not just about  clothing, - it was also about cultural influences and why women in power wore what they wore. He presented an overview of costume & fashion history spanning over 4,000 years, focusing on women in roles of leadership. Nefertiti, Queen Elizabeth, Amelia Bloomer, early women's rights activist, and other strong women were discussed as ground-breakers of fashion and history. He also explored women's silhouette and how it has changed throughout history from Queen Elizabeth's time to the present. Pulver teaches courses in costume design and history and specialty classes in puppetry, millinery, mask making, and movement for actors.  
 A DVD of Pulver's presentation is available in Western's Library and can be checked out. 

 April 11 - Ray Wolpow-Chair, Secondary Education
"Through the Dead of Night:  Lessons in Resiliency and  Hope from Survivors of the Holocaust"
Wolpow, Director of the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Ethnocide Education, stated that many K-12 students have backgrounds that include pervasive familial/societal violence. Students who live in families that mistreat them, in dangerous neighborhoods, who attend school with hostile and delinquent peers, cannot choose to leave. This lack of choice over people/environments increases juveniles’ vulnerability to intimate victimization and participation in related high-risk behaviors. Consequences: low self-esteem, depression, attachment, personality & sexual disorders, and dramatic decreases in academic performance. Holocaust survivors know abuse, gang violence, murder and betrayal. Many who are familiar with pain of loss have constructed meaningful lives. Survivors who affirmed value of life in face of death and chose recovery in the face of despair, do more than inspire us. Sharing stories of how survivors restored their lives by helping others and the creation a new genre of “testimonial” literature, he showed how their messages, taught with a pedagogy that fosters resiliency, can be comforting to K-12 students struggling to recover from their own traumas.

   ▪ ▪ 2005-2006 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

October 19 - Wendy Walker - Environmental Studies
"Disaster is in the Eye of the Beholder: An Alligator’s View of Hurricane Katrina"  
 Walker explored whether Hurricane Katrina and other sudden natural events like tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, while so devastating to humans, could actually benefit other species. She suggested that humans tend to view these events in the context of their own lives as “disasters,” though the events have varying impacts, both positive and negative, on diverse species – and may actually be a necessary and natural part of the Earth’s complex environmental systems.  “It’s possible that what is good for an alligator in the long run might even aid the human species in the long run,” added Walker. To quote naturalist John Muir, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
 a DVD of walker's ' lecture is  available in western's library - special collections.   m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

November 16  -   Dawn Prince Hughes - Anthropology -
"The Curious Incident of the Gorilla in the Meantime: My Unusual Path to Academe"
Dawn Prince-Hughes explored her unique path to academic success. Undiagnosed with Autism until age 36 she had a very difficult time in school. Eventually, she quit school in her third year of high school and left home, becoming homeless for several years. A chance meeting with a group of captive gorillas afforded her an opportunity to learn  how to understand human social behavior, how to regulate sensory stress and resulting anxiety, and eventually led to her rediscovering my enthusiasm for learning. As a result, Prince-Hughes obtained a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary anthropology through Universitat Herisau, in  Switzerland, with primate studies as a focus. Dawn focused on how autistic/highly sensitive students can either excel or fail in the academic world, what strategies work and do not work for students  and the need for "neurodiversity" within the university community.
 an audio tape of Price-Hughes presentation is available in western's library and can be checked out.  consult the on-line catalog for availability.

January 18 - Peter Haug -  Decision Sciences  "Outsourcing in India and its Effect on the United States"
 Haug addressed American offshore outsourcing of information technology, technical and customer support services, and business processes to India.  He contends that outsourcing will increase dramatically during the next several years. By 2008, a National Association of Software and Service Companies  survey estimates that Indian employment in IT outsourcing service providers will increase from 650,000 to over 1 million people. Based upon the authors’ experiences in teaching about and observing outsourcing activities in India, this presentation discussed  recent trends in offshore outsourcing to India and the benefits and challenges of outsourcing for the United States. 
 a DVD of Haug's presentation is available in western's library and can be checked out. 
consult on-line catalog for availability.   
February 15 - Sandra Mottner -  Finance & Marketing
"Nonprofit Marketing: A Different Kind of Shareholder Wealth"
 Mottner, addressed a relatively new area of study: the growing use of business tools and theories to help nonprofit organizations achieve their goals and work with their constituencies. According to Mottner, nonprofit marketing involves using marketing strategy and tools to “do good,” rather than just making a profit.  She said nonprofit organizations are often understaffed, under-funded and dependent on volunteers who are not skilled in marketing or fundraising, so they could clearly benefit from strategic, traditionally profit-driven marketing strategies. Mottner presented samples of nonprofit marketing for museums.
 a DVD of Mottner's presentation is available in western's library and can be checked out. 
consult the on-line catalog for availability.   

April 12 - Fallou Ngom - Modern & Classical Languages
 "Language Analysis in Asylum Cases:  Recent Development in Forensic Linguistics"
 Ngom discussed how many Western governments now use language analysis to determine the national origin of asylum seekers. Due to wars, poverty, population displacements and migration, the number of asylum seekers to Western countries to grow. "While many people apply for asylum for genuine reasons, some use the asylum system to immigrate to the West by claiming that they come from a country whose citizens are normally granted asylum," said Ngom. And, in cases where immigration officials doubt the asylum applicant's claims, the socio-linguistic features in the applicant's speech are analyzed to verify whether they are consistent with those found in the communities they claim to be from.
a DVD of Ngom's  presentation is available in western's library and can be checked out. 
consult the on-line catalog for availability.   

    ▪ ▪  2004-2005 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

November 17 - Arunas Oslapas -  Industrial Design "Zero Waste"
 Arunas Oslapas, Associate Professor & Industrial Design Program Coordinator in the Engineering Technology department spoke about an ongoing industrial design project that focuses on intercepting industrial waste/scrap and incorporating it into innovative products that address the triple bottom line of economics, social equity and the environment. He described experiments and showed visuals, and showed failures and successes as his students have embarked on their adventures to "turn trash into cash." Oslapas stressed that “In order for our Earth to be a fully sustainable system, we must reach a point of zero waste. In nature, the perfect model, there is no waste; all ‘products’ produced in natural systems are food or raw materials for another level in the cycle,” said Oslapas.  “Understanding the cyclical characteristics of nature can aid us in the man-made world as we mimic nature and pattern our systems after her.”
 an audio tape of Oslapas' lecture is  available in western's library - special collections.  M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out. 

January 19 - Gigi Berardi & Lynne Robbins -  Environmental Studies
"Academic Tribes & Territories: Promoting Diversity"
 In addition to working together at Huxley, where Berardi in Environmental Studies Chair, Robbins and Berardi co-developed the Tribal Environmental and Natural Resources Management program which is used at Northwest Indian College. The program combines the different social, cultural and academic principles distinct to Western and Native American approaches to science learning, to build a core learning community. "How groups and individuals perceive and communicate with one another within their concepts of time and space, and interaction, or how they establish modes of learning are very  important parts of culture," Berardi said. Some cultures favor "high-content" learning, using multiple-streams of information surrounding an event. Communication is within the context itself, not within the actual message delivered. For "low-context learners, the pattern is the opposite: filtering out conditions surrounding an event  to focus as much as possible on the words and objective facts.
an audio tape of Berardi/Robbins lecture is available  in western's library - special collections. m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out. 

March 9 - Kristi Lemm - Psychology "How Well Do You Know How You Feel?"
 Lemm, has done extensive research on implicit, or unconscious, beliefs and attitudes, particularly  implicit prejudice.  Her current work focuses on implicit bias related to race, obesity, gender and sexual orientation.  To show how such implicit beliefs are measured, Lemm allowed audience members to take the Implicit Association Test. "In recent years, researchers have realized that people are not always willing to reveal their attitudes, particularly regarding socially sensitive topics such as prejudice. In addition, people may have attitudes they don't even realize they possess", Lemm said.   She also described studies that she and her colleagues and student have conducted at Western to assess implicit attitudes, with a particular focus on her ongoing research about attitudes toward gay men.
an audio tape of Lemm's  lecture is  available  in western's library - special collections -  m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

April 13 - Bruce Larson - Secondary Education & Social Studies  "Using Face-to-Face & Electronic Discussions to Examine Controversial Issues, Develop Citizenship & Promote Thinking"
 Bruce Larson, the 2003 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, credits his 11 years of secondary teaching experience to leading him to the realization that classroom discussion is a critical teaching tool. Larson believes that electronic formats may serve to reduce the teacher's authority, and allow students to assume more authority during the discussion. This could serve to make the discourse more egalitarian and less focused on student attributes such as status, power, ethnicity, or culture.  Such discussion boards could allow typically unheard student to have a "voice."

    ▪ ▪ 2003-2004  ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

October 23 - Brian Bingham - Huxley College  "Immersion Experiences & Intensive Mentoring"
 Brian Bingham discussed his experiences promoting diversity in marine science education as keys to academic success. Bingham is director of Western's Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program which annually enrolls students from around the country for two quarters of course work, research, participation in K-8 classroom outreach and presentations at professional meetings.  Brian has directed MIMSUP since its inception 13 years ago. He won the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence, administered by the National Science Foundation, and a Management Excellence Award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Bingham also received Western's 2002/03 Diversity Achievement Award.
an audio tape of Bingham's' lecture is  available in western's library - special collections .  m-f -11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

November 20 - Millie Johnson -  Mathematics
 "Using Mathematics to Understand What Bees are Buzzing About"
 "Mathematics isn't just about computation anymore," says Johnson, an award-winning teacher with 31 years experience. Johnson notes that the defense department is currently training bees to sniff out explosives.  Their sense of smell is better than dogs and they can easily fly to their target undetected. She stated that bees can not only detect the mines without requiring a walk through the explosives, they can also revitalize agriculture via pollination. Johnson received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America's Pacific NW Chapter.
 An audio tape of Johnson's lecture is  available  in Western's Library - Special Collections department.   Mon-Fri. 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. The tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

February 12 - Charles Sylvester -  Physical Education, Health & Recreation "Leisure & Liberal Education"
 Charles Sylvester, a 2002/03 Excellence in Teaching recipient, earned the 2001 Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Society of Park and Recreation Educators and the 1991 Member of the Year Award from the National Therapeutic Recreation Society.  In his presentation, Sylvester explored the classical relation between leisure and liberal education.  He also described several of the historical forces that transformed leisure, causing it to be associated in the modern mind with emptiness, shopping, and entertainment rather than education and excellence. Finally, he considered the possibility of restoring leisure and liberal education in a way suitable for modern democracy.
audio tape of Sylvester's' lecture is  available in western's library - special collections   m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out. 

March 4 - Alan Gallay - History "Slavery and Race in Early America"
 Allan Gallay was honored in 2003 with the prestigious Bancroft Prize for his book, The Indian slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the South, 1670-1717. His the first historian to focus on Native American slavery, a project that took 13 years of research. He was the 2002/2003 recipient of the Olscamp Research Award. "Most American assume that slavery and race were inseparable and unchangeable in American history. Yet concepts of race evolved as American slavery altered over time, said Gallay,who also examined how the ideology of freedom for some and enslavement for others occurred in the revolutionary and antebellum period. 
An audio tape of Gallay's lecture is  available in western's library - special collections.  m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

April 15 - Carol Janson - Art History "Common Ground: Partnerships in Art & Community"
 Carol Janson was one of four Center for Instructional Innovation 2002/03 "showcase" faculty to utilize her senior seminar "as a bridge to students' futures." She devised a service-learning project in which students created paintings for Whatcom Transit Authority bus shelters. Through a power-point presentation, Janson proved that an opportunity to combine students' artistic talents with critical thinking and problem solving was useful to them and an enhancement to their community.
An audio tape of Janson's lecture is  available  in western's library - special collections - m-f - 11 am - 4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out. 

      ▪ ▪ 2002-2003 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

October 24 - Suzanne Paola - English  "Afterwards: A Reading"
In her presentation, Suzanne Paola wove together evolutionary science and personal material. She read from "Body Toxic" - her first work of non-fiction. Paola is an award-winning author and poet who was awarded a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant for creative writing and earned the esteemed Brittingham Prize for her poetry. Written under the name Susanne Antonetta, her environmental memoir, "Body Toxic" was also named a 2001 New York Times Notable Book and an American Book Award winner.
 An audio tape of Paola's lecture is  available in western's library - special collections.   m-f -  11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

November 21 - Karen Hoelscher - Education & Joe Garcia - Management "Diversity Flashpoints"
 Professors Hoelscher and Garcia, both winners of the Diversity Achievement Award, discussed their national study of potentially explosive interpersonal situations bourn out of identity differences. Their objective is to enable educators to become more effective in managing these challenging incidents. Based on interviews with colleagues from universities across the U.S., this presentation provided insights into their research methods, and found implications for practice.
audio tape of lecture is  available  in western's library - Special Collections.  m-f - 11-4 pm, or by appointmentt @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

January 30 - Sara Weir - Political Science  "Women Care Givers & Intergenerational Relationships"
Weir's talk focused on women caring for women; the importance of intergenerational relationships with non-family members, and kindness and humor as strategies for acceptance of aging. She has expertise in the topic, particularly the social, political and interpersonal implications of aging, and co-chaired Western's interdisciplinary gerontology certificate program.  She makes care giving decisions for her mother and aunt who have significant memory loss.
An audio tape of Weir's lecture is available  in western's library - special collections.   m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

February 20 - David Nelson - Economics "From Plan to Market Economic Educ. in the former Soviet Union"
 David Nelson discussed efforts underway in the former Soviet Union to teach  young people about how a market economy functions. During his tour of the former Soviet Union in 2001, Nelson observed students learning lessons in economics, which he developed for U.S. students, which are now being used throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Nelson asked his audience to consider: "Will the seeds that are being planted today among students in the Ukraine, in Belarus, and in many other countries of the former Soviet Bloc, bear fruit in the years to come as a new generation of young people assumes leadership responsibilities in these countries?"
An audio tape of Nelson's lecture is  available in western's library - special collections.   M-F -
11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

March 13 - George Nelson - Science Education
 "Goofy Goals & Hidden Agendas: Recapturing the Vision of Education Reform"
 George Nelson, a former astronaut who has logged more than 400 hours of space travel, including voyages on the STS-41C Challenger and the STS-26 Discovery is the new director of the Science, Math & Technology Education program. He arrived at Western in January 2002, to continue his lifelong pursuit of education reform to ensure that all Americans are literate in science, math and technology. Before coming to WWU he served for 5 years with the American Association of the Advancement of Science as the Director of Project 2061, a national initiative to reform K-12 science, math, and technology education in the U.S.

April 24 - Dana Jack - Fairhaven College
 "Mapping the Valleys in the Minds of Nepal: A First Study of Depression in the Hindu Kingdom"
 Winner of the 2002 Paul Olscamp Research Award, Dana Jack traveled to Nepal in 2001 to research how gender issues relate to depression and play out in other cultural contexts. While she was there, she taught courses in women's studies and helped develop a graduate-level gender studies curriculum at Tribbhuvan University in Katmandu. Author of "Silencing the Self" a ground-breaking study of depression in American women, Jack engages in internationally recognized research. Her latest book, "Behind the Mask: Destruction & Creativity in Women's Aggression" explores the origins, meanings and forms of women's aggression.
 An audio tape of Jack's  lecture is  available  in western's library - special collections - m-f -
11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 


    ▪ ▪ 2001-2002 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

October 16 - David Patrick - Chemistry  "Nanoscience?"
 Nanoscience studies the world at the size scale of atoms and molecules. Though the subject matter is very small, the scope and technological impacts of this new field of science are potentially very large. No other discipline in the natural sciences is receiving as much attention and is the subject of as much hype as nanoscience. Optimistic futurists predict nanoscience will produce cures for disease, save the environment and solve the problem of the social security deficit, among other things.  Others, such as Bill Joy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, worry about a future filed with nanorobots run amuck, plotting to make humans obsolete.  Amid the promise and hyperbole, one certainty is that funding for nanoscience research has increased dramatically at a time when support for non-health related basic research has been constant or declining.  Will nanoscience deliver on its promises? Do we have something to fear?
An audio tape of Patrick's  lecture is  available  in western's library - special collections  - m-f 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

November 13 - David Sattler - Psychology  "New National Study shows American Resiliency After Sept. 11"
 Sattler, an expert on psychological responses to disasters, presented results of a new national study indicating that a strong majority of college students have reprioritized their lives and are exhibiting positive signs of coping and resiliency since Sept. 11. Two weeks after the September 11 attacks, Sattler and two Western Graduate students interviewed 1,282 college students. Respondents were in New York city ; Boulder, CO; Charleston, SC and at Western. Regardless of proximity to the tragedy, Sattler's team found attitudes of the college students survey were surprisingly similar.
An audio tape of Sattler's lecture is  available in western's library - special collections - m-f
11 am-4 pm, or by appointment  @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

January 15 - Scott Babcock - Geology  "Earth Visions - Reading the Rocks of the Pacific Northwest"
 Scott Babcock "read" stories told by some of the spectacular geologic features in this region.  Among the "chapters" in Babcock's slide-illustrated talk, were tales of micro plate mosaics, volcanic cataclysms and how the Ice Age came and went. "The Pacific Northwest is blessed with some of the most spectacular geologic features to be found anywhere in the world." One of the great beauties of the science of geology is that a great deal of the earth's history can be interpreted by merely observing the form and substance of rocks and landscapes. Geologists call this reading the rocks."

February 12 - Julie Lockhart - Accounting  "Accountancy: Steward of the Land or Pawn of the Status Quo?"
 What does the field of accounting have to do with the natural environment? Julie Lockhart addressed this question by reviewing the current status  of corporate financial reporting on environmental issues and by providing examples from companies' financial reports.  She critiqued the accounting model dealing with the environment and describes dome of the barriers that exist to preventing better reporting of environmental impacts, thus keeping accountancy a "pawn status quo." There is hope that accounting can help improve the environment, since "what gets measured gets done." Many companies now produce environmental reports outlining environmental initiatives and progress. As more companies accept these guidelines, we may see accountancy hold a prominent role in the environmental stewardship.
 An audio tape of Lockhart's lecture is  available in western's library - special collections -  m-f
11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 

March 5 - Rosemary Vohs - Elementary Education & Communication
"An Evening of Storytelling: Art & Academic Pursuit"
 Rosemary Scott Vohs, a professional storyteller and public speaking coach presented and evening of storytelling. Storytelling is now recognized as an interdisciplinary subject that delves into the fields of anthropology, environmental education, communication, business, creative writing, healing arts and theater. Vohs was classically trained in performance arts in her native England. She has taken her award-winning talent to Australia, Southeast Asia and Canada. She produces Telebration and co-produces the Bellingham Storytelling Festival, both part of National Storytelling Week.
 An audio tape of Voh's lecture is available in western's library - special collections - m-f
11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out. 


    ▪ ▪ 2000-2001 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

October 17 - Todd Donovan - Political Science "Can Ballot Initiatives Improve Our Civic Life?"
 Nationally known for his expertise on voting habits and ballot initiatives, Donovan discussed the critical viewpoint that the citizen's initiative process wreaks havoc on democracy in Washington and other states. He spoke of overstated threats like the cost of ballot access, the role of special interests and the threat that initiatives pose to minorities. Donovan contended that initiatives may strengthen democracy in ways that are most often overlooked "In Nov. 2000 voters were asked to vote on more imitative measures than in any election since 1914," Donovan said.

November 14 - Ed Rutschman - Music  "When Composers Borrow, Who Gets the Paycheck?"
 Excellence in Teaching award-winner for 1992-93, Ed Rutschman, musicologist and composer, explored the borrowing practices of musicians over the long span of a millennium, from Gregorian chant to the present day Napster court case. The recent digital dissemination of recorded music has raised serious questions about the protection of intellectual property. Many of the same issues are centuries old. What if Handel appropriated the music of another composer and used it tin the context of his own work? Was he simply paying homage to the other composer, or was he engaging in criminal activity? He played examples of distinctly similar recorded works - he let audience decide for themselves.

January 16 - Michael Seal - Engineering Technology (VRI)  "V-12 Compound Expansion Composite Engines"
 Michael Seal, founder and director of Western's Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) talked about the V-12 compound engine which was recently developed at the Vehicle Research Institute. The engine, capable of reaching 300 horsepower when all 12 cylinders are working replaced the experimental Subaru engine currently in the Viking 7. The engine will improve upon that of a Honda Civic. The target weight of the engine is 200 pounds, a reduction in 100 pounds from the Civic' equivalent engine and 400 pounds from a V-8 engine. Since 1971, Seal and his students and staff have produced prize-winning research vehicles, experimental racing cars and automobile engines.

February 13 - Larry Estrada - Fairhaven College