Astronaut Leland Melvin will present the 2021 Luchinsky Lecture, a free public event for all Penn State students. Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and former NFL wide receiver. He served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the International Space Station. He also led NASA Education and co-chaired the White House’s Federal Coordination in STEM Education Task Force, developing the nation’s five-year STEM education plan. After 24 years with NASA as a researcher, astronaut and Senior Executive Service leader, he now shares his life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer and musician to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) careers. The free event does require registration: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__DBBWuDIQF-fIIMGib71Dw

Sustainability Institute webinar series "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action" begins next week!

The symposium will feature a keynote presentation from David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary, U. N. Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal on Wednesday, Jan 13. Registration is required to receive the ZOOM link, and for Penn State faculty to be eligible for the associated seed grant program.

Bellisairo College faculty member Shaheen Pasha and Yakuri Kane, an adjunct professor Northwestern University will discuss the Prison Journalism Program at Penn State. They are the founders and co-executive directors of the project. The session is part of the Penn State Alumni Association Virtual Speakers Series.

A session for Bellisario College students featuring Univision CEO Vince Sadusky ('87) as part of the COMM Career Conversations series coordinated by the Office of Internships and Career Services.

Keynote address to University community by author Ibram X. Kendi ("How To Be an Anti-Racist"). Co-sponsored by the Bellisario College. The free, live-streamed event will feature a moderated conversation with Kendi, followed by Q&A. A Penn State login will be required to view the live stream online at https://www.watch.psu.edu/kendi/.

Tom Brenner is a photojournalist currently covering American politics in Washington, D.C. A New Jersey native, Brenner graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016 with a degree in photojournalism. When not documenting the president or politicians on Capitol Hill, he can be found playing ice hockey or catching up on local news in his off time. His work can be found on Instagram (@tom_brenner).

Session of the ongoing Journalism Speakers Forum featuring Michael Santiago, a photojournalist with Getty Images, and Alexis Johnson of VICE News in Washington, D.C.

Daniella Zalcman will share some of her long-form reporting projects and talk about why we need to spend more time thinking about who is responsible for telling our collective stories as part of the Journalism Speakers Forum.

Part of Penn State's Science Communication Program, the virtual panel will feature an in-depth climate change discussion with journalists and Penn State experts as they relate their experiences communicating their research with the media and other audiences.

The panel will be moderated by Nancy Baron, COMPASS.

This year's confirmed panelists include:

Iliana Baums, professor of biology
Kristina Douglass, assistant professor of anthropology
David Malakoff, Science Magazine
Michael Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric science
Jessica Myrick, associate professor of media studies

The panel is free and open to the public.