Featured Speakers

The College of Education and Human Sciences and the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education (TLTE) hosted seven faculty from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beihang University Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The educators from Beijing, China came to Nebraska to learn about graduate programs in education and to better understand the research focus of the department.

Faculty from TLTE spent time with the delegation and began discussions about potential collaborations between the two programs. The groups were expected to talk about potential shared conferences, teaching cooperation and new technologies.

In the photo at left, Guy Trainin (back left), TLTE professor and graduate chair, meets with his doctoral student Aiqing Yu (back right) and two faculty members from Beihang University: Jia Lu (front left) and Xiaoqi Zheng (front right), dean. 

Ali Michael, director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, is the keynote for a free workshop from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Oct. 28 in Henzlik Hall, hosted by the College of Education and Human Sciences. “Raising Race Questions in Schools: Toward Wholeness of Self and Community” is open to all UNL students, faculty, staff and K-12 educators across Nebraska.

Michael is the author of “Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and Education” and winner of the 2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award. She is co-editor of the bestselling “Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories” and “The Guide for White Women who Teach Black Boys.” She recently presented a TEDx Talk that discusses being white in America.

Michael will make a plenary address at the workshop featuring participant interaction and self-reflection, followed by two breakout sessions with multiple topics. Lunch is provided. For a complete program, visit the CEHS calendar of events. Questions can be directed to Sarah Thomas, assistant professor of practice, 402-770-8162 or sarah.thomas@unl.edu.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum will launch a new lecture series with a presentation from acclaimed quiltmaker and author Joe Cunningham.

Cunningham will share insights into his quilting career, several of his quilts and a few songs at 2 p.m. Feb. 5 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. This free event, which is open to people of all ages, marks the inaugural Mary Ghormley Memorial Lecture.

“Joe Cunningham's creativity, passion for quiltmaking and unique artistic vision make him the perfect speaker to premiere our new lecture series,” said Leslie Levy, Ardis and Robert James executive director of International Quilt Study Center and Museum. “Mary and Joe shared midwestern roots, a love for telling the story and quiltmaking. Bringing Joe to Quilt House is a great way to honor Mary Ghormley's legacy.”

Joe began making quilts professionally in 1979 after 10 years as a musician. He has also written 11 books about quilts, including “Men and the Art of Quiltmaking,” and has been featured on various TV shows. His engaging lecture will also include live musical performances and viewings of his work.

While at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, Cunningham will also lead a workshop 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 4 at the museum. In the Creative Design workshop, Cunningham will demonstrate and teach how to develop a small idea into an abstract quilt. Students will develop their own designs with each quilt.

Mary Ghormley was a passionate quilter, teacher and collector, who promoted quiltmaking and identification in our state. The series was made possible by the generous support of her family in her honor. After debuting in 2017 at the museum, it will travel to other locations across Nebraska beginning in 2018.

The series also kicks off a year of programming to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the gift of nearly 1,000 quilts from collectors Ardis and Robert James, which established the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2017.

“We are forever grateful for the James family's generosity and the gift that started this international journey for the university,” Levy said.

Steve Graham and Karen Harris, professors in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, will be the keynote speakers during a mini-conference on writing research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln April 7-8.

The first day of the conference will focus on research-oriented topics, and is open to all faculty and students at Nebraska. The second day will be a teacher- and practice-oriented day, and is open to all faculty and students at Nebraska, along with teachers from Lincoln Public Schools and other area schools.

The mini-conference, which is sponsored by funding from Nebraska’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, Department of Educational Psychology and the ASUN Graduate Student Assembly, is free to all attendees. Space is limited to 200 participants each day, and registration closes March 31.

Each day will feature a welcome, writing breakout sessions, and a keynote address by Graham and Harris. The keynote address April 7 will be “The State of Writing Research”, while the topic the next day will be writing instruction. In addition, there will be a graduate student luncheon and roundtable discussion April 7, during which Graham and Harris will discuss publishing in high-quality journals. The luncheon is limited to 35 individuals. 

Graham has more than 30 years of experience studying how writing develops, how to teach it effectively, and how writing can be used to support reading and learning. His research involves typically developing writers and students with special needs in both elementary and secondary schools, including extensive research in classrooms.

Harris has worked in the field of education for more than 40 years, initially as a general education teacher, then as a special education teacher. Her research focuses on informing and improving theory, research, and practice related to writing development among students with high-incidence disabilities, students who struggle with writing, and normally achieving students.

Any questions or requests for more information about the writing research mini-conference may be directed to professor Michael Hebert at michael.hebert@unl.edu or Pam Bazis at pbazis@huskers.unl.edu.

Human trafficking is probably not something that comes top of mind when thinking about a career in Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management, but HRTM students in Nutrition and Health Sciences will be learning why it should be. Retired FBI special agent Anna Brewer will speak to students at noon Feb. 7 in Room 31 of the Home Economics Building on East Campus. Space is limited. If you are interested in attending, contact Shannon Rowen.

The links between human trafficking and major events are complex with increased demand for exploitation around large sporting events and concerts. Understanding how to recognize this crime is important for students to learn, as they head into careers managing and leading hospitality organizations. According to Homeland Security, it is estimated that human trafficking generates many billions of dollars of profit per year, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.

UNL faculty, staff, students and K-12 colleagues are welcome to attend “Transformative Education in a Globalized Context,” the 4th Annual Fall Professional Development Workshop hosted by the Secondary English Education Program in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. The free workshop will be held from 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8. in Henzlik and Teacher College halls at 14th and Vine streets on UNL’s City Campus.

Participants will explore what constitutes innovative, humanizing and growth-producing education, within a globalized context. The program features literacy-oriented topics experienced through engaging keynote addresses, break out session presentations, and rich dialogue.

Alisa Miller, CEO of Public Radio International, will lead off the workshop from 9-10 a.m. in the Henzlik Hall auditorium with a poignant keynote address on media literacy within international contexts. Miller’s TED Talk has over 1.5 million viewers.

The interaction between humans and their built environment can create health hazards that are not always visible yet have serious ramifications. The Charles and Shirley Niemeyer Healthy Housing Seminar explored this health connection between housing and families.

Hosted by the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies and Nebraska Extension, “Home Hazards, Health and Human Relationships,” featured speakers Susanna Von Essen, professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Joe Ponessa, professor emeritus, at Rutgers University. Julia Torquati, professor in Child, Youth and Family Studies, moderated.

Presenters examined the interconnections between housing and human relationships and helped participants understand how home pollutants and hazards impact families and children.

The seminar is made possible by a generous donation of Charles and Shirley Niemeyer through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

The engines driving the U.S. economy rely on entrepreneurship, technology and innovating new products and services. A key to developing children’s creativity and their ability to innovate is nurturing their natural curiosity. Dr. Milton Chen, senior fellow and executive director emeritus, at the George Lucas Educational Foundation, highlights the E.N. Thompson Forum "Creativity, Curiosity and Learning" at 7 p.m., Feb. 24 at the Lied Center. Chen will share examples of schools and after-school programs emphasizing creative learning through project-based learning, the visual and performing arts, and experiences in authentic places, such as the national parks.

Prior to Chen's talk, Guy Trainin, associate professor in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, will present “What does creativity look like in Nebraska schools?” Trainin's pre-talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Lied Center Steinhart Room.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) is a nonprofit foundation that utilizes its multimedia website, Edutopia.org, and documentary films to communicate a new vision for 21st century education. Chen served as executive director of GLEF for 12 years, and during his tenure, GLEF and Edutopia greatly expanded their editorial publishing efforts, including the award-winning Edutopia magazine. Chen’s career has spanned four decades at the intersection of preK-12 education, media and technology. Prior to joining GLEF, he served for 10 years as the founding director of the KQED Center for Education (PBS) in San Francisco. In the 1970s, he was a director of research at Sesame Workshop in New York, helping develop Sesame Street, The Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact.

Chen has been an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was one of 35 Fulbright New Century Scholars conducting research on access and diversity issues in schools and universities. He received a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication from Stanford. His book “Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools,” was named one of 2010’s best education books by the American School Board Journal.

The College of Education and Human Sciences, in partnership with Paul Mitchell the School of Lincoln, presented a seminar by noted author and motivational speaker Winn Claybaugh. Claybaugh, dean of Paul Mitchell Schools, is the author of "Be Nice (Or Else!)" and “one of the best motivational speakers in the country,” according to CNN’s Larry King, who wrote the foreword for Claybaugh’s book. 

Claybauguh’s talk focused on the following topics:

• What real abundance is all about
• How to find your passion
• How to balance your work life with all that other stuff
• How to avoid burnout and stay consistently motivated