The University of Iowa is hosting an international colloquium on the topic of “Reading and Re-Translation” from March 28-30, bringing scholars from a wide range of fields together with members of the public who care about reading to ask these questions and more.

The 2019 Provost’s Global Forum, “Why School? International Perspectives on Education and Social Transformation” (April 11-13), will examine education in a global context, both as a reflection of social norms and as a powerful force for change. We kick off the symposium on April 11 with WorldCanvass, when host Joan Kjaer and an expert panel discuss the societal roles played by educational institutions here and abroad. WorldCanvass is a free, public event at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street. The program begins at 5:30 p.m., with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

On the next WorldCanvass, we’ll explore the act of reading and dive into this space where social and symbolic power is enforced. We’ll also discuss how re-translations shape transnational, literary, and cultural relations and ask what arts and humanities perspectives need to be reasserted in a digitized world where algorithms increasingly read us. Join us on March 28 for WorldCanvass when the topic is “What’s in a Word? The Translator’s Challenge.”  The program, which is free and open to the public, takes place at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, Iowa City, from 5:30-7 p.m.  All are invited to a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

The first WorldCanvass program of 2019, Artificial Intelligence, featured an exceptional group of UI faculty and industry leaders in the fields of engineering, technology, education, medicine, and business. Together with host Joan Kjaer, they discussed the current impact of AI and what they see on the horizon. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we live our lives; it is everywhere and here to stay.

It’s news to very few of us that artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only in the realm of science fiction—it’s all around us. But what is it? From disembodied communication partners like Siri and Alexa to targeted marketing, intelligent vehicles, advanced medical diagnostics, and deepening layers of social media analytics, AI is changing the way we live, work, and play. On the next WorldCanvass, an exceptional group of UI faculty and industry leaders in the fields of engineering, technology, education, medicine, and business will discuss the current impact of AI and what they see on the horizon. Join us on February 12 for WorldCanvass: Artificial Intelligence. The program, which is free and open to the public, takes place at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, Iowa City, from 5:30-7 p.m. All are invited to a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

Iowa is on the front lines of the Trump administration’s burgeoning trade wars. What’s at stake? Last year Iowa sold agricultural products, advanced manufactured products, and other goods worth over $13.3 billion to international buyers. Canada, Mexico, Japan, and China were our largest customers. 

The last WorldCanvass program of 2018 featured historians, political scientists, and a former U.S. ambassador. Together with host Joan Kjaer, they examined the last century through the prism of foreign policy to explore the interwar period (1918-1939), follow the rise of the post-WWII Western alliance, and assess U.S. foreign policy in a new time of global realignment and instability.

WorldCanvass celebrated International Education Week with a program on “Educational Cross-fertilization: the Iowa/India Connection.” The program featured UI President Bruce Harreld’s presentation of the 2018 International Impact Award to Rajat Jay Sehgal and the Sehgal Foundation for their leadership in support of community-based development activities, educational access, and the empowerment of women, particularly in rural India.  Sehgal was recognized for the foundation’s multi-year partnership with the University of Iowa’s award-winning India Winterim program.  Joining the discussion about the Iowa/India educational connection were Craig Just, Marian Muste, and Allen Bradley from the College of Engineering, Stephanie Gilbertson-White from the College of Nursing, Vijay Kamalumpundi from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas.  

The twentieth century has been called the American Century, a time when American ingenuity, economic growth, military power, and vibrant cultural expression led to increased prosperity and confidence at home and a stabilizing role in leadership on the international stage. 2018 finds us in a time of shifting alliances, renewed nationalism, unraveling multinational trade agreements, and serious divides at every level of political discourse. On the next WorldCanvass, historians, political scientists, and a former U.S. ambassador will look back over the last century through the prism of foreign policy and explore the interwar period (1918-1939), follow the rise of the post-WWII Western alliance, and assess U.S. foreign policy in a new time of global realignment and instability. Joan Kjaer hosts WorldCanvass, which takes place in downtown Iowa City at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, and is free and open to the public. We invite you to come at 5 and join us for a pre-show catered reception.

A University of Iowa engineering student trained to develop solutions to drinking water issues in rural India can apply the same skills to issues faced by rural Iowans.

WorldCanvass began its tenth season of internationally focused discussions on October 9 with “The Politics and Impact of Immigration.” Arguments over reasonable and desirable immigration legislation and the control of U.S. borders have long vexed the political class, policy makers, and the American public, but they’ve become extraordinarily polarizing under the heightened rhetoric of recent years. WorldCanvass guests joined host Joan Kjaer to explore, from diverse and often divergent points of view, the complexities that make the immigration discussion so nuanced and difficult.