Lectures to focus on social and technological issues

This week’s lectures feature a variety of social and technological issues, from controlling internet access in the United States to the pros and cons of electronic voting.

Subject: Current immigration issues in the United States The basics: Filmmakers Sergio Arau and Yareli Ariz-mendi will be speaking about their new film, A Day Without a Mexican, and about immigration from Mexico into the United States. Arau and Arizmendi, a husband and wife team, are the keynote speakers for Hispanic Heritage Month, and have received numerous awards and recognition for their work in theatre and commitment to social change. When: 4:30 p.m. today Where: Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)

Subject: Susan Orlean The basics: Susan Orlean, a staff writer for The New Yorker, will speak at Carnegie Music Hall today as part of the Drue Heinz Lecture Series, which explores the connections between language and culture and highlights modern writers and satirists. In addition to several articles for The New Yorker and other publications, Orlean is the author of four books, and is the subject of Adaptation, a movie based on one of her works. When: 7:30 p.m. today Where: Carnegie Music Hall Tickets: $8 for students, $19 for non-students

Title: Stepping up to the Scaffold: Post-Katrina Planning on the Gulf Coast The basics: Architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, leaders of the firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, will speak about their involvement in post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana. The team is one of the leading proponents of New Urbanism, an urban design movement dedicated to the promotion of healthy alternatives to suburban sprawl, and was recently awarded the master-planning contract for the French Quarter in New Orleans. When: 6:30 p.m. today Where: Carnegie Library Lecture Hall

Title: What’s Right with Electronic Voting? The basics: Michael Shamos, a professor of computer science and electronic voting examiner, will explain how electronic voting works. He will also show its benefits and problems, including privacy and voting security issues, user interfaces, foreign language ballots, and technology available for voters with disabilities. Shamos was statutory examiner of computerized voting systems for Pennsylvania from 1980 to 2000 and from 2004 to the present, and testified on electronic voting before three Congressional committees in 2004. When: 4:30 p.m. Thursday Where: Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A

Title: Crossing a Minefield: Current Problems with Inter-net Technology and Policy The basics: David Farber, a professor of computer science and public policy, will speak on the debate over how Internet access in the United States should be controlled. Farber will address current issues such as trade-offs between privacy, government security and individual freedom, current conflicts over Net neutrality, and the impact that networking has had on modern technology and society. When: Noon Thursday Where: Connan Room, University Center