Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Jeremy Doughty

Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017

On the surface, it appears that South African university students are protesting tuition increases. In reality, students are calling for the decolonization and transformation of higher education. Dr. Jeremy Doughty will discuss the #FeesMustFall student activism movement in South Africa, including his own experiences with protests at the University of the Western Cape. Dr. Doughty also will explore parallels between the #FeesMustFall and #BlackLivesMatter movements.

Sponsored by:
Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by:
Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by:
Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Victoria Tashjian

Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016

“African American Settlement in Nineteenth Century Northeast Wisconsin”
There has been a continuous African American presence in Northeast Wisconsin since shortly after the arrival of French fur traders, though this history is often forgotten today. Victoria Tashjian will address a near-lost strand of local history, drawing upon the surprisingly rich sources of information available in area archives.

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Carrie E. Kissman

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2016

“The Effects of Disturbance in Aquatic Ecosystems”
Waterbodies throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest have been plagued by various disturbances in the past few decades. What are some of these disturbances? How do they affect lakes? And what are the implications for recreational boating and fishing industries?

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Nelson R. Ham

Date: Saturday, January 30, 2016

“The Geological and Environmental History of Wisconsin Trout Streams”
Wisconsin has a rich geological heritage of coldwater streams that supported native brook trout for thousands of years after the last ice age. Yet in just a few short decades beginning in the 1800’s, Euro-American settlers quickly destroyed much of this habitat. Why did this happen? How well have these fisheries ‘recovered’? And is some of the past still present?

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Tim P. Flood
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2016

“Geologic Time: The Geology of Wisconsin and Related Thoughts”
Wisconsin has a remarkable and largely hidden geologic history that extends back greater than 3 billion years; mountains ranges, volcanoes, fossils, glaciers, earthquakes, ore deposits. Dr. Flood will explore geologic time from this perspective and provide insights on how geology impacts us today and may impact us in the future.

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Michael N. Olson
Date: Saturday, January 9, 2016

“Searching for New Physics at the High-Energy Frontier (Without Actually Going There)”
The Standard Model of Particle Physics has been extremely successful in describing the fundamental particles and their interactions. Yet there remain several unanswered questions:

• Why do we observe essentially no antimatter if we believe there is a fundamental symmetry between the two in the universe?
• What is “dark matter”, this “stuff” that we can’t see but has observable gravitational effects throughout the cosmos?
• Why can’t the Standard Model predict a particle’s mass?
• Are the current “fundamental particles” really fundamental, or are they too made up of even smaller “fundamental” particles?

Searches for new physics at the “High-Energy Frontier” utilize the world’s largest particle accelerators in an attempt to resolve these questions. Complementing these “direct” searches, high-precision measurements at lower energies can also be used to detect the subtle signatures of new physics beyond the Standard Model, but at energies that are a thousand times smaller. This presentation will seek to illuminate the fascinating world of high-energy physics, providing an insider’s look at the day-to-day technical and operational issues that come with doing physics “on the frontier”.

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Gratzia Villarroel
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2015

“Bolivia’s Economic Miracle under Evo Morales: Indigenous Identity and 21st Century Caudillismo”
Evo Morales was recently re-elected President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia for a 3rd term. During his tenure in office Bolivia’s economy grew by over 5% annually, the country balanced its budget, foreign debt significantly diminished, and Bolivia currently boasts higher foreign reserves than most countries in the world. Extreme poverty is down to 21% in 2013 from 38% in 2005. Bolivia is also among the seven Latin American countries with the lowest rate of inequality. What factors explain this dramatic turn for South America’s most impoverished country? First, Bolivia has enjoyed a combination of political stability and high prices for its commodities like no other time in its recent history. Second, Evo Morales, has engaged in effective macro-economic policies that have brought significant wealth to the country. These include taking ownership of Bolivia’s natural resources, working with the IMF and the World Bank on Bolivia’s terms, and promoting the private sector. Finally, the “re-founding” of Bolivia has ensured that the windfall emanating from these policies actually reaches the poor through a variety of social programs including bonuses for school children, pensions for the elderly, prenatal care for expectant mothers, etc.

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. John Holder
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2015

This lecture will explore the Buddhist tradition as it is practiced in Sri Lanka. After an overview of basic Buddhist teachings, the lecture will focus on specific ways that Sri Lankans express Buddhism through various rituals (such as pirit) and temple architecture at historical sites in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Kandy.

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Robert Pyne
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2015

2014 was a difficult year for human rights. Militarized police faced off against protestors in Ferguson, Missouri. Homes and schools were leveled in Gaza. Thousands died from Ebola, victimized by poverty and inadequate healthcare. Waves of refugees fled from violent conflict. ISIS murdered humanitarians and sought to destroy whole populations. Are we seeing the end of human rights progress? Have rights advocates been too idealistic? What comes next, and on what basis might we expect a more hopeful future?

Lecturer’s Website

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop

Featured St. Norbert’s College Lecturer: Dr. Ivy Cargile
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2015

The eyes of the nation, once again, fell on Wisconsin’s gubernatorial election. The incumbent governor, Scott Walker who is a Republican candidate with a national name, landed in a tough race against the Democratic challenger Mary Burke. The polls have continuously showed how unpopular Scott Walker is with some Wisconsin voters. For several reasons, some Wisconsin voters are weary of another four years with Walker. As a result, he landed in a tight race for re-election in the 2014 Midterm elections. Mary Burke, the state’s former Commerce Department secretary rivaled him in what became a difficult election for both camps. Throughout the remaining weeks of the election Wisconsin voters, and the nation, are focused on what issues – pay equality, job growth and many others – will tilt the election in any direction. Several different aspects of this contested battle for the governor’s mansion will be discussed along with the issues that matter to voters. Some of the questions considered are who did voters elect and why? How did the issues that voters care about fare in this election? Is the state ready for a change in statewide politics?

Sponsored by: Dahl Law Firm and Ross Estate Planning
Lodging Provided by: Homestead Suites
Coffee Service Provided by: Base Camp Coffee Shop