PUBlic Professor set to resume
U of L’s popular series opens fall season Thursday
The University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts & Science seems to have only one problem with its annual PUBlic Professor Series lectures — keeping up with demand.
The 2017-18 series of lectures opens Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Lethbridge Lodge, and if you’re keeping track, it is the third venue that PUBlic Professor has used over the years. Beginning at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building, then moving to the atrium of Lethbridge City Hall, the series has now relocated to the Lethbridge Lodge, all in an effort to keep meeting the demand for more seating capacity. Couple that with the demand by Arts & Science faculty members to take part in the presentations and you have the earmarks of a very successful series.
“We really felt it was a good concept from the outset and the public responded almost immediately,” says Dr. Craig Cooper, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “There is a great thirst for knowledge in the community and the work our people do here at the university is extremely interesting. This concept, of bringing their work to the public in a pub-style setting, has proven to resonate with people.”
Dr. Ute Kothe, a biochemist and RNA researcher in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, opens the series this fall with her presentation From the Beginnings of Life to Modern Medicine: Why RNA Matters.
“We’re extremely excited about the work she is doing in the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute,” says Cooper. “She’s also one of our most committed faculty members to the concept of science outreach and getting young people interested in science and careers in science.”
PUBlic Professor is, of course, all about outreach and bringing U of L faculty members to the public. The series launched in September 2014 and builds upon the great success of the Public Professor column, coedited by Drs. Dan Johnson and James Linville, in the Lethbridge Herald. Free appetizers and a cash bar are available at each talk, but with limited seating, even in the new Lodge venue, people are encouraged to get to the event early.
The Public Professor Series lineup for 2017-18 is as follows:
Sept. 21 – Dr. Ute Kothe (Chemistry & Biochemistry) – From the Beginnings of Life to Modern Medicine: Why RNA Matters
Oct. 26 – Dr. Jo-Anne Fiske (Women & Gender Studies) – Remarkable Husbands and Unusual Fathers: Understanding the Great War a Crucible of Tenderness and Nurture
Nov. 23 – Dr. René Barendregt (Geography) – Global Climate Archives in Mud and Rock: The Magnetic Recorder is Always On (Somewhere)!
Jan. 25, 2018 – Dr. Paul Vasey (Psychology) – Beyond the Binary: What the West Can Learn from Non-Western Approaches to Gender Diversity
Feb. 15, 2018 – Dr. Tom Robinson (Religious Studies) – Sex, Drugs, Jesus and Gin
Mar. 22, 2018 – Dr. Catherine Kingfisher (Anthropology) – Locating Happiness: Beyond Individualism
For more information on the PUBlic Professor Series, visit this link: