Institute Insider

April 27 | Population Association of America Paper Presentations
12:15–1:15 p.m., 50 Willey Hall

Minnesota Population Center members, students, and staff members will present their 2009 Population Association of America papers on Monday, April 27, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Room 50 Willey Hall. This program is one in a series presented by the Minnesota Population Center.

April 27 | Regional Planning and Policy Brownbag Discussion
12:45–2 p.m., Lukermann Conference Room

Cynthia Chen of the Department of Civil Engineering, City College of New York, will present "Historical Deposition Influence in Residential Location Choice: A Distance-Based GEV Model for Spatial Correlation" on Monday, April 27, from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in the Lukermann Conference Room (280B Humphrey Center). Dr. Chen has over 15 years of experience in travel behavior analysis, demand forecasting, and survey design. She chairs the subcommittee on Time Use and Activity and Travel Patterns at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and also serves as a member of the Travel Behavior and Values Committee and Telecommunications and Travel Behavior Committee at the TRB. This event is part of the Regional Planning and Policy Brownbag Discussion Series. All are welcome to attend.

April 28 | Can Obama Avoid the Dark Side? Learning from how the War on Terror turned into the War on American Ideals
Noon–1:15 p.m., Humphrey Forum

The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance will host "Can Obama Avoid the Dark Side? Learning how the War on Terror turned into the War on American Ideals" on Tuesday, April 28, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the Humphrey Forum. In the days immediately following September 11, the most powerful people in the country made a series of decisions to protect the country and to enhance presidential power. These decisions precipitated ferocious debates within the new Bush administration. Jane Mayer, New Yorker contributor and author of The Dark Side, reveals the behind-the-scene debates. She is joined by Vice President Walter Mondale and Professor Larry Jacobs to discuss the lessons for the Obama administration's efforts to balance counter-terrorism and American ideals and law.

April 28 | Big Bang Book Club
7–9 p.m., Grumpy's Bar and Grill, 1111 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

The Big Bang Book Club will host a discussion of Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku on Tuesday, April 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Grumpy's Bar and Grill, 1111 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis. Teleportation, time machines, force fields, and interstellar space ships: is this the stuff of science fiction or of potentially attainable future technologies? Inspired by the fantastic worlds of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Back to the Future, renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku takes an informed, serious, and often surprising look at what our current understanding of the universe's physical laws may permit in the near and distant future. Entertaining, informative, and imaginative, Physics of the Impossible probes the very limits of human ingenuity and scientific possibility. The Big Bang Book Club is one of only a few science book clubs in America co-sponsored by a bookstore. All are invited to attend. This event is sponsored by the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy; Magers & Quinn Booksellers; Secrets of the City; and Grumpy's Bar and Grill.

April 29 | Fraser Conference Room Dedication and Reception
4 p.m., Humphrey Center Atrium

Please join us as we dedicate Room 173 Humphrey Center in recognition of Senior Fellow Emerita Arvonne Fraser on Wednesday, April 29, at 4 p.m. in the Humphrey Center Atrium. Ms. Fraser co-founded the Center on Women and Public Policy and directed the International Women's Rights Action Watch, a project dedicated to implementing the United Nations convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. RSVP to hhhdev@umn.edu.

April 30 | The Changing Competitive Position of Public Research Universities
3:30–5 p.m., Cowles Auditorium

Join us for "The Changing Competitive Position of Public Research Universities," an address by M. Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, on Thursday, April 30, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. Public universities increasingly are at a competitive disadvantage with private research universities. Public universities rely more and more on tuition and less on state support. One result is that faculty salaries are lower in public universities than private universities. This may in the future mean that the more talented faculty members migrate to the private institutions. The challenge is to find ways to remain competitive through developing innovative ways to become more efficient as such sectors as telecommunications and manufacturing have become.

Peter McPherson is president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A۰P۰L۰U), an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 218 members enroll more than 4.7 million students and graduate 1 million students per year. Prior to joining A۰P۰L۰U, McPherson was president of Michigan State University for more than 11 years (1993-2004).

McPherson's address will be followed by a reactor panel of local higher education representatives. This even is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. RSVP to (612) 625-5002. This is one in a series of programs designed to bring together experts to talk about the current state of the economy.