Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Peace: What can YOU do? :: September 23


Yes, there will be pizza and beer, but also really nice people.  
If you can't be there the whole time, no worries. If peace floats your boat, just come.

One of those nice--plus intelligent and tenacious--people coming includes Susan Garcia Trieschmann,  
founder of Curt's Cafe and an expert on restorative justice. She plans to share her perspective on 
encouraging peace locally. You can learn more about her now via her 2015 TEDxWinnetkaWomen talk.

Organized by Evanston Young Professionals and the Rotary Club of Evanston, this discussion
about peace initiatives locally and abroad kicks off the club's first annual Evanston Peace Fest weekend.
Learn more about this Friday event and the rest of the weekend on Evanston Rotary's website. 

>> Disclosure <<
I'm a member of the Evanston Rotary Club,
the club that eats lunch together on Thursday's at noon.
If you'd like to come to lunch with me or
hear more from me about my Rotary experience,
let me know via Twitter


Monday, September 12, 2016

Seven Minutes of Science this week in Chicago and Evanston

There’s so so so* much I loved about working at IIT…Illinois Institute of Technology…Illinois Tech, if you like.

One of my responsibilities was to not just inform the general public about what was going on on the campuses, but why our groundbreaking researchers’ work was important…and so cool. I geek out on design, architecture, engineering, science and the rest, so this was so so so right for me. This was fun for me, but not easy. I had to translate what the brainiacs shared into some language that the rest of us—people who really do care, but cannot understand enough when too much jargon or too many acronyms are used—could fathom.

This is important work for lots of reasons, but my reasons included my belief that if our society is to make sound decisions regarding self-governing and caring for itself, it needs to be well-informed. Also, if important work is to be supported, those writing the checks and rallying support need to “get it”, even if they don’t immediately remember what NSF, STEAM, or NOAA mean.

Imagine my delight when I’d discovered NU’s RSG program. ;-)
RSG stand for Ready, Set, Go!

Founded in 2012 by Michelle Paulsen and Alex Adler, RSG coaches teach graduate and post doc researchers to improve their presentation skills.

I feel so much smarter after listening to their presentations. Love when that happens.

You too can enjoy that feeling.
Prepare to be wowed at http://rsg.northwestern.edu/su2015.html .

To be wowed in person, consider going to this week’s presentations: Seven Minutes of Science.
Tuesday presentations start at 3 p.m. at Lurie Medical Research Center in downtown Chicago.
Wednesday presentations also start at 3 p.m., but on NU’s Evanston campus.

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* Yes. I like the word "so"....and I like ellipses. 


Thursday, September 1, 2016

Teach our children well :: Evanston Peace Fest 1

Thank you, Amy Beth Gardner for this excellent example of
how to explain the power of words and kindness to young ones.





In related news...
 

Rotary Club of Evanston invites friends and neighbors far and wide to its first ever Evanston Peace Festival going down September 23-25. We'll be talking about peace, kindness and what we can do to instigate peace within ourselves, in our neighborhoods and throughout the world. More about the fest is up on Evanston Rotary's website.

On Friday, September 23, we'll be at Rotary International headquarters talking about peace and peace effort locally and globally. 

On Saturday, September 24, there are tours of RI's headquarters and tailgating before heading to NU for football.

On Sunday, September 25, noon-4 p.m. Peace Fest action will be at the International Friendship Garden on McCormick Blvd, south of Bridge St. My friend, Evanstonian and Sun-Times reporter Maudlyne Ihejirika will do a reading from her book "Escape from Nigeria: A Memoir of Faith, Love and War."  New friends Pastor Elizabeth Jones and WCGO's Daniel French will each do a "peace talk".

More details to come.