All Campus Lectures 2011

Tuesday, September 6 at 4:30 5:30 pm

Anne DePrince, Department of Psychology and Center for Community Engagement and Services Learning Director

Violence, Social Justice, and Community Engagement Location: Gates Concert Hall, Newman Center
Description: Violence against women and children affects many individuals and communities, leading to staggering public health and criminal justice costs. Despite the prevalence and cost of violence, public and scholarly attention to the issue has waxed and waned. For example, violence emerged and then disappeared as a topic of professional study among Freud and his peers in the late 19th century. More recently, the womens movement refocused attention on violence, setting the stage for the Violence against Women Act. This lecture will consider how social justice movements affect researchand how research contributes to social justice movements. Drawing on examples of community-engaged research on intimate partner violence, the lecture will consider the impact of research-community partnerships on the study of violence as well as the role that universities can play in contributing to the public good. Related Article: The World Report On Violence And Health by E.G. Krug, J.A. Mercy, L.L. Dahlberg, A.B. Zwi (2002)
Anne P. DePrince is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department as well as the Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. A licensed clinical psychologist in Colorado, her research focuses on the consequences of trauma, with particular emphasis on violence against women and children, as well as on interventions with victims/survivors following violence. DePrince directs the Traumatic Stress Studies Group (www.du.edu/~adeprinc/lab.html), which involves post-doc, graduate and undergraduate researchers. She has received funding for her research from the National Institute of Justice and National Institute of Mental Health. DePrince received the 2005 Public Advocacy Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for advancing the social understanding of trauma.

Corinne Lengsfeld, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Improving Reliability of Pulmonary Drug Delivery Location: Hamilton Recital Hall, Newman Center
Description: The CDC recently reported a 12% increase in the number of asthma patients in the US from 2001 to 2009. More than 25 million Americans currently suffer from the disease. Metered dose inhalers and nebulizers have more than a 40-year history, yet even today 50% of school-age children receive no therapeutic effect from three to five puffs of their meter dose inhaler. The low success rate is not limited to youth; there is overwhelming evidence that adults and clinical staff suffer nearly the same deficiencies. The most expensive, highly designed inhalers perform no better (maybe even worse) than the cheapest devices. The DU Biofluid Research Group has spent the last decade working to improve drug delivery to the lung and is embarking upon a quest to provide even, reliable dosing to all patients regardless of use or misuse of a nebulizer or metered dose inhaler. Recent results show that part of the issue is that best operation varies based on the physical changes associated with age. This talk walks you through the problems, findings, and likely best practices for the future. Related Article: The ADMIT Series Issues In Inhalation Therapy: Inhaler Selection In Children With Asthma by Sren Pedersen, Jean Christophe Dubus, and Graham Crompton (2010)
Dr. Corinne Lengsfeld is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver. She received her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees from the University of California at Irvine in 1992, 1993, and 1997 respectively. She directs the DU Biofluids Laboratory and has been involved in micro- and nano-scale pharmaceutical processing, drug delivery, and realtime fluid system design optimization since 1997. Her efforts have resulted in four patents with several pending. She is best known for her research groups work (1) in using microfluidic nozzles (channel size ~200 um) to generate controllable nano size polymer particles (70 nm) for drug delivery, (2) evaluating the aerosolization and bioprocessing of DNA, protein and siRNA degradation and mitigation, and (3) pushing near-real-time design optimization of complex fluid systems with low cost computational facilities. Currently the group is working vigorously in the areas of liposome manufacturing, bubble management, probabilistic analysis of reliable inhaled sprays, and submicron protein aggregation issues in processing equipment. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief for the Americas of the Journal Atomization and Sprays.

Dan Linseman, Department of Biological Sciences

Nutritional Neuroscience: You Are Your Brain is What You Eat Location: Davis Auditorium, Sturm Hall
Description: As our society advances in age and life expectancy continues to increase, we are faced with a rapidly growing population of elderly people who are increasingly susceptible to cognitive decline and other types of neurodegeneration. In fact, aging is a principal risk factor for a multitude of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease). Unfortunately, all of these ailments share one common themethe therapies currently available only minimally enhance quality of life. Moreover, the vast majority of drugs utilized to treat neurodegenerative disorders do not affect the underlying pathogenesis of the disease, but instead merely alleviate symptoms. Researchers and clinicians are constantly identifying and testing new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention; however, the drug discovery process typically encompasses more than a decade to take a compound from the laboratory bench to the clinical setting. Furthermore, navigating the regulatory hurdles of the FDA approval process can take several additional years of clinical trials before a drug is ultimately approved for use in patients. Many patients just dont have this kind of time to wait for a new FDA-approved drug to come to market. The above facts have led to an increased intensity in the search for novel nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) that not only alleviate the symptoms of neurodegeneration but might also attack the underlying pathogenesis of the disease process. Many of these nutraceuticals are found in common foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and spices, and they are not subject to the same regulatory burdens as traditional pharmaceuticals. Most of these naturally occurring compounds have intrinsic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are the basis for their beneficial effects against neurodegenerative disorders associated with aging. In this lecture, I will highlight a number of these nutraceuticals and describe their potential therapeutic effects in the nervous system with a particular emphasis on age-related neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive decline. Related Article: Nutrition, Brain Aging, and Neurodegeneration by James Joseph, Greg Cole, Elizabeth Head, and Donald Ingram (2009)
Dr. Linsemans research is focused on elucidating molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell death in degenerative disorders like Parkinsons disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrigs disease). Genetic mouse models, neuronal cell culture systems, biochemical, immunofluorescence, and molecular biological techniques are used to examine the roles of mitochondrial oxidative stress and intrinsic apoptosis in neurodegeneration. Specific projects include investigating the role of Bcl-2 family proteins in regulation of mitochondrial susceptibility to oxidative stress and studies on the antioxidant and neuroprotective properties of a variety of natural antioxidants (e.g., whey protein supplements, green tea catechins, strawberry anthocyanins, and cocoa procyanidins). He enjoys mentoring students and currently has 4 PhD students, 1 Masters student, and 10 undergraduate honors students in his two laboratories at the VA Medical Center and the University of Denver, where he has joint appointments. In addition, Dr. Linseman also has a faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine and the Neuroscience Program at the University of Colorado Denver. Approximately 80% of his time is spent on research and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in the laboratory. Another 20% of his time is spent teaching courses such as Neuropharmacology and Advanced Cell Signaling at the University of Denver.

Susan Schulten, Department of History

The Meaning of Maps Location: Byron Theater, Newman Center

Description: We live in a culture saturated with maps. From Google Maps to Geographic Information Systems, maps can now be made instantly to represent virtually any type of data. Digital technology makes these maps possible today, but our approach to cartography involves a shift in thinking that took place over a century ago. Beginning in the 1850s, maps began to be used not only to identify locations and represent the landscape, but to analyze information. Through maps of the weather, the population, the economy, disease, and even their past, Americans gradually learned to view themselvesand their nationin altogether new ways. Related Article: No Borders: Beyond the Nation State by Thomas Bender (2006)

Susan Schulten joined the History Department in 1996 after completing her PhD. at the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses on the Civil War, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the Great Depression, the Cold War, war and the presidency, the philosophy and methods of history, and the history of American thought and culture. In 2010 she was awarded a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, which enabled her to complete a book on maps in American culture that is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press. She also writes monthly for the Disunion series on the American Civil War for the New York Times. Rafael Fajardo, Department of Art & Art History / Scott Leutenegger, Department of Computer Science

Humane Games and Public Good Location: Community Room, Craig Hall
Description: The University of Denvers vision is to be A great private university dedicated to the public good. We have coined the term Humane Games to support this vision. We define Humane Games to include: Games for Change; Games for Health; and Games for Education. Computer/video games is a new field in academia and we believe the academic community has a stewardship responsibility to explore humane applications of games. In this talk we will give an overview of the Humane Games field and describe specific projects we are involved with that support the public good. Related Articles: 1) Games for Health: Exploring the Role Video and Computer Games Can Play in Improving Health and Health Care by Susan Parker (2009); 2) For a Better World: Digital Games and the Social Change Sector by Benjamin Stokes, Suzanne Seggerman, David Rejeski (ND)
Rafael Fajardo, MFA, Associate Professor of Electronic Media Arts Design and Digital Media Studies. Professor Fajardo is a pioneer in creating socially conscious computer games. His games include "Crosser" (2000), "La Migra" (2002), and "Juan and the Beanstalk" (2004). With his collaborator, Scott Leutenegger, he has overseen the creation of Squeezed, a videogame, co-sponsored by mtvU that comments on the lives of (im)migrant farm workers in the U.S. He has 15 years of experience teaching and practicing art and design, and was named one of the 50 top international designers by I.D. Magazine in 2004. Professor Fajardo exhibits his games internationally as well as publishing in design-oriented scholarly venues. Fajardo served as Co-Investigator for the NSF ITEST project "Improved STEM Preparation through Humane Gaming Camp and High School Education." That project delivered professional development to 50 high school and middle school teachers, and directly delivered game creation instruction to 200 students in residential and school-based camps. Fajardo serves on the board of advisors of Games For Change, and of the International Digital Media and Arts Association. Scott Leutenegger, PhD, Professor of Computer Science and Game Development Director. Dr. Leutenegger is a computer scientist who for the past 10 years has focused his research on Humane Games. During this time he led the creation and implementation of the DU Game Development degree program and has worked on games for change and education. He has recently begun several projects in games for health. Leutenegger has served as Primary Investigator for the NSF ITEST project "Improved STEM Preparation through Humane Gaming Camp and High School Education." That project delivered professional development to 50 high school and middle school teachers, and directly delivered game creation instruction to 200 students in residential and school-based camps. Dr. Leutenegger, who has received an NSF Career Award and University of Denver Distinguished Teaching Award, has 25 years of general computer science education experience and has published over 40 papers in top database, performance modeling, and computer science education conferences and journals, served as program committee member and editor for many top publication venues, and has had ideas from two research projects incorporated into commercial products.

Additional Readings:
Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence by Sissela Bok (1998) All for the Good by James D. Watson (1999) Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples (1986) Doing Honest Work in College by Charles Lipson (2004, 2008) Dollys False Legacy by Ian Wilmut (1999) Sex, Drugs, Disaster and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs by Stephen J. Gould (1984) Those Crazy Ideas by Isaac Asimov (1960) White PrivilegeUnpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh (1988) You Cant Judge a Crook by His Color by Randall Kennedy (1999)