You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time.
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Mondays.
WHAT: “The Surprise of Religion in Modern America,” Jon Butler, Howard R. Lamar Professor of American History, Yale University
WHEN: Tuesday, March 10 @ 8 p.m.
WHERE: Knight Auditorium at the Spurlock Museum (600 S. Gregory St., Urbana)
WHAT: “Carbon: The Currency of the Future,” Eric Jackson, Senior Carbon Expert at the UIUC Environmental Change Institute and CEO of CP Holdings, LLC
WHEN: Tuesday, March 10 @ 12 noon
WHERE: Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (1 Hazelwood Dr, Champaign)
From the calendar entry: “Mr. Jackson will discuss his role as senior carbon expert at the new Environmental Change Institute on the UIUC campus and the work he has conducted on assessing carbon footprints and managing carbon credits for industries and other agencies throughout the U.S.”
WHAT: “Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure: Building Rural Economies in a Time of Crisis,” Cornelia Butler Flora, Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Sociology, Iowa State University
WHEN: Monday, March 9 @ 12 noon
WHERE: Sims Room, ACES Library, Information, and Alumni Center (1101 S. Goodwin, Urbana)
WHAT: “Headscarves and Hotpants: Debating Gender Equality, Secularism, and Religious Freedoms in the ‘New Europe,’” Kristen R. Ghodsee, Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College
WHEN: Wednesday, March 11 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: 101 International Studies Building (910 S Fifth Street, Champaign)