Library Brown Bag Talks will be offered via Zoom during the Fall 2021 semester. An email will be sent to the UNC Asheville community during the week of the talk with information about logging into Zoom.
All Library Brown Bags are free and open to UNC Asheville students, faculty, and staff. Several select Brown Bags will be open to the larger community and will require registration.
For questions or comments about Library Brown Bag Talks, please contact Gene Hyde, Head of Special Collections and University Archivist, UNC Asheville. ghyde@unca.edu or 828-251-6645
Thursday, August 26
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Ann Dunn, Humanities
"The Problem of the Sensual for the Ascetic in Books I and II of Celano’s First Life [of St. Francis]"
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” (2Cor 2;14-17)
Lepers, lilies, sweet fragrant fruits, the physicality of stigmata and other miracles, the shining brilliant beauty of Francis’ dead body, and lovely language itself - Thomas Celano’s First Life of Saint Francis, concerning the earthly journey of a most ascetic saints, ironically abounds with evocations of the sensual world. In this, it reminds me of one of my children's and grandchildren's favorite films, Labyrinth. The similarities between the two texts, almost eight hundred years apart, suggest a universal subtext in Celano, a missionary message evidently as relevant to modern audiences as to those of the thirteenth century (Vauchez 102-4).
Thursday, September 9
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Tim Elgren, Chief Research Officer
Charlotte Smith, University Grants Manager
Bert Holmes, Chemistry
"Get Grant-Ready-Set-Go!"
Are you interested in submitting a grant, but don't know where to begin? Have a great idea that needs funding, but not sure what reviewers are looking for? Don't worry! There are things you can do to better position yourself for submitting a competitive proposal. Tim Elgren, Chief Research Officer and Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Charlotte Smith, University Grants Manager, and Bert Holmes, Philip G. Carson Distinguished Chair and Professor of Chemistry, will share tips and strategies on how to get "grant-Ready," Set yourself up for a successful submission, and then Go get that funding! Topics covered will include items such as gathering preliminary data, conducting pilot/demonstration projects, getting published, conducting literature reviews, and establishing collaborations.
Thursday, September 16
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Blu Buchanon, Sociology
"The Demands of a Black Trans Feminism"
Description:
Interviewer: "What is the nastiest shade you've ever thrown?"
Juliana Huxtable: "Existing in the world."
Using this as a launching point, our Brown Bag Talk will feature Blu Buchanan's chapter on Black trans feminism in the forthcoming (Sep 30th) book, Black Feminist Sociology: Perspectives and Praxis. Following the arc of the chapter itself, this talk will begin by discussing the deep roots of Black trans feminism within the general Black feminist framework, detail it's departures and interventions, and finally lay out it's demands - of sociologists, the community, and the academy writ large. The talk aims to bring attendees from all disciplines into conversation about the nature of abjection, abolition, and justice.
Thursday, September 23
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Linnea Linton, Joint NCSU/UNCA Engineering Programs
"Wait - There's Engineering at UNCA?"
Yes, there is! Come learn all about the Joint NCSU/UNCA Engineering Programs - our history, how the Joint Programs work, and what exactly Mechatronics Engineering is. Presented by Linnea Linton, Associate Director of the Joint Engineering Programs.
Thursday, September 30
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Alex Mitchell and Emma Olson, NC Center for Health and Wellness
"The Impact Of COVID-19 and Resilience Factors for Pregnant Persons and Families with Young Children in Buncombe County, North Carolina"
This presentation discusses the results of the 2020-2021 annual community assessment update for Verner Center For Early Learning. Using an asset based approach and racial equity lens, the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness partnered with Verner to understand the strengths, challenges, opportunities and resources impacting individuals or families who were pregnant and/or caring for young children (under 5 years old) in Buncombe County from 2020-2021. The results are presented through the lens of the Buncombe County Community Health Improvement Process (CHIP) priorities of General Mental Health and Birth Outcomes & Infant Mortality.
Thursday, October 14
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Lori Horvitz and Jennifer McGaha, English
"Keeping it Real: The Personal Essay Collection as Memoir"
English Professors Lori Horvitz and Jennifer McGaha will discuss essay collections as memoir and will read from their latest works.
Thursday, October 21
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Alison Ormsby (Environmental Studies/Office of Sustainability) and Moorthy Muthukrishnan (Engineering)
"Implementing the Carbon Commitment at UNC Asheville: Results from a Solar Feasibility Study"
UNC Asheville signed the national Carbon Commitment in March 2021 and pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. The campus conducts an annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and is in the process of developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP). This presentation will share the steps to implement the Carbon Commitment on campus and proposed initiatives in the CAP. In the summer of 2021, Dr. Muthukrishan worked with two research students to complete a solar feasibility study for the campus roofs. He will present the results of this study and the potential use of microgrids. We look forward to discussing these results and ideas for sustainability actions on campus.
Thursday, October 28
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Camila Cramer Filgueiras, University Fellow for Faculty Diversity, Biology
"Insects, plants, and nematodes, oh my!"
Plants talk. And other organisms listen. In this talk, we will explore how and why plants communicate belowground. Specifically, we will learn how plants communicate with insects and nematodes and ‘call’ in beneficial nematodes to defend themselves from attack. We will highlight recent research into the mechanisms underpinning this communication and discuss the importance of this communication in natural and agricultural ecosystems, particularly for use in sustainable management of agricultural pests.
Thursday, November 11
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Suzanne Dittenber, Art
"The Objecthood of Books"
This talk probes the meaning of books beyond their intellectual content, reflecting on use and wear, as well as affection and attachment to the physical attributes of a well-loved book. In this lecture, I'll discuss how the weight, mass, and shape of books have influenced my own studio work, and will also talk about books as objects/subjects incorporated in various works of art throughout history.
Thursday, November 18
12 - 1 PM
Via Zoom - login information will be sent via email a few days before the talk
Patrick Bahls, Mathematics
Overlooked: The Intersection of Redlining and Historic Preservation
Recent efforts in Asheville and elsewhere to account for the damage done to communities of color by urban renewal and related processes have rightfully focused on the wealth lost to such communities through the acquisition and subsequent destruction of their homes, businesses, and other properties. This presentation will spotlight current work to understand another effect of 20th-century urban planning policy: the impact of urban renewal on historic preservation efforts. By overlaying redlining maps with data on formally recognized sites with historic and architectural significance, we can measure the degree to which the prominent public history of redlined neighborhoods has been underpreserved.