Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Central Illinois: Patchwork of People resumes with second program

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of People”, a thought-provoking, three-session educational series examining the people and cultures that have influenced life in central Illinois, continues on Tuesday, April 21 at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

The program will be held in the Public Affairs Center rooms C/D and will focus on “How They Lived at Home.” Speakers will be Dr. Stacy Pratt McDermott, Assistant Editor of Papers of Abraham Lincoln, who will speak on “Domestic Law, Matrimony and Divorce in Sangamon County: 1837-1861,” and Dr. Stacey Robertson, Director of Women’s Studies at Bradley University in Peoria, who will speak on “Myths and Realities in the Lives of Frontier Women.”

UIS alumnus William Furry, Executive Director of the Illinois State Historical Society, is the moderator of the series. Sponsors of the event are the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council.

A hot buffet luncheon is available at 11:30 a.m., and the presentations are from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The presentations are free and open to the public, but there is a cost of $20 for those with lunch reservations.

Paid reservations are required for the luncheon by Tuesday, April 14. Pre-registration is also requested from those attending the presentations but not eating lunch.

To register or for more information, visit www.uiaa.org/uis or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni @uis.edu.

The Central Illinois Patchwork of People series will hold its final program on Tuesday, May 19, and the topic will be “How They Made a Living.” Speakers will be Taylor Pensoneau, Retired President of the Illinois Coal Association and Illinois author, and Dr. Debra Reid, Associate Professor of History at Eastern Illinois University.

"The Lazarus Project" author to hold reading and Q&A session at UIS

As part of the Verbal Arts Festival and the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series at the University of Illinois at Springfield, Aleksandar Hemon, author of the 2008 novel The Lazarus Project, will be holding a reading, presentation, and question and answer session on Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m.

The program will be held in the Studio Theater, on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. It is free and open to the public.

Hemon, a native of Bosnia, is also the author of Nowhere Man and The Question of Bruno. The Lazarus Project was one of five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction.

For more information, contact Michael Gammon at mgamm01s@uis.edu or 217/206-7460.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Astronomy program discusses Pluto - planet or not?

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a presentation by Dr. Mercedes Richards called “Pluto and the New Dwarf Planets” on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center room F on the UIS campus.

In August 2006, Richards was one of 411 International Astronomical Union members worldwide to vote on a new definition of planets, leading to the demotion of Pluto to the status of “dwarf planet.” Richards’ program will give a first-hand look at the decision to change Pluto’s planet status and will examine the structure of the solar system to understand the different classes of objects that orbit the Sun.

Richards, a native of Jamaica, is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University. In October 2008, she was awarded a Musgrave Gold Medal by the Institute of Jamaica, which is the highest academic honor awarded by the government of Jamaica and is given to scholars who have attained international recognition in their particular field.

Richards’ interest is pairs of stars called binary stars, which are like twin stars. She was the first astronomer in the world to make clear images of the gravitational flow of gas between the stars in any interacting binary pair.

Richards’ lecture is part of the Harlow Shapley lecture series, sponsored by the American Astronomical Society.

Following the lecture, a Friday Night Star Party will be held at the UIS Observatory, located on the roof of Brookens Auditorium, weather permitting.

For more information about the presentation, contact Professor Charles Schweighauser at 206-6721 or cschw1@uis.edu.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Smithereens' lead singer to perform at WUIS studio

Pat DiNizio, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the Smithereens, will appear in Springfield on Thursday, April 9 for a benefit “living room” concert at 7:30 p.m. for WUIS, the public radio affiliate based at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus.

DiNizio is currently traveling around the country doing a series of living room concerts in people’s homes. He will perform in the WUIS Suggs’ Performance Studio, which will take on a living room motif for the show, for an audience of up to 50 people.

DiNizio will showcase acoustic versions of Smithereens songs, along with performances from his tribute to Buddy Holly released this year on the 50th anniversary of Holly’s death.

“The show will allow DiNizio and fans to interact, and proceeds will go to the fund dedicated to the performance studio. It will also be recorded for later broadcast,” said Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS General Manager.

Admission is $50 per person, with proceeds going to the WUIS Suggs Performance Studio Fund. For more information or to make a reservation for the show, call WUIS at 217/206-6516.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Speaker for Islam program at UIS changed

Due to an illness in the family, Dalia Mogahed, executive director at the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, will not present “Who Speaks for Islam?” on Monday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium on the UIS campus. Instead, Magali Rheault, senior analyst at the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, will give a presentation. The event is free and open to the public.

Rheault’s main areas of research are integration and identity of European Muslims and perceptions of African Muslims. As part of the Muslim-West Facts Initiative and in collaboration with the Coexist Foundation, she travels the world to disseminate key findings from the Gallup World Poll to inform opinion leaders about Muslims’ views.

Rheault is also a senior consultant with the Gallup World Poll, where she analyzes public attitudes toward governance and entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa.

The program is sponsored by the World Affairs Council, the International Visitors' Commission, Sister Cities, the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield and the UIS ECCE Speaker Series.

An overflow area will be available in the Public Affairs Center conference rooms C/D. The presentation will be followed by a reception in the PAC Restaurant from 9 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

UIS hosts 11th annual Health Awareness Day

The University of Illinois’ Masters in Public Health Student Association and Campus Health Services will host the 11th annual Health Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) lobby and conference rooms on the concourse level of the PAC.

The event is held to educate the university community and others in the Springfield and surrounding area about positive health practices. Representatives from the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center will be present.

The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. John K. Lee, a first-year resident in Family Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Lee’s topic is “The secret of supplements: do they really work?” The presentation will be held in conference room F on the lower level of the PAC from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., and lunch and drinks will be served.

Screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, bone density, cholesterol and more will be offered, as well as testicular and prostrate exams given by Springfield Clinic. Information about topics such as healthy eating and decreasing stress will be available. UIS’ Recreation and Athletic Center will also perform fitness testing and give participants a detailed analysis of their health.

Attendees to the event are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to a local food pantry. Attendees who complete an evaluation form about the day will be entered into a drawing for prizes donated by individuals and organizations in the Springfield community.

UIS’ Health Awareness Day is held in coordination with National Public Health Week, which is organized by the American Public Health Association. The theme of this year’s National Public Health Week is “Building the Foundation for a Healthy America.”

For more information about Health Awareness Day at UIS, contact Linda Tait at ltait2@uis.edu or 217/206-6676.

Project Success focuses on proper business attire

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host “Project Success: Dress to Impress” on Thursday, April 2 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Sangamon Auditorium on the UIS campus. Project Success is a runway fashion show and presentation about how to dress for business casual and business professional.

UIS students have been invited to gather teams of five and compete by showing their best and worst examples of business attire. The runway show will be judged by the audience and a panel of judges. Each member of the winning student team will receive a $100 gift card.

Following the runway competition, Jennifer Hunt, extension educator in Computer and Family Economics for the University of Illinois Extension, will give a presentation on business attire, first impressions and on creating an affordable professional wardrobe.

The event will also be available via live Webcast, and the online audience can participate in the runway judging through Elluminate.

Project Success is sponsored by UIS’ Career Development Center, Alumni Relations, Student Government Association and Diversity Center.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kristen Chenoweth at 217/206-6501 or kchen01s@uis.edu.

Monday, March 23, 2009

UIS helps celebrate 100 Hours of Astronomy

The University of Illinois at Springfield will be hosting a series of events called 100 Hours of Astronomy, in partnership with the Sangamon Astronomical Society, from Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5.

The events are part of an international 100 Hours of Astronomy celebration in conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy 2009, a global effort to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky.

The series of events will begin with a Friday Night Star Party in the UIS Barber Observatory on Friday, April 3 from 8 to 10 p.m. The observatory will be open for participants to view the night sky through the observatory telescopes.

The observatory is located on the roof of Brookens Library on the UIS campus, accessible by a door on the southeast corner of the library. In the event of uncooperative weather, there will be a special presentation about International Year of Astronomy 2009. The event is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

On Saturday, April 4, the Sangamon Astronomical Society will be holding a star party at Centennial Park from 4 to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public; reservations are not required. In the event of cloudy weather, the Saturday star party will be cancelled.

On Sunday, April 5, UIS will host “Sun-Day” from 1 to 3 p.m. at the UIS Barber Observatory. Charles Schweighauser and John Martin, UIS professors of astronomy/physics, will give a lecture about the Sun, featuring photos and video footage of the sun taken through UIS’ 14-inch telescope. The lecture will start at 1 p.m. and will take in the Public Affairs Center, room F.

Weather permitting, the campus observatory will be open following the lecture for the public to look at the Sun through the telescope, and the Sangamon Astronomical Society will also have telescopes set up for viewing. The Sun should not normally be viewed through a telescope; however, special equipment will be installed on the telescopes for this event to ensure safe viewing of the Sun.

“Sun-Day” is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

To complete the 100 Hours of Astronomy celebration, UIS will host a Sunday Night Star Party for people with disabilities, beginning at 7 p.m. at the UIS observatory. A modified eight-inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope will be used for this Star Party, which has a fixed eyepiece to bring the image to the viewer and can accommodate anyone from a large person in a high wheelchair to a child in the lowest, smallest wheelchair.

Reservations are required for the Sunday Night Star Party. To make reservations, contact Schweighauser at 217/206-6721.

For more information on the 100 Hours of Astronomy, go online to http://www.uis.edu/astronomy/about/iya2009.html or contact Martin at 217/206-8342. More information on UIS Star Parties can be found at http://www.uis.edu/astronomy/about/starparties.html, and more information about the Sangamon Astronomical Society can be found at http://www.sas-sky.org/main.html.

Day for "Celebration of Animals and Nature in Myth and Legend"

The University of Illinois at Springfield will be hosting an event called “Celebration of Animals and Nature in Myth and Legend” on Tuesday, April 7. The event is presented by UIS’ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of Undergraduate Education ECCE Speaker Series, along with the Lincoln Memorial Gardens and Illinois’ Nature in Legend and Story.

The event will feature seasoned storytellers, who will explore some of the ways in which cultures define themselves through unique relationships to fauna and flora. The program will look at ways in which nature and culture combine in the construction of human, as well as tribal, identity, so that social issues are inseparable from environmental concerns.

The keynote presentation, “Celebration of Animals & Nature in Legend & Myth,” will be held from 10 to 11:45 a.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. ECCE Speaker Series students will receive academic credit for their attendance at this event only.

A Nature Storytelling Workshop for Educators will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., also in Brookens Auditorium.

From 7:30 to 9 p.m., a Storytelling in the Round, Author’s Reception and Book Signing event will be held at Lincoln Memorial Gardens’ Nature Center, Council Ring 3. The cost to attend the evening event is $5; students with a UIS I-card will be admitted at no cost. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required for this event by calling the Lincoln Memorial Gardens Nature Center at 217/529-1111.

Speakers include James Bruchac, nationally-known cultural educator and author; Dr. Boria Sax, UIS adjunct professor of the course “Animals and Civilization”; Betsy Irwin, education coordinator at Lincoln Memorial Gardens; and Cathy Mosley, president of the Illinois-based Nature in Legend and Story.

For more information, go online to www.uis.edu/clas/animalsandnature.html or contact Holly McCracken at 217/206-7421 or hmccr1@uis.edu.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Emiquon Field Station presents "Spring Mushrooms and Morels" lecture and nature walk

“Spring Mushrooms and Morels,” a public lecture and nature walk, will be presented at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Emiquon Field Station on Wednesday, March 25, beginning at 6 p.m. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.

The program will be led by Dr. James Veselenak, UIS associate professor of Clinical Laboratory Science and Public Health. Veselenak is an experienced mycologist, which is a scientist that studies fungus and mushrooms.

“We will offer a primer on hunting spring mushrooms including the elusive morel,” Veselenak said. “We will learn about the varieties of spring mushrooms seen in this area. Discussed will be tips for hunting - where, when, and more - and the basics of identification.”

The Emiquon Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown. The entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Routes 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted, and a map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/about/images/mapToTNCEmiquon.jpg.

For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station Director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Rockefeller fellows to discuss gender and sexual orientation

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a Diversity Forum titled “The Role of Women in 2009” on Tuesday, March 24, at 12:15 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. The forum is free and open to the public. There will also be a live Webcast of the event; go here to access the Webcast on the day of the event.

Leading the forum as panel members will be fellows from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Program. The program was created in 1997 to create a diverse network of leaders. Program fellows learn to work with individuals from different backgrounds, outlooks and political persuasions with the goal of improving democracy.

Panel members will encourage forum participants to think about issues like fair compensation between men and women and the role of women in positions of leadership in businesses and corporations.

The members of the panel include Sonya Lopez, who works on the recruitment and attrition of first generation college students in her position as the Upward Bound Director at Texas State University; Hilary Morgan, creator and director of Homeward Bound, a transitional housing program for chronic homeless street alcoholics; Arlene Mayzel, vice president and dean of degree programs at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management; and Robert Kallen, founder of RSK Strategies, LLC, which provides expertise and capital to small and growing companies specializing in the food and education sectors.

The event is sponsored by the Barat Education Foundation’s Green Coffey Lecture Series and the UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speaker Series.

The ECCE Speakers Series at UIS is a campus-sponsored lecture series that aims to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.

Upcoming ECCE programs include two showings of the film Milk combined with an “Out in Politics” panel discussion on Friday, March 27, Who Speaks for the Muslim World? with Dalia Mogahed on March 30 and “Lifework of a Bosnian Writer Displaced in Chicago” with Aleksandar Hemon on April 3.

The complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2009 Spring Semester is available at http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. For information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or e-mail speakerseries@uis.edu.

Monday, March 16, 2009

UIS to host showing of movie 'Milk'

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host a showing of the movie Milk on Friday, March 27, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.

The first showing of Milk will begin at 3:30 p.m. with an “Out in Politics” panel discussion following at 6 p.m., also in Brookens Auditorium. A second showing of the film will begin at 8 p.m. Both showings and the panel discussion are free and open to the public; UIS students will receive priority seating.

Milk stars Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna and James Franco, and tells the story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as a gay activist in the United States.

In 1977, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. While in office, he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Milk changed the nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights before his untimely death in 1978. The film charts the last eight years of Milk’s life.

The “Out in Politics” panel held between film showings will consist of LGBTQ-identified (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning) politicians who will share their experiences on being out and active in the political arena.

The event is sponsored by the UIS LGBTQ Resource Office and the LGBTQ Resource Office Programming Advisory Board.

For more information, contact the LGBTQ Resource Office at LGBTQ@uis.edu.

Friday, March 13, 2009

9th annual Science Research Symposium

The University of Illinois at Springfield’s ninth annual Science Research Symposium – featuring presentations on applied or theoretical research by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in science programs at UIS and other four-year colleges in the area – will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 17, on the UIS campus. The symposium is free and open to the public.

Awards will be presented for the best student posters and oral presentations. College-level science presentations are welcome from schools outside UIS. The presentations and a keynote address will be held in Brookens Auditorium, located in the lower level of Brookens Library.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Peter Ward, professor of Paleontology from the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, who will speak on “Extinctions: Past, Present, and Future” from 3 to 4 p.m. A reception for Dr. Ward will immediately follow the keynote program.

UIS began hosting the symposium in 2001 to recognize the growing number of college students engaged in research projects. Dr. Rebecca Landsberg, UIS assistant professor of Biology and symposium co-coordinator, noted, “The symposium aims to encourage scientific dialog and inform the academic community of scientific research conducted at UIS and neighboring campuses. It is open to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty involved in applied or theoretical research. We particularly encourage presentations by students.”

Other goals include promoting community interest in scientific research and inviting nationally recognized scholars to share information about their own research.

The deadline to submit an abstract is March 27. For details, including format, guidelines and registration, go to www.uis.edu/biology/. The registration fee for presenters is $10; however the fee is waived for students who are members of biology or chemistry student clubs.

Symposium sponsors at UIS are the Biology, Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Science programs, the Speaker’s Fund, the Research Board and student science clubs.

For more information, contact Landsberg at 217/206-7338 or rland3@uis.edu, or Dr. Yash Mhaskar, assistant professor of Chemistry and symposium co-coordinator, at 217/206-7336 or ymhas2@uis.edu.

PAPS series continues with showing of "War Made Easy"

The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere continues with a screening of the film “War Made Easy” at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Both the film and the discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.

Based on the best-selling book of the same title, written by Norman Solomon, “War Made Easy” exposes various strategies used by administrations, both Democratic and Republican, to promote agendas for war, from Vietnam to Iraq. The film offers an analysis of the role of media in producing popular support and encourages viewers to think critically about the techniques of persuasion used to promote and prolong the option of war.

Each month, Political Art and the Public Sphere will feature a showing or performance of some kind of “political art,” followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. “The basic idea behind PAPS is to consider how ‘art’ raises provocative social and political questions,” noted Richard Gilman-Opalsky, professor of political philosophy at UIS and coordinator of the series.

“Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate and to circulate ideas and arguments,” he added. “In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power.”

For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Visual Arts Gallery hosts Vogele print collection

Highlights from the Vogele Print Collection will be on display at the Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois at Springfield from Monday, March 30 through Wednesday, April 22. An opening reception will be held in the gallery, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 17.

The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. The reception will be held in conjunction with UIS’ Arts Night.

The gallery is proud to present work from a collection of more than 20 prints by leading American contemporary artists donated by Robert and Ruth Vogele to the University’s permanent collection. Included in the collection are prints by Jim Dine, Sol LeWitt and Philip Pearlstein, among others. The Vogeles are alumni of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Visual Arts Gallery is located in room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on the UIS campus. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For more information, go to www.uis.edu/visualarts or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by e-mail at gallery@uis.edu.

Friday night Star Parties to resume Spring 2009

The University of Illinois at Springfield’s popular Star Parties will begin for the spring on Friday, March 27, and continue every Friday night through May 1, weather permitting. Star Parties are held from 8 to 10 p.m. in the UIS observatory, located on the roof of Brookens Library.

The Star Parties will be hosted by John Martin, assistant professor of Astronomy/Physics. The observatory’s three telescopes will be used to view a number of celestial objects, including Saturn, the ringed planet; the Great Orion Nebula, a nearby cradle of new stars; and the Moon, when visible. Other double stars and star clusters will also be viewed.

At a typical Star Party, visitors learn about galaxies, the sun, stars and stellar evolution, as well as star and constellation identification, prior to using the telescopes. These discussions take place in the stairway gallery of astronomical pictures on the way to the observation deck.

Star Parties are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, and groups are encouraged to attend. The entrance to the campus observatory is located outside Brookens Library on the southeast corner.

Questions about whether the weather is suitable for viewing should be directed to 217/206-8342 at 7 p.m. on the evening of the Star Party. More information about Star Parties can be found online at http://www.uis.edu/astronomy/about/starparties.html.

For other questions about Star Parties, contact Martin at 206-8342.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Good as Gold ceremony calls for nominations to honor volunteer work

The University of Illinois at Springfield and the Junior League of Springfield have formed a partnership to host the Springfield Good as Gold Ceremony, a recognition event to acknowledge community members and organizations for their volunteer efforts.

The Good as Gold Ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Six award categories will be announced during the ceremony.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to consider up to two individuals who exemplify the true meaning of volunteerism with enthusiasm, dedication, a caring attitude and leadership. These individuals will be automatically selected and recognized during the ceremony as Heart of Gold volunteers.

Other categories for which an individual can be nominated include an award for Distinguished Volunteer, Youth Volunteer and Organization Agent of Service Award. UIS will also honor with Golden Star Awards one staff or faculty member and one student who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and volunteerism.

In addition, the Junior League of Springfield will feature the winner of its Outstanding Graduate Award, recognizing a local junior high school girl for her leadership and volunteerism.

All nominees will be recognized in a keepsake program for the event and will also receive a certificate of appreciation at the event. Five nominees for the Distinguished Volunteer Award will also be acknowledged during the event with a short presentation. The Distinguished Volunteer award winner will have the opportunity to give a brief presentation to showcase his or her accomplishments within the Springfield community and will receive a donation stipend to give to the charity of his or her choice.

The nomination deadline for all of the award categories is Monday, March 30 at 5 p.m. To nominate an individual for an award, visit www.uis.edu/volunteer or email volunteer@uis.edu.

Annual Etiquette Dinner helps participants with social and business etiquette

An enjoyable and informative dinner featuring instruction in business and social etiquette will be hosted by the University of Illinois at Springfield on Tuesday, March 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center restaurant on the UIS campus. The etiquette dinner program is open to the public; however, space is limited, and advance registration is required.

The four-course dinner will give participants a chance to brush up on their table manners and learn other tips that will enhance their careers and personal lives. Beth Reutter, coordinator of the Hospitality Management Program at the U of I campus at Urbana-Champaign, will be the instructor. Reutter, who is a corporate etiquette consultant certified by the Protocol School of Washington, has presented this program to students and other college groups as well as to business groups in the Champaign-Urbana area.

The cost of the event, including dinner, is $10 for current UIS students and $25 for everyone else. The deadline to make a reservation for the program is March 24. Reservations may be made online at www.uiaa.org/spfld or by contacting Alumni Relations by phone at 206-7395 or by e-mail at alumni@uis.edu.

The event is presented by the Office of UIS Alumni Relations/U of I Alumni Association and co-sponsored by the UIS Career Development Center, Student Government Association, Office of Student Life and Graduate Public Service Internship Program. Northwestern Mutual Financial Network is the local business sponsor.

For more information, contact Mary Caroline Mitchell at 217/206-7395.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Emiquon Field Station holds annual Emiquon Science Meeting

The University of Illinois at Springfield’s Emiquon Field Station, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and Dickson Mounds Museum, is holding the second annual science meeting titled “Emiquon Science 2009: The Rebirth of Emiquon.” The event will be held on Thursday, March 12, at the Dickson Mounds Museum, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Emiquon Project is one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the nation and was started in 2007. UIS established the Field Station at Emiquon in 2008, which is used for many research and learning opportunities for both the UIS community and general public.

Bill Mitsch, internationally-known wetland ecologist and professor at The Ohio State University, will be the keynote speaker for the annual meeting. His talk, “Restoring the Mississippi River Basin: Wetlands, Rivers, Floodplains and Delta,” will focus on how the Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri river basins contribute to Gulf Hypoxia and how restoration may pave the way toward fixing this problem. Mitsch has received numerous awards in the field of ecology, including the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists and the 2005 Theodore M. Sperry Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration International.

The meeting will be comprised of both oral presentations and poster presentations related to ecology or research at the Emiquon Preserve. Morning topics include water quality at Emiquon, wetland and waterbird monitoring and more. The afternoon is comprised of poster sessions, and the event will conclude with a tour of the Emiquon Preserve and Field Station. For a complete schedule, go to https://edocs.uis.edu/mlemk1/www/Emiquon2009_final.pdf.

A complimentary lunch buffet will be served. Space for attendees is limited to 130, and advance registration is required. To register, go online to https://edocs.uis.edu/kmill2/www/emiquonScienceInvite09.htm.

For more information, contact Dr. Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu.

Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery Conference focuses on protecting online data

“Keeping Secrets Safe: Protecting Your Data” is the subject of the Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery Conference to be held Friday, March 13, in the Studio Theater, first floor of the Public Affairs Center, at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The conference is hosted by UIS' Computer Science department, in conjunction with InfraGard Springfield and the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance. Advance registration is required.

Janis Rose, conference chair and instructor of Computer Science at UIS, noted, “Identity theft is big business in today’s economy, and protecting business and personal data is about more than using a shredder. What information are our children posting online that increases their vulnerability? What data protection strategies can companies use to fill in gaps and improve results?”

Breakout sessions will focus on various relevant topics, including cyber bullying, identify theft, corporate data leakage, cloud computing, foreign intelligence collection, hacking and remote access.

“Participants will learn effective problem-solving techniques based on real-world applications,” said Rose. “This is a unique opportunity in Springfield. Professionals in all fields are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn what they can do to better protect corporate and personal data.”

Conference speakers will include John Bace, Vice President, Gartner’s Compliance & Risk Management Research; John Bambenek, SANS Internet Storm Center; Mike Bernico, GSEC Network Service Analyst; Adam Hansen, Manager of Security, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP; John D. Johnson, John Deere; Bob Kowalski, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Sarah Migas, High Tech Crimes Bureau, Office of the Illinois Attorney General; Gary Monnard, St. Ambrose University; Ken Pappas, Vice President Security Strategies, Top Layer Security; and Jeff Thompson, Certified Expert Penetration Tester Central Management Services, State of Illinois.

The deadline to register is Monday, March 9. The $30 registration fee includes lunch. CISSP credit and CPDUs will be available to those who request them.

InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and leaders in business, education and government. CSSIA is the first comprehensive Information Technology Security and Data Assurance Center in the Midwest. Partial funding for this conference has been provided by the National Science Foundation ATE Program.

For more information or to register, contact Rose at 217/206-8246, or go to http://csc.uis.edu/cyberconference.