VERNON LARSON LUNCHEON LECTURES

 

Next Lecture February 12 -

Professor Dr. Sabri Ciftci: The Arab Spring and Freedom's Future: Local and GLobal Consequences of Arab Uprisings.

Sabri Ciftci earned his MA from Ankara University in Turkey (1997) and his MS and Ph.D. from Florida State University (2002, 2005). His research interests include political behavior, public opinion, and democratic institutions. He is also interested in Turkish Politics, Middle Eastern Politics, and the European Union. His current research explores the relationship of Islam and democracy, voting behavior in the Middle East, the rise of pro-Islamic parties, and anti-immigrant attitudes in the European Union. He has published in the International Political Science Review, European Union Politics,and coauthored a book about the Turkish Parliament in 2007.

Dr. Ciftci teaches courses on Middle Eastern Politics, Islam and Politics, Political Methodology, and the European Union.  

 

 

March 14 - Jui Mhatre: “Symbolism in classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam?”

Jui Mhatre has been practicing classical Indian dance "Bharatanatyam" for past fifteen years, and teaching classical as well as folk dances for ten years. She received her formal training in dance in Mumbai, India. Before coming to United States she taught dance in Mumbai and also performed professionally. She has appeared in several solo performances in United States and Canada. Apart from practicing classical Indian dance, she also works as an interdisciplinary artist mixing performance with other media such as clay and video. Investigating the inter-relation and exploring the cultural contradictions between diverse art forms have been dominant themes in her interdisciplinary work. She currently offers classes in Indian classical and folk dances at UFM Community Learning Center in Manhattan.

April 9 - Randall Tosh Kansas State University Liaison for Australian Initiatives: "Australian Partnerships: A Global Strategy"

Randall Tosh serves as the University Liaison for Australia Initiatives at Kansas State University. He has responsibility for promoting and facilitating the University’s relationships with Australia’s Commonwealth and State Governments, educational institutions, research organisations and industry. Previously, he was the Senior Director of US Market Development for the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), the Commonwealth agency responsible for Australian exports, two-way investment and marketing of Australian education throughout the U.S. At Austrade, his brief included commercialisation of Australian bioscience research and technologies related to animal health & nutrition, crop improvement, food safety & security and biofuels development. He was a member of the Global Agribusiness Network, the Global Industry Team for Innovation and the US Commercialisation Portfolio. His work included facilitating strategic R&D and commercialisation linkages between Australian research institutions, universities and businesses and their collaborative and commercial partners in the US. In this capacity, he led a major research initiative for the Trade Commission in 2010, working with Australia’s Group of 8 universities’ administration and research staff as well as their technology transfer offices; four divisions and flagships of the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs).
He has assisted Kansas State University join Australia’s CRC National Plant Biosecurity and establish Memoranda of Agreement with The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney and The University of Western Australia.