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Upcoming Events
Obermann Co-Sponsored
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THAT CAMP, March 30-April 1, Main Library. There is a waiting list for registration for "The Humanities and Technology Camp" - an unconference, co-directed by the UI's HASTAC Scholars.
Mission Creek Festival, March 27-April 1. This music and literature festival brings established and new artists to Iowa City for a week of performances at venues all over downtown.
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Deadlines
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April 3, 5pm - Obermann Working Group application for the 2012-2013 year. Visit the Working Groups on our web site under "Programs" to learn more and access an application checklist.
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Publications & Awards
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Congratulations to Christine Rutledge-Russell (Music, CLAS) on the publication of her conference paper Interpreting Dance Movements in Solo Bach. 40th International Viola Congress Rochester, NY. Rutledge-Russell was a Fellow-in-Residence in 2010.
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| Tree by Tree: Engineering Professor Tackles Deforestation in NW India
H.S. Udaykumar (Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering) had a chance coffee shop encounter with his friend and colleague, R. Rajagopal (Geography, CLAS), which became the first in a series of events that would dramatically change his life--down to what he eats and reads.
"I was at T-spoons, totally oblivious," recalls Uday, "and Raj accosts me and announces, 'You are going to India! There is a project that is dealing with deforestation that needs you.'" When Uday admitted to being confused by what mechanical engineering had to do with deforestation, Raj explained breezily: 'You will go and find out.'"
Since that conversation in 2010, Uday has traveled back to his native India numerous times, twice with the INdIA Winterim program, becoming increasingly committed to the people and needs of the northwest region of Rajasthan. (He is pictured above hiking in the region with UI students.)
The once heavily forested and mountainous region is home to wolves, tigers, leopards, hyenas, sloth bears, and indigenous people who have lived on the edges of the forest for centuries. Their livelihood depends on the forest but pressing energy needs are threatening to cut into their ecological base.
The Aravali hill range separates the forest from the Thar Desert, serving as a barrier to the encroaching sand. The desert is growing by thousands of acres every year. As the forest not only decreases in total area but also becomes patchier, so does the habitat for the animals living there, as well as the rainfall in the area, which is already decreasing noticeably. Groundwater is disappearing as well, making growing food increasingly difficult.
To continue reading about the solar cooker project Uday has started with UI undergraduates, which they hope will help slow deforestation in Rajasthan, jump to the Obermann web site.
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The Latino Midwest: Conference Planners Schedule Keynotes and Visiting Artists for October
 The co-directors of next fall's Obermann Humanities Symposium, THE LATINO MIDWEST, have had a very busy few months. Claire Fox (English, CLAS), Omar Valerio-Jiménez (History, CLAS) and Santiago Vaquero-Vásquez (Spanish & Portuguese, CLAS) have procured several large grants and partnerships on campus, including an IP Major Grant, as well as support from Hancher Auditorium and the UI Lecture Committee. In addition to being a rich three days of conversation and discovery, the co-directors hope the symposium will highlight the changing demographics not only of our state but of the University and will have a lasting impact on the campus.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz (above), whose work includes the short story collection Drown and the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, will read on Friday, October 12, with sponsorship from the UI Lecture Committee.
The Symposium's opening keynote address will be delivered by Vicki Ruiz, Dean of Humanities and Professor of History at the University of California-Irvine. She will speak on the life of Luisa Morena, a Latina immigrant who became a labor and civil rights activist in the 1930s and 40s. José E. Limón, Professor of American Literature and American Studies at Notre Dame University, will give a keynote focused on the Chicago-based fieldwork and ethnography of legendary Tejano writer, performer, and scholar Américo Paredes. In many respects, Paredes is a founding figure for the fields of Chicano Studies and U.S.-Mexico border studies. Paredes is also the subject of Limón's forthcoming book, Américo Paredes: Culture and Critique.
Fox, Valerio-Jiménez, and Vaquero-Vásquez hope that other organizations on campus and in the community will use the symposium as an opportunity to host related events. "With last fall's Humanities Symposium on comics," says Obermann Director Teresa Mangum, "We were delighted by how many groups planned events and organized classes in conjunction with the symposium."
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An invitation from our friends at DSPH
Bi-Weekly "Jelly" at the Digital Studio for the Public Humanities 
Trying to envision an alternative to PowerPoint? Want to edit short videos and incorporate them into a blog? Following its recent Workshops on Presentation Technologies and Best Practices, the Digital Studio for the Public Humanities is launching a bi-weekly Jelly. Students, faculty, and staff with an interest in developing or working on a project are welcome to attend.
DSPH researchers will be available to provide technical assistance, conceptual support, and general guidance. They will also have computers to work on, but please bring your own laptop if possible.
DSPH Jelly's this semester:
- Thursday, March 22
- Thursday, April 5
- Thursday, April 19
- Thursday, May 3
All DSPH bi-weekly Jelly's are from 2 to 4 pm., Room 1015, Main Library - ground floor, NW corner
For more information, contact Jon Winet at jon-winet@uiowa.edu
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