It's hard to keep up with everything happening at U.Va. Here you will find lectures, speeches and other events of interest to the University community. Listen to them now, download them for later or subscribe to our podcast and take them with you.
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A History of Environmental Crisis 6/21/08 - It seems that Americans are finally waking up to the reality of climate change, but scientists tell us it may be too little, too late. This may be the most far-reaching environmental threat Americans have ever faced, but it’s certainly not the first. In this hour, we consider the history of American anxieties about the environment. Historian Bill Cronon weighs in on when “nature” became a thing to protect and not to fear. And we travel up into Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to look for remnants of the communities that were displaced to make way for Nature. Also — calls that tackle Mother Nature’s gender, Populist politics, and the merits of an apocalyptic mindset. |
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The Secret Life of Bees 6/21/08 - Air pollution is destroying the fragrance of flowers, scents that act as trails that
pollinating insects follow to their source. Jose Fuentes (University of Virginia) says this could
explain why bees and butterflies are dying off in some parts of the world, with potentially dire
effects for our food supply. Also: Scientists are learning that nano-particles may be speeding the spread of pollutants in rivers. Michael Hochella (Virginia Tech) has discovered how the tiny molecules can allow polluting metals to hitch a ride. And: David Schmale (Virginia Tech) is using remote controlled aircraft to study the diversity and function of microorganisms in the atmosphere. He's finding a tremendous diversity of bacteria and fungi tens to hundreds of meters above the ground in the Virginia. |
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Jim Collins on Good to Great for Non-Profits 6/14/08 - Best-selling business writer Jim Collins (Batten Institute at the University of
Virginia's Darden School for Business) believes the special factors that lie at the heart of rare
and truly great businesses are the same factors that make for the most successful organizations in
the non-profit world—talented directors skilled at recruiting excellent staff who work for more than
just their salary. Whether it is the best of the nation’s corporate giants, an elite symphony
orchestra or an inner city school with a record of excellence, Collins’ research team found the most
effective leaders are humble rather than charismatic and most came from within the organization
itself.
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Virginia Political History Project6/10/08 - As part of the Virginia Political History Project of the Center for Politics, four pioneering Virginians discuss being "Virginia Firsts" in politics and government, moderated by Cordel Faulk, the commentary editor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The panelists are William Ferguson “Fergie” Reid, who co-founded the Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956 to register and mobilize black voters during Massive Resistance, and later, in 1968, was the first African American elected to Virginia's General Assembly since Reconstruction; Paul Harris, who in 1997 became the first African American Republican elected to the General Assembly since 1891; Eva Scott, who in 1980 became the first woman elected to the Senate of Virginia; and Stephen Adkins, chief of Virginia's Chickahominy Indian tribe who was appointed by Governor Kaine as chief deputy director of Virginia's Department of Human Resources Management. |
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Reunions Weekend 2008: Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball 6/8/08 - This year's Reunions Weekend concluded with a look into Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball. Sabato (COLL '74) made predictions of this year's presidential and congressional races, and also talks about his more recent publication, A More Perfect Constitution: 23 Proposals to Revitalize Our Country and Make America a Fairer Country. |
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Parenting My Teenage Child: Is it Impossible, or Am I Just Bad at It? 6/7/08 - Clinical psychologist, researcher and author Peter Sheras talks about the challenges and opportunities of parenting adolescent children. He explains to alumni how the tasks of parenting change as children grow into adolescence.
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Crossing the Color Line: From Rhythm and Blues to Rock and Roll 6/7/08 - From his student days as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to his former position as chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Julian Bond has been a leader in the movements for civil rights, economic justice, racial equality, and peace. In this talk from Reunions Weekend 2008, Bond presents the civil rights movement through a history of American music and traces the melding of jazz, blues, country music, and pop into rock and roll. |
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Was Ronald Reagan Right? Do Trees Cause Pollution? 6/6/08 - During the presidential election in 1980, candidate Ronald Reagan made news headlines by proclaiming that trees caused pollution. Though the comment was met with derision, there is strong evidence that plants can and do affect the chemistry of the atmosphere. Manuel Lerdau, professor of Environmental Sciences and Director of Blandy Farm, discusses how in this lecture to alumni during Reunions Weekend 2008. |
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Biomedical Engineering at U.Va: A Global Model for Translating New Discoveries to Human Health 6/6/08 - Biomedical engineering is one of the fastest growing disciplines of the new millenium. Assistant Professor Jason Papin, one of the newest members of U.Va's growing biomedical department, explains the basic science involved, and how the field is reshaping medical imaging, regenerative medicine and systems bioengineering. This event was recorded as part of Reunions Weekend 2008. |
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Reunions Weekend 2008: World Events Panel 6/6/08 - A panel of Virginia's most reknowned foreign policy experts talk about some of the world's most pressing issues. The conversation begins with a discussion of the role Iran is playing in the Middle East and the foreign policy of the United States. The panelists are Professor of Public Affairs Nathaniel Howell, John Norton Moore of the Center for National Security Law, Middle East expert R.K. Ramazani, and George Rodrigue of the Dallas Morning News. The moderator is U.Va History Professor Phyllis Leffler. |
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Virginia and Volunteering: A Panel Conversation 6/6/08 - U.Va is consistently recognized for its outstanding community service programs. Every year the University serves more than one million people through more than 450 public service and outreach programs. This panel features a discussion about the volunteer experience at U.Va, and the participants are: Dr. Marcus Martin, immediate past chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine; Dr. Ross Isaacs, assistant professor of clinical internal medicine; and Dr. Audrey Snyder of the School of Nursing. The moderator is Kelly Eplee, the executive director of Madison House. |
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