The College of Arts and Sciences and its Liberal Studies Project sponsor the Meet the Professor lecture series to highlight the college’s research and cultural offerings during the first Thursdays of most months.
The luncheon talks begin at noon in the University Club on Belknap Campus. Reservations are required, with $14 payment in cash or check. To reserve a spot, contact Janna Tajibaeva by email or at 502-852-2247 no later than the Monday before each event.
Here are the fall 2012 semester talks:
Sept. 6 – “Lost Crops of the Incas Rediscovered,” Lisa Markowitz, anthropology chair and professor. She will discuss her long-term field work in the alpaca-raising region of southern Peru as well as the county’s economic growth and recent culinary trends that celebrate native Andean foods developed by the ancient Incas.
Oct. 4 – “Transforming a Pariah: An Assessment of Burma’s Reform Process,” Jason Abbott, Center for Asian Democracy director and Aung San Suu Kyi endowed chair in political science. He will talk about Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest and recent reforms including fair parliamentary elections, liberation of political prisoners and peace agreements with some ethnic insurgents.
Nov. 1 – “Medical Geography: Exploring Health, Disease and Environment through a Geographic Lens,” Carol Hanchette, geography and geosciences professor. She will explain the role of mapping and spatial analysis in her research, using prostate and ovarian cancers, lead poisoning and asthma as examples, and will draw from historical study of infectious diseases such as cholera.
Dec. 6 – “The Order of Nature and the Order of Grace: Shaker Perspectives on Health and Wellness,” Susan Matarese, political science professor, and Paul Salmon, psychological and brain sciences professor. The couple will talk about the health practices of the utopian society that sought to create “heaven on earth” in communities stretching from New England to Kentucky.