Palm Desert Center

UCR Palm Desert 2011-12 Lecture Series

• UCR Palm Desert Arts & Letters Series 

  Facilitated by Tod Goldberg, program director, UCR Palm Desert Low Residency M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. Sponsored by the Palm Springs Public Library. All events are open to the public and begin at 6:30 p.m. (VIP receptions at 5:30 p.m.). Tickets available at webpay.ucr.edu.

  • Lisa See, Thursday, February 9, 2012

    Lisa See, author of the Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls, will discuss her latest book, Dreams of Joy, with UCR Palm Desert Low-Residency M.F.A. program director, Tod Goldberg.  PURCHASE TICKETS.

• UCR Boyd Deep Canyon Lecture Series 

  Facilitated by Dr. Allan Muth, director, Boyd Deep Canyon Research Center, University of California, Riverside, in partnership with UCR Palm Desert and The Living Desert. Free and open to the public.
  • Restoring the Galapagos Tortoise Dynasty: Innovations in Research and Management Result in Enduring Success  REGISTER 
    Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

Presented by Dr. Linda Cayot, Science Advisor and Liaison, Galapagos Conservancy. Over the past 50 years, an integrated approach to conservation, continually combining new research and adaptive management, has resulted in major advances in the recovery of populations of the Galapagos giant tortoise. The successful tortoise breeding and rearing program was only the start. Dr. Cayot will explain how increased understanding, habitat restoration, and advances in tortoise genetics have created opportunities that would have been impossible to imagine even a few decades ago! 

• Examining the Medieval-Early Modern Period
  

  We are incredibly pleased to announce a free lecture series with The Center for Ideas and Society, an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to humanities and creativity at UCR. The goal is to challenge, stimulate and enlighten our community. We hope you'll join us!

  • The Multilingual Art of Commedia dell'Arte  REGISTER
    Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. 

    Presented by Erith Jaffe-Berg, Ph.D, University of California, Riverside associate professor of theatre.

• UCR Science & Society

  UCR Palm Desert is pleased to offer a free lecture series to the community focused on major issues of the 21st Century. Presented in partnership with University of California, Riverside, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, these lectures will be presented once a month beginning December 2011 through February 2012.

  • Size Matters: Nanotechnology and Other Wonders in Carbon Flatland  REGISTER
    Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

    Presented by Dr. Jeanie Lau, associate professor of physics at UCR College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. What is stronger than steel but softer than silk? Transparent like plastic but conductive of heat? Wins Nobel prizes but is also produced by every school kid? Graphene! Learn more about this wonder material and how it is transforming the next generation of technology.

• Readings in the Evenings

Sponsored by UCR Palm Desert Low Residency M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. Freeand open to the public.Words and Deeds: The Political Styles of Abraham Lincoln and Dolley Madison REGISTER
Wednesday February 15, 2012 at 6:00 p.m

UCR English professor Dr. John Briggs discusses Lincoln's speeches and UCR History professor, Dr. Catherine Allgor, explores the history of First Ladies in the United States.

• Public Art Documentary Film Series

The series is a partnership between UCR Palm Desert and the City of Palm Desert's Public Art Department, featuring many memorable community works all over the globe.

 "Tony Cragg: In Celebration of Sculpture"  REGISTER

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 6:00 p.m

One of the most versatile sculptors working today is Tony Cragg. Shaping forms in plastic, glass, stone, wood, steel, fiberglass and found objects, he has been making magic since the mid-70s. Through this film, Cragg reveals himself while installing exhibitions of his work internationally, and restlessly moving around in his Wuppertal studio. The documentary, directed by Chris Felver, was filmed in New York, California, London, Eindhoven and Dusseldorf.

• Eco Movie Night

All are welcome to attend this FREE special presentation, sponsored by the City of Palm Desert and in partnership with the Coachella Valley Branch of the US Green Building Council.

"Bag It!"  REGISTER

Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 6:00 p.m

A self-described "average guy," Jeb Berrier notices that plastic bages are piling up in his house. He embarks on a personal quest to figure out where they come from, why they're so ubiquitous and where they end up after we throw them away.

With a humourous style, Suzan Beraza's documentary explores society's dependence on other single-use plastic items -- like wrappers, food containers, and bottles -- and other alternatives we can use.

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