View 2008 Reunions Seminars Schedule at a Glance:

Friday, June 6, 2008 ~ 11:00 – 11:50 am

• International Development Strategy: China's Embrace of Globalization and The "Magic Potion" for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals - Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room
• Was Ronald Reagan Right? Do Trees Cause Pollution? - Clark Hall 108

Friday, June 6, 2008 ~ 2:00 – 2:50 pm

• How We Got Here, and Where We're Going - Minor Hall 125
• Biomedical Engineering at U.Va.: A Global Model for Translating New Discoveries to Human Health - Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room

Friday, June 6, 2008 ~ 3:00 – 3:50 pm

• Virginia and Volunteering: A Panel Conversation - Rotunda (Lower West Oval Room)
• Living up to Jefferson's Artistic Dreams: Transforming the Cultural Landscape - Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room
• Alternative Procedures and Medicine at U.Va. - Clark 108
• London Calling: Writing &smp; Anthologizing the City - U.Va. Bookstore Loft

Saturday, June 7, 2008 ~ 10:00 – 10:50 am

• Cavalier Sports Panel - Minor Hall 125
• Is the Cure Coming? Embarking on a New Era in Cancer Treatment - Clark Hall 108
• Tommy Jr.: the Self-Driving Robotic Car - Parking Lot, T4 (Near Scott's Stadium)

Saturday, June 7, 2008 ~ 11:30 am – 12:15 pm

• African Music and Dance - Old Cabell Hall, Room 107
• Swarming Robots Attract Swarms of Kids - Clark Hall 108
• Clemons Library Celebrates 25 Years - Clemons Library (Terrace, Room 407)
• Parenting My Teenage Child: Is It Impossible or Am I Just Bad At It? - Maury Hall 209

 
 

Details About Reunions Seminars:

Friday, June 6, 2008

International Development Strategy: China's Embrace of Globalization and The "Magic Potion" for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

11:00 - 11:50 am

"Globalization" refers to the rapid integration of low-income countries into the world economy the ever-accelerating flow of goods, services, workers and investment across national boundaries.

There's a great deal of debate over whether these countries benefit from globalization, or are injured by it. In 2000, 192 nations adopted eight Millennium Development Goals to achieve economic development. Two of the University's top professors will present their thoughts on the growing global economy. Economics professor Bruce Reynolds will explore China's experience with globalization, and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology Rae Blumberg will discuss why women's economic empowerment may be the "magic potion" for achieving Millennium Development Goals.

Was Ronald Reagan Right? Do Trees Cause Pollution?

11:00 - 11:50 am

During the 1980 presidential campaign, candidate Ronald Reagan made news headlines by proclaiming that trees caused pollution. Although his statement was greeted with derision, there is strong evidence that plants can, and do, affect the chemistry of the atmosphere. The last 35 years have seen remarkable progress in our understanding of what controls the quality of the air we breathe and how human activities can aggravate air pollution. Environmental Sciences Professor and Director of Blandy Farm, Manuel Lerdau, will discuss the chemistry and biology of air pollution and suggest how air pollution policy might be modified to account for the impacts of plants and soil organisms.

How We Got Here, and Where We're Going

2:00 - 2:50 pm

Associate professor of astronomy Edward Murphy will trace the history of your atoms from the Big Bang to the present day. Where did the atoms in your body come from? How did they get here on Earth? What will happen to your atoms in the long-distant future? You'll discover the many interesting places that you've been, from the core of a star to the deep cold of space.

Biomedical Engineering at U.Va.: A Global Model for Translating New Discoveries to Human Health

2:00 - 2:50 pm

Biomedical engineering is one of the fastest growing disciplines of the new millennium. At U.Va., world-class collaborative teams discover new knowledge and create innovative medical technologies spanning medical imaging, regenerative medicine, and systems bioengineering. U.Va. also hosts the world's largest bioengineering network, linking more than twenty universities and twenty-five companies on six continents. Join professor and Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department, Thomas C. Skalak as he enlightens the world of biomedical engineering at U.Va.

Virginia and Volunteering: A Panel Conversation

3:00 - 3:50 pm

U.Va. is consistently, though often quietly, recognized for its outstanding community service programs organized by students, faculty and staff. Every year, the University serves over one million people through more than 450 public service and outreach programs. Come learn about a handful of the University’s most successful outreach programs from the people who have shaped them, and discuss the nature of the relationship between the U.Va. experience and volunteerism. Kelly Eplee, President and Executive Director of Madison House will moderate a discussion among current students and faculty including Dr. Marcus Martin, Professor and immediate past Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine; Dr. Ross Isaacs, Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine; and Audrey Snyder (’89 NURS, ’91 GNUR, ’98 ACNP, ’07 PhD), Advanced Practice Nurse in the Emergency Department.

Living up to Jefferson's Artistic Dreams: Transforming the Cultural Landscape

3:00 - 3:50 pm

Thomas Jefferson was not simply a classically educated gentleman of his time but had exceptionally far-ranging interests. He was a dedicated amateur musician; he drew up plans to build an ambitious art collection at Monticello while still in his twenties; and he continued to delve deeply into classical architecture and design throughout his life. In the spirit of our founder, the Arts are moving to center stage at U.Va. Join Tom Bloom, Chairman of the Drama Department; Larry Goedde, Chairman of the Art Department; Jill Hartz, Director of the University of Virginia Art Museum; and Bruce Holsinger, Chairman of the Music Department, as we paint a picture of the future of the Arts at U.Va. Imagine the transformation of the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road as the Arts Gateway to the University, which will position the Art Museum at this most––visible intersection. Learn about the dance minor and expansion of the Drama building, and hear about Fayerweather and Ruffin Halls, the new homes of art history and studio art.

Alternative Procedures and Medicine at U.Va.

3:00 - 3:50 pm

Eighty percent of the world's population uses traditional and indigenous medical practices for an important part of health care. Increasingly, Americans are seeking complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as adjuncts to their care. A discussion about CAM often begins with three basic questions: does it work, is it safe, and do you offer it here? Ann Gill Taylor (’63 NURS), director of the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (CSCAT), will describe the studies that are being conducted in the CSCAT that permit U.Va. to remain on the cutting edge of science, clinical care, and clinical investigation. CME accreditation course.

London Calling: Writing & Anthologizing the City

3:00 - 3:50 pm

London occupies a fierce, undeniable position in literary imagination and is, in fact, a place many know first through verse. Henry James was convinced of London’s allure, believing that “if you learn to know your London you learn a great many things.” Professor and poet Lisa Russ Spaar (’78 COLL) will discuss her new anthology, All That Mighty Heart: London Poems, a collection spanning over five centuries and representing nearly twenty different languages and cultures. In addition to talking about the pleasures, difficulties, and responsibilities of anthologizing (might exorbitant permissions fees, for example, mean that large publishing conglomerates are pricing their authors out of the canon?), this seminar will explore the complex, reciprocal relationship between poetry and place. A book signing will follow the reading.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Cavalier Sports Panel

10:00 - 10:50 am

Join current student-athletes and coaches as they share what it takes to compete with the nation's Top Ten athletics programs. They will talk about the student-athlete's experience, the rise in tuition fees and daily operating expenses, and the importance of maintaining top-notch facilities. Sponsored by the Virginia Athletics Foundation.

Is the Cure Coming? Embarking on a New Era in Cancer Treatment

10:00 - 10:50 am

We are witnessing the advent of a new era in cancer care and research. In the coming years, our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of cancer will give us new tools to attack cancer with an unprecedented level of precision and effectiveness. Join leading physicians and researchers from the U.Va. Cancer Center for a discussion about the future of cancer care, including exciting research, innovative clinical trials, and advanced technologies at U.Va. that are propelling this transformation. Participants include Craig L. Slingluff Jr., M.D. (’80 COLL, ’84 Med), who has developed promising vaccines to fight melanoma and other cancers; Deborah A. Lannigan, Ph.D., who has discovered a compound derived from a rare South American plant that attacks and destroys breast cancer cells; and Paula M. Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical trials expert who shepherds novel therapeutics from the lab bench to the patient's bedside.

Tommy Jr.: the Self-Driving Robotic Car

10:00 - 10:50 am

Meet Tommy Jr., the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Self-Driving Robotic Car. Engineering School Professor George Cahen will demonstrate Tommy Jr.’s features and talk more about Team Jefferson — a group comprised of Engineering School students, faculty and alumni, that was among 36 teams worldwide to compete for a $2 million top prize in the world’s only driverless car race, held on November 3, 2007. The final round of the Urban Challenge required robotic vehicles to autonomously traverse 60 miles of challenging urban traffic conditions!

African Music and Dance

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

This seminar will demonstrate and get you involved in a traditional dance/drum form originating from the Ewe people of West Africa (Ghana and Togo). Current students and alumni will assist Professor Michelle Kisliuk, who leads the McIntire Department of Music's African Music and Dance Ensemble. The workshop will address polyrhythm and polymeter two key concepts for understanding African music within the context of a fun, celebratory afternoon of singing, dancing, and drumming. No experience necessary! (In response to participant interest, there may also be a discussion of the role of this music in Africa, or of issues that arise in teaching and performing it in the United States.)

Swarming Robots Attract Swarms of Kids

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Peter Beling, Alfredo Garcia, and Reid Bailey, faculty from the Department of Systems and Information Engineering, will present a seminar on "swarming" robots. Swarming behaviors in robots are based on the analogy to natural systems, where animals including bees, ants, fish, and birds all demonstrate complex behaviors as a group even though the individual animals are each making relatively simple decisions. The talk will focus on recent research advances in "swarming" behavior of robots and the integration of these concepts into a summer camp for middle school children.

Clemons Library Celebrates 25 Years
Clemons Library

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Please join the University Library as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Clemons Library, with reminiscences and a look back, as well as a peek at what the next 25 years (or at least 5 years) may hold.

Parenting My Teenage Child: Is It Impossible or Am I Just Bad At It?

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Clinical psychologist, researcher and author Dr. Peter Sheras will talk about the challenges and opportunities of parenting adolescent children. Author of Your Child: Bully or Victim and I Can’t Believe You Went Though My Stuff, Sheras has also created assessment instruments used to evaluate parenting stress. Based on his research and clinical practice, Sheras will talk about how the tasks of parenting change as children grow into adolescence and why most of us feel like we are not very effective with our teens. Teens are not just middle and high school students, but those creatures still coming home from college for the summer and deciding what they want to do with their lives. The presentation will include very practical hints on dealing with teens and some reassuring findings on common parental behaviors. Expect to laugh a little and learn some new things to try at home.