Opioid discussion opens series Sept. 12 |

For the City Times

Faculty experts from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will discuss a wide variety of topics, from the opioid epidemic and drone warfare to space exploration and witchcraft, in a public lecture series beginning this fall.

The College of Letters and Science Community Lecture Series will be held on select Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Pinery Room at the Portage County Public Library, 1001 Main St., Stevens Point. The public is invited to attend free of charge.

The first of eight lectures, “The Opioid Epidemic in the U.S. and Wisconsin,” will be held Tuesday, Sept. 12, presented by Sue Bailey, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at UW-Stevens Point.

“This presentation will summarize current information about the opioid epidemic nationally and locally,” said Bailey. “We will discuss some of the reasons behind the epidemic as well as some of the programs intended to control it.”

Bailey earned her Ph.D. and master’s degree in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the coordinator of the social science in health minor program. Her research interests include adolescent substance use and social epidemiology.

The 2017-2018 Community Lecture Series schedule also includes:

· Oct. 10 – Field Guide Art, Justin Sipiorski, biology
· Nov. 14 – Planning and Public Interest in a Developing Country, Ismaila Odogba, geography and geology
· Dec. 12 – Witchcraft and Witch Hunts in Literature, Rebecca Stephens, English
· Feb. 13 – Data Analytics, Tim Krause, computing and new media technologies
· March 13 – The Morality of Drone Warfare, David Chan, philosophy
· April 10 – Building Connections: The Connections Project, Erica Ringelspaugh and David Roloff, English
· May 8 – The Modern Age of Space Exploration, Adriana Durbala, physics and astronomy

For more information on the Community Lecture Series, visit www.uwsp.edu/cols/lectureseries or email [email protected]