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Indigenous film series brings Bolivian and Native American artists to Minneapolis

condormeetseagleThe Augsburg Native American Film Series, in collaboration with Phillips Indian Educators and the Parkway Theater, presents Where Condor Meets Eagle: Indigenous Bolivian and Native American Film Festival and Cultural Exchange Screening, March 16-18 at the Minneapolis Parkway Theater. All events are free and open to the public.

The Augsburg College Native American Film Festival and various academic departments are proud to present a three-night film festival celebrating Indigenous film, collaborations across national boundaries, and visual storytelling. Continue reading “Indigenous film series brings Bolivian and Native American artists to Minneapolis”

It’s W.O.W. — Week of Women

weekofwomenAugsburg communication studies students Susie Mechtel [right, with Paris Yarbrough center], Megan Kaiser, Kendra McClausland, Samantha Cantrall, Melissa Herrick [left], and Austin Erickson are hosting an activism project entitled “Week of Women” beginning Monday, March 5. The week’s activities will be dedicated to the empowerment of women and the engagement of men in conversations surrounding the issues of women’s social justice and representation in the media. Continue reading “It’s W.O.W. — Week of Women”

Reflecting on migrant workers’ hardships from CGE Mexico campus

lippittabroadErica Lippitt ’13, international business major, returns to our CGE Mexico campus for the second time to study abroad.

When we buy produce, do we really know what we are paying for, or the story behind the produce? Most likely the produce you recently purchased is produced with the help of migrant workers. Migrant workers, year after year, separate themselves from their families to work the season, which is usually eight months. Children are left without their fathers, and wives without their husbands, all because the economy of their home country is struggling and jobs aren’t available. When we purchase produce, we don’t think about the terrible living and working conditions the migrant workers are subjected to, the medical effects, or the non-economic effects. Continue reading “Reflecting on migrant workers’ hardships from CGE Mexico campus”

Sorum presents winning poster at AAAS annual meeting

sorum_aaasAt the 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) international meeting in Vancouver B.C., biology major Alex Sorum won the student poster competition in the medicine and public health category. Alex won with his poster titled, “Effects of Airway Epithelial Secretions on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation” which presented the research he did as a Sundquist Scholar with biology assistant professor Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright during 2011.

Sorum did research on the bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that affects about 80 percent of cystic fibrosis patients by the age of 18. The bacteria is difficult to treat because it forms a biofilm in the lungs that protects it against antibiotics and white blood cells. He harvested secretions from a non-cystic fibrosis lung model and applied them to the bacteria to test whether the lung secretions would inhibit the formation of the biofilm. Continue reading “Sorum presents winning poster at AAAS annual meeting”

Sabo Symposium: Funding for Minnesota education

sabosymposiumBy Jenny Pinther ’15 with Wendi Wheeler ’06

The spring 2012 Sabo Center Symposium featured two Minnesota task force members in a discussion about how to spend $100 million on racial integration programs in the metro area public schools. Peter A. Swenson and Scott Thomas were the co-chairs of the task force who spoke at Augsburg’s Sabo Symposium.

Their discussion was moderated by educational leaders Bill Green, Augsburg professor of history who also served on the task force, and Nan Skelton, director emerita of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship. Continue reading “Sabo Symposium: Funding for Minnesota education”

Augsburg sends scholars to the Capitol

scholarsatcapitolOn Wednesday, Feb. 22, 39 students and their faculty advisors from 14 colleges will present findings of their research at the ninth annual Minnesota Private College Scholars at the Capitol event. This event gives Minnesota’s legislators and the governor an opportunity to learn about the importance of research to private college and university students. It also allows students to gain experience speaking about their research work to a public audience.

This year Augsburg College will be represented by two McNair program scholars:

Building an Infrastructure to Recognize an Image’s Evoked Emotion

Chue Xue Lee, computer science, with Prof. Shana Watters Continue reading “Augsburg sends scholars to the Capitol”

Nobel Peace Prize Forum from March 1-3 features Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, international and national leaders

NPPF1The 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum—a conference that celebrates Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, international and national leaders—is March 1-3 in Minneapolis.

The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, which explores issues related to peacemaking and causes of conflict and war, includes tracks related to business, arts and music, education, and global studies. A special 50th anniversary presentation of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem will be performed as part of the event.

The forum is organized by Augsburg College, in partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and with ongoing sponsorship from the original college partners. The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is the only affiliation of the Nobel Institute outside Norway. It was founded during 1989 through a unique partnership between the Norwegian Nobel Institute and five private colleges—Augsburg, Augustana, Concordia (Moorhead), Luther, and St. Olaf. Continue reading “Nobel Peace Prize Forum from March 1-3 features Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, international and national leaders”

Series examines youth involvement in social change movements

bataldenBeginning this spring, Augsburg will host a series of speakers, courses, and travel experiences relating to the political changes in Egypt that tie in with Augsburg’s civic mission.

The first of these opportunities is the Batalden Symposium on Applied Ethics which will feature three members of the EYouth (Engaging and Empowering Egyptian Youth) project. The lecture on Monday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m., is free and open to the public.

Said Joe Underhill, professor of political science and adviser for Augsburg’s Model UN course, “We are hoping these events will provide students with a rich and inter-related set of learning experiences that will inspire and empower our students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.” Continue reading “Series examines youth involvement in social change movements”

Global Connections Project—Enriching lives in Cambodia

gcp_groupFor two weeks in January, a group of students and volunteers from the Twin Cities traveled to Cambodia to participate in a service project with the Global Connections Project.

Founded in January 2010, the Global Connections Project has been the lifelong work and vision of Shawn Tuoch and Penh Soni Lo, director of Pan Asian Student Services at Augsburg. Shawn and Penh are children of the wars in Southeast Asia which resulted in the mass exodus of Southeast Asian refugees to the United States. After several individual trips to Southeast Asia for charitable projects, they recognize the need for humanitarian work in Southeast Asia. By luck, they met through various networks and started collaborating. As a result, Global Connections Project formed with an all-volunteer staff and board. Continue reading “Global Connections Project—Enriching lives in Cambodia”

CCHP convocation features Frederic Luskin on forgiveness

cchp_convoThe 2012 Center for Counseling and Health Promotion convocation will feature Frederic Luskin, PhD of Stanford University. The convocation lecture will be held Saturday, February 11 from noon-1 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Luskin is the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects, a senior consultant in health promotion at Stanford, and a professor of clinical psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Currently he also serves as the co-chair of the Garden of Forgiveness Projects at Ground Zero in Manhattan. Continue reading “CCHP convocation features Frederic Luskin on forgiveness”