Artist Talk | James Brutus

Contemporary Painting | In conjunction with Black History Month

Wednesday, Feb 20th | 6:30pm (meet & greet at 6:00pm) | 62/154

James Brutus’ body of work focuses primarily on painting and portraiture, particularly of and/or about people of color. These figurative pieces question the social notion of nature and beauty, and the age-old human longing for perfection. Brutus earned his BFA degree at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. Brutus has created illustrations for newspapers and magazines, including the Michigan View, Chicago Tribune and others, as well as for private clients. He also exhibited several of his works in galleries throughout Detroit and Chicago, and is based in Miami, FL.

Science Speaker | Rebecca Duncan

Molecular Evolution of an Insect / Bacteria Symbiosis

Feb 14th | 11am | 46/152

Rebecca Duncan began her research career as an undergraduate studying the convergent mechanism of camouflage in six-eyed sand spiders and a little known North American spider genus called Homalonychus. Her work as an undergraduate has been highlighted in the prestigious journal Nature. Since 2009, Rebecca has been studying molecular evolution at the University of Miami, where she is a Ph.D. candidate working with Dr. Alex Wilson. Rebecca is currently investigating the genomes of organisms with intracellular symbionts, examining how the host’s genome has evolved to produce transport proteins that facilitate the exchange of amino acids between the cells of the symbionts and the host cells in which they live. She is lead author on several papers and is a recipient of a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

Social Science | David Emory Shi

Race Relations in America

Feb 14th | 12 - 1pm | 46/152

David E. Shi, received his Ph. D from the University of Virginia and now serves as President Emeritus and Professor of History at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Shi is the author of several books focusing on American cultural history, including the award winning The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture and Facing Facts: Realism in American Thought and Culture, 1850 - 1920.

Science Speaker | Tom Bales

Cosmic Rays and Citizen Science: The World's Largest Telescope

Feb 7th | 3pm | 46/152

Tom Bales, an MIT graduate and Chief Technology Officer for Syntheon LLC in Miami, is the lead investigator for the ERGO Project.  The “Energetic Ray Global Observatory” is a collective of scientists and amateurs who’s cosmic ray detecting units, like the one collecting data on our campus, all contribute to “The World’s Largest Telescope”. Bales, who recently gave a riveting TED Talk on the subject, will expound upon this expansive project and how we can participate in changing the way we see the universe.