Book Reading and Discussion
Thursday, February 2nd
7:00 pm
Pioneer Bookshop
823 4th Avenue in downtown Grinnell
Dean Bakopoulos
Dean is a member of the English/Humanities Department at Grinnell College
This is a free event, open to the general public.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP:
Why Recycling Matters in Grinnell
Thursday, February 16th
JRC 209
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Bring your lunch and enjoy this informative session!
As the City of Grinnell converts from curbside sorting to the new single-stream method of recycling, many residents may be curious just how the single-stream system works and why the City has decided to make the change. The switch to single-stream also offers an opportunity to consider how the larger recycling system actually works and why our participation matters. Jordan Scheibel '10, environmental program coordinator for Imagine Grinnell, will help demystify single-stream recycling and illuminate the role of recycling in our lives.
To register please go to: https://itwebforms.grinnell.edu/apps/registeronline/index.asp
Staff2Staff Diversity Lunch Series
As a follow-up to our “What’s It Like To Be Me…”series, all staff members are invited to partake in the monthly Staff2Staff Diversity Lunch Series, a more in-depth program and discussion series for Grinnell staff around issues of diversity and social justice. Spend your lunch hour with us and hear about key diversity issues from our very own staff colleagues who will present on issues that they have personally experienced, researched, work with, and are passionate about. Each month (every first Wednesday), we will listen to a presentation around a specific topic and engage in dialogue as led by our staff presenter/facilitator. We will talk about how the issue relates to members of our Grinnell community, as well as, the world at a large; therefore, being sure to consider the topical impact on our students, each other (as colleagues), and the larger society.
What: Staff2Staff Diversity Lunch Series
Who: Open to all classified Grinnell Staff members
When: Every First Wednesday (starting Feb 1st), 12-1pm
Where: JRC 209
Lunch will be provided for the first 15 staff who register via the HR website
Sponsored by the Office of Human Resources & the Division of Diversity & Inclusion
To register, please RSVP on the HR website or call ext. 4818
Any questions, please email Michael Hunt or call ext. 4200
FIRST SPRING SESSION IS NEXT WEEK! REGISTER TODAY!
Upcoming Spring Sessions:
Session 1: Feb 1st 2012, NAACP & Civil Rights in Iowa, Presenter: Arnold Woods, Director of Student Financial Aid
Session 2: Mar. 7th 2012, Supporting Our International Community Members, Presenters: Karen Edwards & Brenda Strong, Office of International Student Affairs
Bucket Course
BIOTECHNOLOGY: BOUNTIFUL HARVEST OR BITTER HARVEST?
A look at genetic engineering techniques, their application and social implications – promises made, risks involved and the ethical, legal and economic questions they raise will be offered in the next Bucket Course sponsored by Grinnell’s Community Education Council.
The course, entitled “Biotechnology: Bountiful Harvest or Bitter Harvest?” will be taught by Diane C. Robertson, associate professor emerita of biology at Grinnell College.
The course will be offered on four consecutive Wednesdays starting February 8 in the Caulkins Room of the Drake Community Library. Each class will run from 10 to ll:30 a.m.
The four sessions will cover: introduction to DNA structure and function and tools of genetic engineering; agricultural biotechnology; animal and human cloning and stem cells; and genetic testing, gene therapy and DNA fingerprinting.
Robertson describes her subject: “We have launched on a great experiment. The power to reshape our world and ourselves in profound ways is now within our grasp. But the question remains as to whether we will have the wisdom to use this power responsibly for the benefit or the detriment of mankind. In the short term the benefits of genetic engineering products seem to be more positive than negative but any new technology has the potential to produce unintended consequences that have yet to be revealed. It will be an interesting experiment to watch!”
Robertson received her B.A. in botany at the University of Missouri, Columbia, her M.A. in biology from Stanford University and her PhD in botany at the University of California in Berkeley. She was a post-doctoral associate at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH. She has taught in the Department of Biology at Grinnell College since 1977, including a non-majors course since 1995 entitled “Biotechnology and its Social Impact”.
The Bucket Courses are open to everyone in the community. The fee for Robertson’s course is $15, payable at the first class. Registration can be done online with Jim Ahrens at ja.ahrens@hotmail.com, at the Drake Community Library, or at the Pearson Hall desk at Mayflower Community. Registrants are encouraged to arrive at 9:30 a.m. for the first class to complete registration.
The term “Bucket Course” refers to “everything you want to learn before you kick the bucket”. The classes are sponsored by the Community Education Council. Members of the council are Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Grinnell College, Drake Community Library, Grinnell-Newburg School District, Grinnell Area Arts Council, the Mayflower Community, and Iowa Valley Community College.
For more information, contact Joanne Bunge at 236-5321 or jbunge@mayflowermail.net.
Faulconer Gallery Events:
Sandow Birk’s American Qur’an
January 27 – March 18, 2012
For nearly six years, Los Angeles-based artist Sandow Birk has been engaged in a project to transcribe and illustrate an English translation of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam. Based on traditional models of manuscript illumination, Birk’s American Qur’an combines the handwritten text with images drawn from contemporary American life. This exhibition contains 86 works from the series, including a suite of six that the Faulconer Gallery acquired in 2010. The artist expects to complete the project in 2014.
This exhibition has been organized by The Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.
All events are in Faulconer Gallery unless otherwise noted.
Opening Reception
January 27, 4:15 – 6 pm
Reading the Qur’an
January 27 – March 18
All are invited to read aloud from the Qur’an in the gallery so visitors both see and hear the text. To read at times when we are not open, contact Tilly Woodward 641-269-4663 or woodward@grinnell.edu.
Panel: Islam in Iowa
January 30, 4:15 pm
Kamal Hammouda, Adjunct Muslim Prayer Leader; Mervat Youssef, Assistant Professor of French and Arabic, and Imam Taha Tawil of the Mother Mosque of America will speak on their experiences as Muslims in Iowa.
Yoga in the Gallery with Monica St. Angelo
Mondays & Thursdays, January 30 – March 15, 12:15-12:50
Connecting breath and movement, this short 30 minute yoga practice offers a mid-day break. Enjoy warming and invigorating poses, finishing with a period of relaxation. Perfect for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Mats provided. Co-sponsored by Live Well Grinnell and Faulconer Gallery
Student Roundtable: The Qur'an in America
February 9, 4:15 pm
The campus and community are invited to join in a student roundtable discussion facilitated by Caleb Elfenbein, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and History.
Community Day
February 11, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Look at art and make art! People of all ages are invited to learn more about the Faulconer Gallery’s exhibition through an exciting variety of hands-on activities. Refreshments will be provided.
Open Mic Night
February 15, 7:30 pm
Read or perform original works or the works of favorite writers and composers. We’ll provide a microphone, lectern, and a piano. Co-sponsored by Grinnell Review, Faulconer Gallery and Grinnell College Libraries
Gallery Talk: Max Leung, Visualizing Islamophobia
February 16, 4:15 pm
Post-Doctoral Fellow and Lecturer in Sociology Max Leung will discuss his research on how Arab and Muslim Americans are making sense of their identities in an acute period of Islamophobia in the United States. How have their everyday experiences altered both their self-perceptions, and, more importantly, the American ideals of full participation, inclusion, and multiculturalism?
