February 2017 Obermann Center Newsletter

 
Feb. 3, 10:30 am
151 Voxman Music Bldg.
Mellon Sawyer Seminar public lecture by Kevin van Bladel:

Feb. 3, 1:00 pm
151 Voxman Music Bldg.
Mellon Sawyer Seminar public lecture by Johannes Preiser-Kapeller: 

Feb. 13, 7:00 pm
I.C. Public Library 

Goldrick-Rab will also be speaking at the Inequality Seminar on Feb. 13, 2:00-3:30, W113 Seashore Hall: "Making College Affordable: Adventures in Scholar-Activism" 

Feb. 15
4:00 - 5:00 pm
I.C. Public Library
Aging in Place: Keeping Older Johnson Co. Residents in Our Neighborhoods
 An Obermann Conversation with Nancy Hauserman and Susan Shullaw (TRAIL of Johnson Co.) and Mercedes Bern-Klug (Social Work)

Feb. 16, 3:30 pm
Minnesota Rm., IMU
A public lecture by Catherine D'Ignazio
 
Feb. 17, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
TILE Classroom (474), Van Allen Hall
 Creative Data Storytelling 101 with Catherine D'Ignazio

Feb. 17, 1:30 pm
Rm. 2, Voxman Music Bldg.
a presentation by
Marian Wilson Kimber,  Fall 2016 Obermann Fellow-in-Residence

March 22, 4:00 pm
I.C. Public Library 
Johnson Co. Historic Poor Farm - New Collaborations
An Obermann Conversation with Obermann Graduate Fellows, Shanti Sellz (Johnson Co.), and Nick Benson (UI Office of Outreach & Engagement)

April 13
5:00-6:00 pm
I.C. Public Library
Social Justice and K-12 Education
An Obermann Conversation with members of the Obermann Working Group of the same name and local high school students
 
Senior Center Course 

Senior College: 
Frankenstein: Monstrous Science and Moral Monsters
Taught by Obermann Center Director Teresa Mangum
Tuesdays, Feb. 7-28 12:30-2:30 pm
Register here.

Application Deadlines



TBA -

Congratulations
&
News

Nikolaos Maggos, PhD student (Philosophy, CLAS), will attend the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded Humanities Without Walls 2017 Alternative Academic Career Summer Workshop in Chicago.  

 

Mary Adamek (Music Therapy, CLAS) and Charmaine Kleiber (Nursing, emeritus) published an article, "Relaxation Training and Postoperative Music Therapy for Adolescents Undergoing Spinal Fusion Surgery," based on a 2011 Obermann Interdisciplinary Research Grant. 

Resources - Telling Our Stories

National funding agencies on which UI artists, humanities scholars, scientists, and social scientists depend are at risk. In the interdisciplinary spirit of the Obermann Center, we are gathering non-partisan resources to help us all advocate not only for our own disciplines, but also for each other.  We welcome you to send links and brief descriptions of  short videos, toolkits, non-partisan advocacy organizations, and other resources that can help all of us to communicate the value of our creative, scholarly, and research projects to obermann-center@uiowa.edu. With your help, we will have the resource page up shortly.
Student Loan Debt - Its History and Solutions - Topic of Feb. 13 Lecture
Talk Continues Yearlong Spotlight on Public Higher Education

Sara Goldrick-Rab's research examines the efficacy and implications of financial aid policies, welfare reform, transfer practices, and interventions aimed at increasing college enrollment among marginalized groups. The founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, which seeks ways to make college more affordable, and a Temple University professor, Goldrick-Rab will give a lecture based on her new book, Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library.

In addition to her free public lecture, Goldrick-Rab will give a talk to the Inequality Seminar earlier that day. The seminar, hosted by the Public Policy Center, will meet at 2:00 p.m. in W113 Seashore Hall and is open to the UI community.


Civic Media
When Coding, Social Justice, and Art Meet

What happens when coding, creativity, and commitment to social justice come together? One answer is Catherine D'Ignazio.  A researcher, designer, and software developer,  D'Ignazio  is Assistant Professor of Civic Media and Data Visualization in the Journalism Department at Emerson College. She  is also a Principal Investigator at the  Emerson Engagement Lab , a Research Affiliate at the  MIT Center for Civic Media , and a co-director of  the Institute for Infinitely Small Things .  

On February 16, D'Ignazio will give a public lecture,  "Playful Data, Empowered Publics." The next morning, February 17, she will  lead a workshop, "Creative Data Storytelling 101." She is a guest of  Digital Bridges for Humanistic Inquiry : A Grinnell College/University of Iowa collaboration funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  General registration for the workshop will open on January 30. 

Aging in Place
Obermann Conversation Considers Value of Keeping Older Residents in Neighborhoods

Many of us hope to age in our own homes, but looking ahead, we wonder about everyday practicalities. What happens when we can no longer rake our leaves or change a light bulb in a hard-to-reach spot? On Feb. 15 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, the next Obermann Conversation features UI Aging Studies program director Mercedes Bern-Klug, communications consultant Susan Shullaw, and Tippie College of Business emeritus faculty member Nancy Hauserman in a conversation  about the value of mixed-demographic neighborhoods and 'aging in place.' Shullaw and Hauserman are board members of a new local nonprofit, TRAIL of Johnson County ,  that aims to help Johnson County seniors age safely and comfortably in their own homes. The discussion is in Room "A" at the Iowa City Public Library.

Digital Bridges' Spring Lineup 
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-Sponsored Program Features Digital Storytelling Workshops and Lectures

Now at the midway point of its 2015-18 award, Digital Bridges for Humanistic Inquiry: A Grinnell College/University of Iowa Partnership offers workshops, guest lectures, project support, and a Summer Institute. This spring's visitors will especially focus on digital storytelling and data. Highlights include:
  • Feb. 16 - "Playful Data, Empowered Publics," lecture by Catherine D'Ignazio (Journalism, Civic Media, & Data Visualization, Emerson College)
  • Feb. 17 - "Creative Data Storytelling 101," workshop by Catherine D'Ignazio (Journalism, Civic Media, & Data Visualization, Emerson College)
  • April 20 - Lecture by Moya Bailey (Cultures, Societies, & Global Studies and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, Northeastern University) - at Grinnell College
  • May 30-June 3 - Summer Institute led by StoryCenter