Carbondale Calendars and Events
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East St. Louis Calendars and Events

The 2007 Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival, scheduled for Oct. 25- 27 at SIUC, offers a rare chance for readers to meet the wizard behind the curtain.  Acclaimed writers and poets share readings from their works, letting audiences hear the words that originated inside the authors' heads.  Two panel discussions, one featuring five poets and another with three fiction writers, present the opportunity for audience interaction with the authors.  And if that's not enough, Thursday evening and Friday afternoon receptions offer a casual setting for literary discussion.  Invited authors include: Mary Jo Firth Gillett, Wendy Rawlings, Betty Adcock, Patricia Spears Jones, James Kimbrell, Simone Muench, Kerry Neville Bakken, Dale Ray Philips, Kyle Minor, Laura Benedict, and SIUC faculty members Pinckney Benedict, Rodney Jones, Jacinda Townsend and Jon Tribble.  For a complete schedule visit, http://news.siu.edu/news/October07/101907amh7127.jsp.

John Smith, SIUE assistant professor of kinesiology and health education; SIUE student Christopher Kahn; Darleen Harmon, a coordinator for SIUE Campus Recreation; April Damian, a nurse from Barnes-Jewish Hospital who was at a job fair in the same building; and Dave Cluphf, SIUE associate professor of kinesiology and health education, were honored recently with Illinois Heartsaver Hero awards for their heroic efforts in saving the life of student Jason Batty.  Batty collapsed during a class in the University’s Vadalabene Center, suffering cardiac arrest.  Batty’s life was saved by the administration of CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), one of four kept in the building and one of a dozen on the SIUE campus.

An internship agreement with one of the nation's leading aviation support companies will provide SIUC aviation program students with greater insight into the industry.  The University and Wood Dale-based AAR CORP. recently finalized an internship agreement that starts next summer.  The paid internships will last three months.  David A. NewMyer, chair of the Department of Aviation Management and Flight, said the agreement is significant because this is the University's first aviation internship geared toward students majoring in aviation management and aviation technology programs.  With eight internship agreements already in place, SIUC is one of the nation's leading providers of flight operations internships for college aviation students.  The interns will likely work out of the company's Wood Dale complex, located near O'Hare International Airport.  There are 13 SIUC graduates working at AAR's Wood Dale location. 

Retired Four-Star Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, a commander during Desert Storm in Iraq and one of the most decorated generals in the U.S. Army at the time of his retirement, will speak about the “War on Terrorism” on Saturday, Oct. 27, as part of the SIUE Arts & Issues series.  McCaffrey will make his appearance at 8 p.m. in Meridian Ballroom, on the first floor of SIUE’s Delyte W. Morris University Center.  McCaffrey’s appearance is co-sponsored by Commerce Bank.

The art exhibition and auction "Art Over Easy 3," set to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Surplus Gallery, is art for art's sake in a very real way.  Proceeds from the art auction, which is the major fundraiser for the School of Art and Design at SIUC, benefit the school's scholarship and New Building funds.  Buying art at this event helps further the study and mastery of art.  Event organizers are looking for donations of art for the auction from School of Art and Design faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni and artists in the community.  This event is a good way for emerging artists to present their art to a buying public or for established artists to contribute to the growth of arts in the area.  Art Over Easy organizers are also looking for donations of what they call "orphan art" - meaning fine art that needs a new home.  Orphan art donations in the past have come from those looking to streamline their collections, or who are moving or remodeling and find their current art no longer fits their needs.  Those who want to donate art may call (618)453-2476 or (618)453-4315 to make arrangements for pick-up or get details about shipping or otherwise delivering art to the School of Art and Design.

Elizabeth Valenti (Overland Park, Kan.) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week.  Valenti scored a natural hat trick (three-consecutive goals) in SIUE’s 3-1 victory over Quincy.  The win improved SIUE’s overall record to 10-3-1 and vaulted the Cougars into sole possession of first place in the GLVC, with one week remaining in the regular season.

Native American actress, screenwriter and activist Tiger Moon will present a lecture on Native American stereotypes in the media at SIUC.  Moon will speak at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22, in SIUC's Student Center Ballroom A. Admission is free and open to the public.  Native American History Month at SIUC begins Nov. 1.  Moon's lecture will focus on "American Indian Stereotypes in Hollywood."  Moon's acting career includes appearances on television shows "Ugly Betty," "Bones" and "Caveman," and in films "Shadow Heart" and "Future Warrior."  Moon will look at how many of the images and icons held as truths about Native Americans come from the media, and also the difficulties Native American film directors faced in Hollywood beginning in the 1900's.

First-year coach Lennox Forrester and his SIUE Cougars have been selected to finish third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division.  SIUE, which has two starters returning, finished last season with a 15-12 record.

Ginseng as a potential breast cancer treatment is the topic of a lecture this month at the SIU School of Medicine.  This is the third in a series bringing clinicians and basic scientists together for joint presentations highlighting translational research currently underway at the medical school.  The presentation will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 24, in the School's South Auditorium, 801 N. Rutledge St. in Springfield.  "A Feasibility Study of American Ginseng and Breast Cancer Biomarkers" will be presented by Dr. Elizabeth Peralta, assistant professor of surgery, and Laura Murphy, professor of physiology in Carbondale.  Ginseng contains properties that may fight cancer and stimulate immune responses.  The speakers will discuss their research in using ginseng to overcome resistance to chemotherapy agents in animal models as well as a translational protocol to assess the effects of its use in treating breast cancer patients.

SIUE Women's Basketball garnered three first-place votes and finished a close second to Drury in the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division preseason poll.  SIUE coach Wendy Hedberg, who announced earlier this fall this will be her last season as the team's head coach, returns four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team.  SIUE finished the 2006-2007 Season with a 20-9 record.