Campus News

Actor and political adviser Kal Penn will speak at the Student Activities Board’s “Fall Lecture” Friday.

Penn starred in movies such as “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Superman Returns,” as well as TV shows such as “House” and “How I Met Your Mother.”

He was a member of the National Arts Policy Committee for the Obama administration and associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

The event is set for 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the UIC Forum. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Participants must have a valid i-Card to enter.

For information, email uicsab@gmail.com

 

Puerto Rican philharmonic

The Orquesta Filarmonica de Puerto Rico brings music from Puerto Rico to UIC Thursday for the Cuatro Festival.

Performers include special guests Hector “Quique” Domenech and Ramon Rodriguez.

The event, part of the Chancellor’s Lecture and Event Series, takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. at Gallery 1100, Architecture and Art Building.

RSVP to sjeffr1@uic.edu

 

Great green ideas?

What does sustainability mean for UIC?

Share your thoughts at two upcoming town hall meetings.

The campuswide strategic thinking meetings, “Going Beyond Green: Excellence through Sustainability at UIC,” will identify and explore ways to incorporate sustainability at all campus levels.

The town halls are scheduled from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 14 in Stukel Towers Training Room and noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in 713 Student Center East.

 

Narrating nations

Four internationally known authors from Central and Eastern Europe will present readings and lectures Friday at the “Narrating Nations” conference Friday.

Speakers include Bosnian American author Aleksandar Hemon, winner of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant”; German author Marcel Beyer; Russian writer Mikhail Shishkin, whose novel Maidenhair received the 2011 International Book Award; and Polish journalist-photographer Filip Springer.

The conference, organized by the Germanic studies and Slavic and Baltic languages and literatures departments, begins Thursday at the Goethe-Institut Chicago, 150 N. Michigan Ave.

 

Urban Forum

The 2013 UIC Urban Forum will examine the role of technology in metropolitan regions’ emerging economic, political and social changes.

Co-chairs for the event, held Dec. 5 at the UIC Forum, are Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president, and UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares.

Admission is free for Chicago-area faculty and students; tickets for the general public are $25.

 

Extreme by design

The School of Public Health hosts a screening of the PBS documentary “Extreme By Design” Thursday.

The documentary follows a group of Stanford University business, engineering and medical students who travel to Bangladesh and Indonesia to build affordable medical devices and fresh water storage systems as part of the Design for Extreme Affordability course.

A workshop from 4:30 to 6 p.m. asks students to complete a design challenge. The film screening takes place from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., followed by a panel discussion. Panelists include filmmaker Ralph King, School of Public Health dean Paul Brandt-Rauf and UIC Innovation Center executive director Peter Pfanner.

Workshop registration is required.

 

Future of Chicago

Civic and political leaders will speak on campus this semester for the department of political science “Future of Chicago” lecture series, which focuses on the social, economic and political conditions of the Chicago area.

All lectures are free and open to the public. They are held from noon to 12:50 p.m. in 230 Science and Engineering South.

Scheduled lectures include:

• Today: “The Future of Illinois,” former Illinois governor Jim Edgar

• Nov. 13: “Public Space in Chicago,” Erma Trantor, executive director, Friends of the Parks

For more information call 312-413-3780.

 

Irish tenor concert benefits students

John McDermott, a founding member of The Irish Tenors, will headline the 13th annual S.E.E. Benefit Dec. 6.

The event will also feature the Dee Alexander Trio. Alexander is an award-winning jazz vocalist and UIC employee in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

The event, hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, funds scholarships for UIC students who demonstrate strong leadership skills.

A reception, dinner and concert are included in the $225 ticket price ($125 is tax-deductible). The event begins at 5 p.m. with the concert starting at 8 p.m. in the UIC Forum.

For information or tickets, call 312-413-0077 or e-mail ovcsa@uic.edu

 

Careers in business academia

Thinking about enrolling in a business doctorate program?

The Liautaud Graduate School of Business will host the DocNet Forum Nov. 20 to present information on careers in business academia.

A faculty and student panel starts at 5:30 p.m. and a recruiting forum is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., all in the UIC Forum.

 

Researcher of the Year


Nominations are due Nov. 18 for 2013 Researcher of the Year, awarded to five faculty members chosen from the research categories of basic life sciences, clinical sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities.

The award includes a $5,000 prize.

 

 

Global conference

UIC co-hosts an international conference next month on the role of research universities in addressing global challenges.

Delegates from 25 research universities from around the world will be in Chicago Nov. 18 to 20 for the “Global Urban Challenges” conference. The final day of the conference takes place at Student Center East.

U of I President Bob Easter will co-host a plenary session with the presidents of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. UIC and UIUC faculty members will speak at several conference events.

 

Honorary degrees


Dec. 2 is the deadline for nominations for honorary degree recipients. Information on eligibility, nomination procedures and timelines is online. For more information, email edooley@uic.edu

 

Citizen vs. person?

What are the conceptual distinctions between citizenship and personhood?

Ralph Cintron, associate professor of English and Latin American and Latino studies, examines that question in a talk Nov. 14.

“Citizenship Versus Unauthorized Immigration,” the Institute for the Humanities Faculty Fellow Lecture, takes place at 3 p.m. in the lower level of Stevenson Hall.

A reception follows. For more information, email huminst@uic.edu