LEWISBURG, Pa. — The following are Bucknell University story ideas that may interest you in February.
A SECOND SUMMIT — President Trump announced in his State of the Union Address that a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. But what will that mean? Bucknell political science and international relations professor Zhiqun Zhu says it’s hard to predict. “Given North Korea’s history of going back on its words, there is real concern in Washington that Trump might be outsmarted and manipulated by Kim Jong-un,” Zhu said. “If North Korea will not get what it really wants such as lifting of all sanctions, a peace treaty, and diplomatic recognition, what will be its incentive to denuclearize?” Zhu says Kim believes he has done his share of denuclearizing and is waiting for “reciprocal” measures from the U.S. before moving further. In response, “The two sides apparently have different interpretations of the status quo and they disagree on the sequencing of moves –who should move first now?” Zhu doubts any substantive progress will be made unless either or both sides take drastic measures to break the stalemate. Instead, he says it’s more likely the two leaders will claim a successful meeting by promising further future actions without specifying what steps to take next and when the deadline is. CONTACT: Zhu, 570-577-2050, zhiqun.zhu@bucknell.edu
GOING INSIDE OUT — Bucknell students have been exploring mass incarceration from inside local prisons with inmates as part of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, an endeavor pioneered by Lori Pompa at Temple University in 1997. The Winter 2019 Bucknell magazine profiles the University’s academic efforts with students both inside and outside of area prisons. This semester, sociology professor Carl Milofsky takes students from his deviance and identity class to the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Coal Township every other week. Psychology professor Kim Daubman teaches her positive psychology class each week from inside SCI Muncy, a medium/maximum security prison that houses about 1,450 women. “Bucknell students experience growth in empathy and a greater appreciation for the notion, ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ It surprises them that they feel so close [to the inside students],” Daubman said. “They come to appreciate that a person’s life is powerfully shaped by their early experiences.” In spring 2006, Professors Coralynn Davis, women’s & gender studies, and Carol White, religious studies, taught the first Inside-Out class at SCI Muncy. CONTACTS: Milofsky, 570-577-3468, milofsky@bucknell.edu; Daubman, 570-577-1962, kim.daubman@bucknell.edu
SOWING CHANGE — Bucknell and Susquehanna universities are teaming up for the third year to host “Sowing Change: A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Food Insecurity,” a conference and workshop on Friday, Feb. 15 in Bucknell’s Elaine Langone Center. Sowing Change is a collaborative network of community and campus gardens, food access programs and other organizations that address food insecurity and seek to share and expand knowledge of sustainable growing practices for social advancement. Sessions will address integrated crop management, capturing and communicating narratives about efforts to address food insecurity, creating a mobile farmers’ market, and mapping food systems to maximize sustainability. The keynote address will be provided by Lyn Garling, co-founder of the Pennsylvania Women in Agriculture Network, former Penn State Extension integrated pest management educator, and owner/operator of Over the Moon Farm. She will discuss the challenges facing the establishment of a truly equitable food system, emphasizing sustainable practices. Registration is available here. The event is made possible through funding from the Campus Compact of New York and Pennsylvania. CONTACTS: Kyle Bray, assistant director of service-learning at Bucknell, 570-577-3928, kwb004@bucknell.edu; Derek Martin, sustainability coordinator at Susquehanna, 570-372-4398, martinde@susqu.edu; Pam Frontino, assistant director of civic engagement at Susquehanna, 570-372-4756, frontino@susqu.edu
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CONTACT: Mike Ferlazzo, 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266 (c), mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu