Presentations on Chilean aquaculture, the Columbia River Treaty and comparing Indian and Chinese economies will highlight the spring lecture series from the Center for International Studies at Western Washington University.

The center sponsors lectures and presentations by visiting and resident scholars during the academic year. All presentations are free and open to the public and are at noon on the following Tuesdays in College Hall Room 131 on the WWU campus:

Troy D. Abel (Environmental Studies) presented a poster titled "Skewed riskscapes and environmental injustice from St. Louis to Seattle" at the Environmental Protection Agency's conference "Strengthening Environmental Justice and Decision Making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts" on March 17 in Washington, D.C.

Western Washington University’s Department of Art will host a guest lecture by artist Vesna Pavlovic titled “On Photography’s Expanded Field” at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, in Communications Facility Room 105 on the WWU campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

Referencing George Baker’s essay from 2005, “Photography’s Expanded Field,” Pavlovic will discuss her work as a contemporary photographer who constantly questions the medium’s language.

Joseph E. Trimble (Psychology, WCE) presented an invited address titled "Bear Spends Time in Our Dreams Now: Magical Thinking, Ritual, and Spiritual Considerations in Counseling Theory and Practice" at the 27th Annual Teachers College - Columbia University Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education, in February in New York City.

George Ojemann, M.D., a professor emeritus with the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine, will be on the Western Washington University campus Tuesday, Feb. 16, to give a lecture titled "Relationship Between Human Cortical Physiology & fMRI During Language & Memory."

Ojemann's research focuses on the neurobiology of human cognition, particularly cortical organization for language and memory, which he investigates in the context of awake neurosurgery under local anesthesia.

Sean Eisen Murphy (Liberal Studies) gave a two-hour seminar on "Ancient Jewish Law and Medieval Christian Identity, c.1100-c.1250" Feb. 4 to the research fellows at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Nantes, France, with the additional participation of researchers from the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Ange Guepin in Nantes.

Western Washington University’s Dennis Whitcomb will present “Wisdom in Mind and Action,” the third installment this academic year in WWU’s Turning Points faculty lecture series, at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10, in Communications Facility Room 110 on the WWU campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

LeAnne Robinson (Special Education) presented “Response to Intervention and Written Expression: A Framework for Instructional Decision Making” at the Hawaiian International Conference on Education from Jan. 7 to 10 in Honolulu.

Diane Penland (Teacher Education Outreach Programs, Everett) presented “Working with NetGeners” at the Hawaii International Conference on Education from Jan. 7 to 10 in Honolulu.

Lyubov Larouche (Teacher Education Outreach Programs, Seattle) presented “Russian Philosophical Thought and Interdisciplinary Inquiry” and “Multiculturalism is Passe: Transculture as an Emerging Model for Cultural Development” at the Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities from Jan. 13 to 17 in Honolulu.

Judith Deiro (Human Services) presented "Families, Schools, & Communities: Developing Capable Young People" with four students at the National Organization for Human Services Conference "People in Contexts: Families, Schools, Communities, and Cultures" from Oct. 22 to 24 in Portland, Ore.

Ralph Vernacchia, director of the Center for Performance Excellence at Western Washington University and a professor in the Department of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, will speak about the legacy of the Olympic Games at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Arntzen Hall Room 100 on the WWU campus.

Western Washington University Associate Professor of Biology Anu Singh-Cundy will present “In Defense of Scientific Eating: A Tale of Two Grandmas” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at the Bellingham City Council chambers, second floor, Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St.

Ralph Vernacchia, director of Western Washington University's Center for Performance Excellence, will speak on “Vancouver 2010 and Beyond: the Future of the Olympic Games” at the WWU Retirement Association luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at Northwood Hall, 3240 Northwest Ave. Tickets are $13 for members and $16 for non-members. Call (360) 650-9724 for reservations.