Western Libraries, Village Books co-hosting "WWU Connections" Speaker Series

Village Books and the WWU libraries are pleased to present WWU Connections, a brown bag speaker series highlighting the expertise of WWU faculty and staff. Join us at Village Books for engaging presentations and discussion at noon on the second Tuesday in January.

Tuesday, Dec. 13, noon - 1 p.m.
BRAD JOHNSON
Professor of Physics; Dept. Chair Physics & Astronomy
“Stop Calling it Global Warming! The Principles of a Complex Problem”
The study of Earth’s climate is the latest in a time-honored sequence of important and highly controversial scientific endeavors. This talk will focus on the basic physical principles (once controversial!) governing the dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere. Connections to the root issues of climate change will be drawn, with a few surprises.
Brad Johnson is a professor of physics and Chair of the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy at WWU. He has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Colorado, and is a member on Western’s Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center SOLAR team, participating in the development of new solar energy technologies.

Tuesday, Jan. 10, noon - 1 pm
"How Overdue Library Books Caused the Civil War”
Western Washington University Librarian Rob Lopresti will present a biblio-centric look at a genuine scandal that shook Congress in the months before the Civil War broke out. The tale involves missing books, a library without a catalog, the New York Times, and even the Dred Scott Decision. A light-hearted look at one of the many sideshows that led to the main event.
Rob Lopresti has been a librarian at Western for more than 20 years. He is also a novelist and the author of many mystery stories. Last year as part of the WWU Connections series he spoke about “Catching a Map Thief.”