Bulletin Board

Civil Rights: Then and Now

Activist, author and academic Angela Davis will give a talk titled “Civil Rights: Then and Now,” at 7 p.m. tonight in Stewart Theatre. She is the author of eight books and has lectured throughout the United States and in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. A persistent theme of her work has been the range of social problems associated with incarceration and the generalized criminalization of those communities most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. She draws from her own experiences in the early 1970s as a person who spent eighteen months in jail and on trial, after being placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List.” She has also conducted extensive research on numerous issues related to race, gender and imprisonment. Her most recent books are Abolition Democracy and Are Prisons Obsolete?

Davis’ teaching career has taken her to San Francisco State University, Mills College and UC Berkeley. She has also taught at UCLA, Vassar, the Claremont Colleges and Stanford University. She is a professor emerita of history of consciousness at the University of California - Santa Cruz. Davis’ appearance was organized by the Issues and Ideas Committee. The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Rick Gardner, associate director of campus activities at 919-515-5161.

International Affairs Seminar Series

The Globalization Strategies and International Services series continues with dual presentations from 1 to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, in the Talley Student Center, Room 3118. Dr. Prema Arasu, associate vice provost with the Office of International Affiars, will speak about the global health initiative at NC State. David Dixon, program coordinator with the Office of International Affairs, will discuss the university’s process for developing an international memorandum of understanding.

The monthly seminars highlight international programs and services for students, staff, faculty and the communities they serve. The presentations include time for participant questions.

Open house visitors can catch a glimpse of the Andromeda galaxy, along with other stellar attractions.

Stargazing at Astronomy Open House

See Jupiter and the Andromeda galaxy during the fall astronomy open house beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, at the Reedy Creek Observatory.

The evening’s fun includes stargazing, constellation finding, telescope viewing of deep sky objects and refreshments. School-age children and their families are encouraged to attend. Astronomy experts from the physics department will be on hand to answer your questions about the night sky, stars, planets, galaxies and anything else related to astronomy. Just look for one of the volunteers wearing lighted glow-sticks around their necks. Signing up in advance is appreciated but not required. RSVP to Brian Williams at bjwilli2@ncsu.edu.

For directions, instructions, parking information and tips on what to expect, visit http://astro.physics.ncsu.edu/Astro/openhouse/

Regulating Islam in Pakistan

Dr. Khalid Masud, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology in Pakistan, will give a talk titled “Regulating Islam in Pakistan: The Role of the Council of Islamic Ideology,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, in Withers Hall, Room 331. The presentation is sponsored by the North Carolina Center for South Asian Studies and the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. David Gilmartin, professor of history, at david_gilmartin@ncsu.edu.

Hispanic Heritage Month Events

The Department of Multicultural Student Affairs invites faculty, students and staff to join in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at a variety of campus and community events. The celebration runs from mid-September to mid-October. Here are upcoming events:

• First Cary Caribbean Festival:  Saturday, Sept. 19, 2- 7 p.m., Herbert C. Young Community Center
• Coming to America!: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m., Riddick Hall, Room 315
• Annual Futbol/Soccer Tournament: Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., upper intramural fields
• U.S. Census 2010 -  It’s In Our Hands (Esta en Nuestras Manos): Monday, Sept. 28, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Walnut Room, Talley Student Center
• CNN “Latino in America,” Interactive Watch Party: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8:30 p.m., Washington Sankofa Room, Witherspoon Student Center

For more information, contact Multicultural Student Affairs at 919-515-3835. 

Brig.Gen. H.R. McMaster, who commanded troops in Iraq during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, will speak on Monday.

Evolution of the Conflict in Iraq

Hear a military expert’s perspective on how the conflict in Iraq evolved from 2003 to 2009. On Monday, Sept. 21, Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster, director of concept development and experimentation at the Army Capabilities Integration Center in Fort Monroe, Va., will speak from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Stewart Theatre.

From 2005 to 2006, McMaster commanded the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment during its deployment to Iraq. His counterinsurgency strategy to retake the Iraqi city of Tal Afar served as a model for future Army operations. After a stint at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he was assigned to develop innovative strategies and tactics for the Army Capabilities Integration Center. He commanded Eagle Troop, Second Squadron, of the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Iraq from 1990 to 1991. In 1992, he began graduate studies in military history. He is the author of the 1998 book Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam.

His talk is sponsored by NC State’s School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies.

An Evening with Michele Bowen

Author Michele Bowen will speak about her latest book, Up at the College, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, on the first floor of the African American Cultural Center. Bowen will also discuss some of the memorable characters she’s created in her previous books, which include Church Folks, Second Sunday and Holy Ghost Corner. A book signing and reception will follow her presentation.

African American Cultural Center Book Club

The African American Cultural Center Book Club will discuss Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment, when it meets from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, on the third floor of the African American Cultural Center. NC State’s Catalyst Bookstore will offer a 10 percent discount for those who mention the book club.

Wachovia Executive Lecture Series

Students, faculty, staff and business leaders interested in hearing insights from corporate executives can attend an event featuring Susan Ivey, chairman, president and CEO of Reynolds American, from 4:30 to 5:30 on Wednesday, Sept. 23, in the Nelson Hall auditorium. Ivey recently appeared on Forbes Magazine's list of  "Most Powerful Women."

The event is part of the Wachovia Executive Lecture Series, developed for students in the College of Management, the greater university community and members of the business community. Admission is free and no registration is required. Parking is available in the Dan Allen Parking Deck.

Logic and Cognitive Science Initiative

Experts from Yale, Notre Dame, Columbia, Stanford, SUNY Buffalo and Texas A&M will speak Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Logic and Cognitive Science Initiative Conference on Ontology. The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is hosting the event, with all sessions in Withers Hall, Room 140. The conference is sponsored by a grant from GlaxoSmithKline. Preregistration and payment are required. For details, read the program and registration document.

Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Symposium

The Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media doctoral program will host a research symposium about the material aspects of rhetoric and communication on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Park Shops Building. Jennifer Daryl Slack of Michigan Technological University will deliver the 2009 Rolf Buchdahl Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Science, Technology and Society program. For details and preregistration (required), visit http://crdm.chass.ncsu.edu/symposium/.

Pulitzer Prize Winner’s Reading

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder will read from his latest book, Strength in What Remains, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the McKimmon Center. The book tells the story of Deo, a genocide survivor from Burundi who lands at JFK airport in New York with $200, no English and no contacts, and moves from homelessness in Central Park to medical school and a career as a healer. Kidder, the author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, My Detachment, Home Town, Old Friends, Among Schoolchildren, House and The Soul of a New Machine, has also won the National Book Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Award and many other literary prizes.

NC State’s Friends of the Library and Quail Ridge Books and Music are sponsoring the reading, which is supported by the NC State Foundation. Admission is $5 or free with purchase of Strength in What Remains from Quail Ridge Books and Music. Reserved seating for Friends of the Library members will be available in the front of the auditorium. Please contact the group at 919-515-2841 to purchase a ticket and reserve a seat.

Entrepreneurship Lecture Series

Meet a man who’s been named Ernst & Young’s “Master Entrepreneur” and one of Advertising Age’s “Digital Media Masters.” Christopher Evans, an entrepreneur and philanthropist with offices in Raleigh, will open the fall Entrepreneurship Lecture Series from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the McKimmon Center.

Evans was the CEO and founder of Accipiter, which provided online advertising technology used by MSN, CNET, Lycos, ZDNet, Broadcast.Com, Ask Jeeves and others. From 1985 through 1992, he served as executive vice president of DaVinci Systems, a Raleigh-based software company he co-founded. As DaVinci's top marketing exec, he helped grow the company's installed base to three million users in 45 countries. In 1992, he founded Hotlinx, a publisher of print and online buyer's guides for software professionals.

Evans currently serves on the board of directors of the Trinity Forum, Community in Schools of Wake County and the NC State Engineering Department’s Entrepreneurs Advisory Board. He is a charter member of the university’s State Entrepreneurship Initiative Advisory Board. He also serves as an advisor to businesses and not-for-profit enterprises in the U.S. and Europe.

Best Practices with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations

The Department of Social Work will host a workshop on best practices for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, adults, couples, families and communities, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2 in the Talley Student Center ballroom. Registration is open to faculty and students. Friday, Sept. 18 is the deadline to register online.

Dog Olympics

Cue the theme music and fetch some Milk Bones: The Dog Olympics is back on Saturday, Oct. 3. Here’s your chance to root for canine athletes in the high jump, applaud the best howler or adopt a shelter animal in need of a home. Organizers have temporarily moved the event downtown to Moore Square due to construction at the Centennial Biomedical Campus.

More than 1,000 people attended last year’s competition, which is sponsored by the student chapter of the American Hospital Association in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Faculty members will oversee events and hand out the medals.

The “Olympic Village” will include a free microchip clinic to prevent pets from becoming lost, sponsored by the Raleigh Kennel Club. The American Kennel Club will host an agility demonstration and sponsor a Canine Good Citizen Testing program, which costs $5 for certification. Events run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $1 for spectators and owners and $7 for dogs; children 5 and younger are free. Canine admission includes an entry fee for one event and a photo of your dog in the winner’s circle. Each additional event or photo is $1.

Computer Security Day

Cybersecurity is a concern for computer users, and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) wants you to build a strong defense against security threats. Faculty, staff and students are invited to OIT’s third annual Computer Security Day: Cybersecurity Self-Defense from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, in the Talley Student Center. The event provides insight into the privacy and security issues surrounding electronically stored sensitive information and offers ways to keep your computer and data safe.

An internationally celebrated event, Computer Security Day is designed to raise awareness and promote best practices in information technology security. During this event, there will be general and technical discussions about social networking, current privacy issues in legislation, Web application security, antivirus protection, disk encryption, mobile device security, tools for desktop security, identity theft prevention, identity management, access control and more. For information about this event, visit the Computer Security Day 2009 Web site.

Alert the Media

Something happening in your department or office? Share it with the rest of the NC State community by alerting the Bulletin. Our crack team of cub reporters and multimedia producers is waiting for your news and events. Send your info to the Bulletin at bulletin@ncsu.edu.