WAUKESHA – Each semester several members of the faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha present 50 Minute Lectures on their research or a topic of interest. This semester, two of the presenters are former faculty. Six such presentations have been scheduled for spring 2007, all offered at noon in Conference Room 101, located in the Commons on campus at 1500 N. University Dr., Waukesha. Admission is free, and the public is welcome.

Associate professor of sociology Ron Gulotta declares, “Lady Justice Ain’t Colorblind,” and on Thursday, February 1, he’ll explain the assertion. While African Americans make up roughly 12 percent of the US population, they comprise more than half of the prison populace, he says. Based on data he will present, he contends that race impacts decisions made by jurors and that racial profiling steers police to focus on the illegal activities of African Americans far more so than for any other racial group. Even laws are written to target activities of African Americans. He will discuss several social impacts of this discrimination and suggest ways to redress the problem.

Now retired, Blake McNulty formerly taught history on campus and developed a course on Viet Nam. He’ll be back Tuesday,  February 13, to present a slideshow from his visit to that land, “Viet Nam: From Halong Bay to the Mekong Delta,” highlighting Hanoi, Dienbienphu, Halong Bay, An Hoi, Hue, Saigon, the tunnels of Cu Chi, and the Mekong Delta and imbedding a historical perspective.

UW-Whitewater assistant professor of psychology, Dan Stalder, who previously taught at UW-Waukesha, will return Friday, February 16, to share his insights on “Democrats and Republicans: Defining the Divide with Personality and Social Psychology.” He will compare Democratic- and Republican-minded undergraduates in their political perceptions, including those on Iraq, and on their explanations for the outcome of the recent midterm elections. He’ll also review their perceptions of the media. Next he’ll look at how “group-centric” each is and how greatly they feel a “need for closure.” Need for closure breaks down into decisiveness and need for structure, he says, and he’ll consider both of those separately. Finally, he’ll look at how their thinking potentially leads to biases toward each other. In the end, he finds several commonalities and differences between the two groups.

On Thursday, February 22, Kelley Hinton, an academic librarian, will give tips for researchers in “Is This Web Site Credible? Questions to Ask and Ways to Check.”  Doing research on the Web may be fast and easy, but how trustworthy is the information it provides? Hinton, who works with both students and staff, has found strategies to determine if a site is credible and will share them with her audience.

Kathy Bubinas, an assistant professor of anthropology, and Paul Zillgitt, a lecturer in biological sciences, have teamed up to present “Seven Daughters of Eve” on Tuesday, April 10.  They will trace the genetic coding that separates all humans into seven ancestral camps and discuss what differentiates them.

Never intimidated by strange lands, David Skryja, professor of biological sciences, traveled and trekked in Peru last summer and will share his experience in a slide show Tuesday, May 1, calling it, “Skryja on the Gringo Trail in Southern Peru.” Among the more famous sites he visited were Machu Picchu, The Sacred Valley, Manu National Park, Lake Titicaca, and Arequipa. 

UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses, which offer Associate of Arts & Science degrees and the best start toward a bachelor’s degree and unlimited career opportunities. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5040 or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu. ###