Cooking with firewood and other biofuels is one of the most urgent problems in the world today. It affects the health and wellbeing of those inhaling the fumes at close range, relies on increasingly scarce sources of firewood, and contributes over 20% of global black carbon emissions. The harm to individuals and the environment cannot be denied, and yet there’s little awareness of the issue among the general public. WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer and a panel of experts drawn from multiple fields including engineering, urban and regional planning, public health, anthropology, and geography will discuss the use of traditional wood-burning cookstoves and the complex social and cultural underpinnings of the practice on the April 12 WorldCanvass, a highlight of the UI’s yearly Provost’s Global Forum. The public is invited to attend the April 12 discussion at the Voxman Music Building Recital Hall from 7:30-9:30 p.m. There will be a pre-show catered reception from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

While immigrants have long fueled the American experiment, passionate debate about the pros and cons of immigration are nothing new. The rhetoric of recent national and local elections highlights tensions around changing demographics, inspiring debate about the impact of immigration on employment, on crime, and on community identity, while challenging the citizenry to examine their values and notions of what it means to be an American. WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer and a diverse panel of guests discussed the history of immigration in the Midwest over the past century and a half, as well as current questions about bilingualism, multiculturalism, and belonging and exclusion in times of international and domestic conflict.

The monthly ‘WordCanvass’ hosted a discussion on immigration Wednesday evening in the Voxman Music Building.

To mark the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the First World War, WorldCanvass will host a program called “Immigration Then and Now,” which will explore the relevance of history for current debates on immigration.

A series of panels discussed resilience over childhood trauma in the Voxman Music Building on Monday evening.

This month, WorldCanvass from UI International Programs will focus on adverse childhood experiences and the negative health consequences children and adults with these experiences may face. Experts from the University of Iowa, Johnson County and the state of Iowa will discuss the epidemiology of ACEs and how childhood adversity affects the brain, behaviors, social adjustment, and physical and mental health.

On "WorldCanvass: Resilience Over Trauma," Joan Kjaer and WorldCanvass guests investigated adverse childhood experiences and the negative physical and mental health consequences children and adults with these experiences may face. If left unaddressed and untreated, the toxic stress of childhood adversity can have serious health repercussions throughout a lifetime. But important advances are being made in the recognition and treatment of health issues related to adverse childhood experiences, many of them led by physicians and researchers at the University of Iowa. WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer spoke with experts from a wide range of health disciplines as well as child advocates from the Iowa City Community School District and Johnson County.

While immigrants have long fueled the American experiment, passionate debate about the pros and cons of immigration are nothing new. The rhetoric of recent national and local elections highlights tensions around changing demographics, inspiring debate about the impact of immigration on employment, on crime, and on community identity, while challenging the citizenry to examine their values and notions of what it means to be an American. On the next WorldCanvass, host Joan Kjaer and a diverse panel of guests will discuss the history of immigration in the Midwest over the past century and a half, as well as current questions about bilingualism, multiculturalism, and belonging and exclusion in times of international and domestic conflict. The public is invited to attend the free WorldCanvass discussion on Wednesday, March 8, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. in the Voxman Recital Hall.

The focus of the UI Theme Semester in spring 2017 is the internet, the global system of connectedness that has literally made the world smaller. It enables the efficient processing of complex information, the transfer of knowledge and ideas beyond the borders of language and geography, technological advances few would have dared imagine possible mere decades ago, and rapid communication that can save lives, start a revolution, crowdfund research, and play to both our better and worse natures in interpersonal exchange. WorldCanvass guests talked with host Joan Kjaer about "Our Lives Online."

On the next WorldCanvass, we investigate adverse childhood experiences and the negative physical and mental health consequences children and adults with these experiences may face. If left unaddressed and untreated, the toxic stress of childhood adversity can have serious health repercussions throughout a lifetime. But important advances are being made in the recognition and treatment of health issues related to adverse childhood experiences, many of them led by physicians and researchers at the University of Iowa. WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer will speak with experts from a wide range of health disciplines as well as child advocates from the Iowa City Community School District and Johnson County on February 20, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., when the topic is “Resilience Over Trauma.” The free event will be held in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building. No tickets are required.

"Our Lives Online," the University of Iowa’s 2017 theme semester about the internet and technology, will explore the global system of connectedness, networks and collaboration that, along with rapidly developing technology, is changing our lives and possibilities with almost incomprehensible speed. The internet is a source of information, promoting attention to the development, access, inter-disciplinary work and cultural participation that takes place on campus, across the state of Iowa and around the world. The internet is also a tool that lets us communicate at lightning speed. How we choose to connect and communicate online is one of the defining challenges of our generation.

Beginning in January, the University of Iowa will explore the theme of Our Lives Online as the spring 2017 Semester Theme.