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Join us every second Tuesday of the month from 6:30-7:30pm for Grit City Think & Drink.
Grit City Think & Drink brings scholars and experts from various disciplines face-to-face with the public in a comfortable, lively atmosphere, either virtually or in person. The evening begins with a presentation or lecture (often interactive) followed by giveaways and a moderated Q&A. Grit City Think & Drink is free to the public and open to all ages.
Sponsored by the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and hosted by UWT Associate Professor Jim Gawel. Click on each title for more information and the option to add it to your calendar.
Upcoming Events
May 14, 2024
6:30PM - 7:30PM
Queer in the Stacks: Resisting the Rise of LGBTQ Book Bans and Attacks on Libraries
Location: 7 Seas Brewing, 2101 Jefferson Avenue Tacoma, WA 98402
Sponsored by 7 Seas Brewing!
Annie Downey, Associate Dean of University Libraries
Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman and Alaina Bull, UW Tacoma Librarians
Emily Thuma, UW Tacoma, Associate Professor of Politics and Law
Talk Abstract
While book bans are nothing new, they have reached record-breaking highs as of late. According to PEN America, the 2022–2023 school year saw 3,363 book bans, up from 2,532 in the year before. The American Library Association has documented attempts to censor more than 4,200 different titles in schools and libraries in 2023. The overwhelming majority of current book bans target antiracist and LGBTQ titles. Not only books but libraries themselves are increasingly under attack in the form of budget cuts that force reduced staffing, hours, programming, and collections. What does this larger assault on libraries have to do with gender and sexuality? How are librarians and the communities they serve waging resistance in these times of censorship and austerity? How is this contemporary resistance part of a long tradition of LGBTQ anti-censorship and library activism? Join Annie Downey, Associate Dean of University Libraries, librarians Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman and Alaina Bull, and Emily Thuma, Associate Professor of Politics and Law for a conversation on these questions and more.
Biography
Annie Downey is Associate Dean of Libraries at UW Tacoma. Her current research focuses on feminist management in academic libraries and recentering women and gender-nonconforming people in the history of librarianship.
Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman is a queer librarian and folklorist with an interest in too many things including power, love, and psychoanalysis. She supports the School of Education at UW Tacoma.
Alaina Bull is the Humanities and Student Success Librarian and an alum of UW Tacoma. She is one of the co-founders and facilitators of the Real Lit[erature] book club, and does work connecting to the local Tacoma community through book clubs and author talks.
Emily Thuma is an associate professor of politics and law and the Fred T. and Dorothy G. Haley Endowed Associate Professor of Humanities at UW Tacoma. She is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning book All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence.
June 11, 2024
6:30PM - 7:30PM
Green Cities: Busting the Myth
Location: 7 Seas Brewing, 2101 Jefferson Avenue Tacoma, WA 98402
Sponsored by 7 Seas Brewing!
Nara Almeida, UW Tacoma, Civil Engineering
Talk Abstract
Have you ever wondered what truly makes a building "green"? Or perhaps, do you ever stop to think about whether your city's priorities and infrastructure align with sustainability goals? Developed nations often boast about their sustainability efforts, from clean water to high recycling rates. Yet, the reality is more complex. Many of these countries outsource raw material extraction and export waste, notably plastics, exacerbating environmental crises. This includes the construction industry, often praised for its green initiatives but fraught with unsustainable practices. Dr. Nara Almeida will delve into these questions and challenge the green labels we often take for granted, advocating for genuine global sustainability.
Biography
Nara Almeida, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with an MBA in Civil Construction and expertise in project management, began her career as a professional architect in Brazil, excelling for 8 years in residential, commercial, and institutional projects. Passionate about sustainable construction, she's a LEED Green Associate and advocates for eco-friendly practices. Nara's research focuses on low impact development (LID) strategies like pervious concrete pavements, aiming to integrate sustainable materials and techniques into construction. Her commitment to environmental responsibility drives her pursuit of innovative solutions for the construction industry.
Grit City Think & Drink will be taking a break until October. Check back for news and info in September.
MISSED A RECENT GRIT CITY THINK & DRINK? You can find past 2023 - 2024 Talks on our Grit City Think&Drink Youtube Channel.
2024
February 13: Tacoma v. Puyallup Tribe Recognition with Dr. Danica Miller (Puyallup Tribe of Indians), Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at UW Tacoma . Watch on YouTube
2023
SEPTEMBER 12: Carrots, sticks, and competition – how feedback can contribute to inequalities with Dr. Anna Lovász, Assistant Professor of Economics at UW Tacoma. Watch on YouTube
2022
APRIL 11: New Studies on an Old Poison: Arsenic in Shallow Lakes with Dr. Jim Gawel, Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering at UW Tacoma. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmemoAe-iGU
DECEMBER 13: Outdoor Recreation in the Smartphone Age with Rachel Fricke, PhD student in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaKNVvKIhC0
NOVEMBER 8: Red snow and pink glaciers: How snow microbiomes help shape the future of alpine snow and glaciers with Robin Kodner, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Western Washington University. YouTube: https://youtu.be/a8SJnH84Tcg
OCTOBER 11: Reflections on four decades of economic development in a Mauritania village with
Katie Baird, Professor of Economics, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/oOpmfVWevFU
APRIL 12: You and the UW Sustainability Action Plan: How can we make it real for all of us? with Marilyn Ostergren, Interim Director, UW Sustainability. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Kj37XemWNPs
MARCH 8: Getting to Net-Zero and Beyond: What are the stakes and what will it take? with Chris Forest, Professor of Climate Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University; Director, Center for Earth System Modeling, Analysis, and Data. (Note: This presentation was not recorded.) Click to view slides provided during the presentation.
FEB 8: They Never Can Jail Us All: My Life in the Freedom Struggle with Michael Honey, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/bOZ2lOJ3q_Y
JAN 11: The Power of Direct Cash Payments: After stimulus checks and Child Tax Credits, are we ready to embrace a Guaranteed Income? with Anne Aurilio, Federal Campaign Director, Economic Security Project. YouTube: https://youtu.be/xnBK3C4Vmwg
2021
DEC 14: The Politics of Matching, Messaging, and Making the First Move in Online Dating with Riki Thompson, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/H5FmVpQ4iO4
NOV 9: If Furniture Could Talk: Culture, Power, and Politics with Ali Modarres, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/rSFZsNpYQt4
OCT 12: Low Cost, Engineered Materials for Enhanced Contaminant Removal in Urban Stormwater with Jessica Ray, UW Seattle. YouTube: https://youtu.be/qwikEz7YbIA
SEPT 14: Barcoding the Sound: Genetic approaches to Quantifying Salish Sea Crustacean Diversity with Kristin Hultgren, Seattle University. YouTube: https://youtu.be/uW6uBjx-MUQ
AUG 10: Dogs, Rats, and Goats! Oh My!: On the Wonderful World of Nonhuman Humanitarians with Ben Meiches, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/O-f7Ym8pW-4
JULY 13: Global Themes in World History since 1500 in Five Images with Libi Sundermann, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/RQPa2sB7FJ4
JUNE: Cancelled
MAY 11: Transnational and spatial stories of becoming Nisei in pre-WWII Tacoma with Mary Hanneman and Lisa Hoffman, UW Tacoma. Youtube: https://youtu.be/Q5q_bcXCyuA
APRIL 13: Stand up for the earth while you sit down to dinner: Understanding the connections between our food, climate change, and antibiotic resistance in the environment with Jenny Jay, UCLA. Youtube: https://youtu.be/RDFargL0taA
MARCH 9: More than a meal: Exploring the diverse ways that fish contribute to society with Julian Olden, UW Seattle. YouTube: https://youtu.be/VNL9DtPu7Ro
FEB 9: Gender Justice and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People with Charlene Aqpik Apok, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Executive Director, Data for Indigenous Justice; Director of Gender Justice & Healing, Native Movement. YouTube: https://youtu.be/trEOoEbBYWY
JAN 12: When Should We Restrict Hate Speech? A Social Justice Response to Escalating Hatred in the US with Chris Demaske, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/IOAentjBAn0
2020
DEC 8: From Black Lives Matter to Black Wives Matter: Exploring How Pornography Has Sexualized Social Justice Movements with Carolyn West, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/hqZLU4dKjIQ
NOV 10: Save the Whales: Using Citizen Science to Conserve Alaska’s Critically Endangered Cook Inlet Belugas with Alison Gardell, UW Tacoma. YouTube https://youtu.be/4KCvmggb9V8
OCT 13: Enhancing Inclusivity and Access Using Evidence-Based STEM Teaching Practices with Shannon Seidel, Pacific Lutheran University. YouTube: https://youtu.be/SDUS4X5vnZI
SEPT 22: All Districts Are Gerrymandered, But How Matters! with Jim Thatcher, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y0WWUXRrvD0
SEPT 9: A Tale of Two Plagues: The 1918 Flu Pandemic and the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 with Anna Groat Carmona, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/T5sgZSWWIZ0
AUGUST: CANCELED
JULY 14: Volcanic Ecology: Just Add Water with Carri LeRoy, The Evergreen State College. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4PGfi-QCbI
JUNE 9: The Rise of Chinese Wine: A Political Economy Story with Cynthia Howson, UW Tacoma and Pierre Ly, University of Puget Sound.
MAY 12: The Social Value of Property in the Quest for Affordable/Attainable Housing with Anaid Yerena and Rubén Casas, UW Tacoma; Flavia de Ávila, Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil. YouTube: https://youtu.be/g925eueF7W4
APRIL 14: Global Competition of Social Messaging Platforms with Huatong Sun, UW Tacoma. YouTube: https://youtu.be/atrsRYifFVQ
MARCH: CANCELED
FEB 11: Smokey Bear: Friend or Foe of our Forests? with Maureen Kennedy, UW Tacoma
JAN 14: We Are Puget Sound - Stories of Hope with Mindy Roberts, Washington Environmental Council