New Lenses
Inspiration & exchange across the disciplines
The Wide Lens series, a joint initiative of the UI College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and the Office of the Vice President for Research, aims to inspire and connect the University of Iowa community across the disciplines.
For each Wide Lens event, researchers, scholars, and artists from across the university briefly present their work on a shared topic of interest pecha kucha–style. Then, we open the floor to questions and conviviality over hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
Wide Lens is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Series events are free and open to all.
Upcoming Wide Lens:
LISTENING
Thursday, May 8, 2025
5:30 p.m. (time may change slightly; check back)
Herald Stark Opera Studio, Voxman Music Building
In a world full of noise, we often try listening to something: conversations with colleagues and family, music in our headphones, videos blasting from our smartphones. We hear all these things daily, but what does it mean to truly listen? In what sense do devices also listen to us? What is the role of silence in listening? How has listening changed over time? Can political tensions be solved through “listening”? How is listening both an art and a science? This Wide Lens event brings together researchers from science, social sciences, the humanities, and the arts to investigate what it means to listen deeply and thoughtfully.
Presenters:
- Gerta Bardhoshi, Counseling (College of Education)
- Brittany Bettendorf, Rheumatology (Carver College of Medicine)
- Eric Hunter, Communication Sciences and Disorders (CLAS)
- Julianna Pacheco, Political Science (CLAS)
- Damani Phillips, Jazz Studies, School of Music (CLAS)
- Morten Schlütter, Religious Studies (CLAS)
Hosts: Luis Martín-Estudillo, Director, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies; Roland Racevskis, Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities, CLAS; and Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Associate Vice President for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Free and open to all.
Presenters
Gerta Bardhoshi
Dr. Bardhoshi is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified School Counselor, and Approved Clinical Supervisor, is the Director of Research and Training in the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and Professor of School Counseling in the UI College of Education. She has worked in multiple settings, including schools, clinics, universities, and the federal government as a counselor, educator, clinical supervisor, and program evaluator.
Julianna Pacheco
Dr. Pacheco is a professor in the UI Department of Political Science. Her research explores political behavior, public opinion, state and local politics, and health policy, widely defined. Her subfields include youth voter turnout, dynamic state public opinion, policy diffusion, state agenda setting, dynamic policy responsiveness, and anti-smoking legislation.
Brittany Bettendorf
Dr. Bettendorf is Clinical Associate Professor in Rheumatology at the Carver College of Medicine. She sees patients with a wide range of rheumatologic diseases and runs a specialty clinic helping to transition young adult patients with pediatric rheumatologic conditions into adult rheumatology and also has another specialty clinic caring for pregnant patients with rheumatologic conditions. She also has an interest in medical humanities and medical education of students, residents, and fellows.
Damani Phillips
Dr. Phillips serves as head of the Jazz Studies area and Associate Professor of African-American Studies at the UI, where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, directs large/small jazz ensembles, and teaches courses in African-American music, African-American culture, jazz education, and improvisation. An active performer, pedagogue, and composer, Phillips has taught and performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. His recent project, Read and Blew Notes—a collaboration with spoken-word artist Brandon Alexander Williams—is the world's first "listening book." A new medium intended to replace physical music products like CDs and download cards, the listening book brings back the ritual experience of listening to new music with a physical product in hand. The book includes album liner notes, full musical scores, and interviews with artists on how their music came into being.
Eric Hunter
Dr. Hunter serves as the chairperson/DEO of the UI Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as Harriet B. and Harold S. Brady Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences. For the last 20 years, Dr. Hunter's NIH-supported research has focused on occupational voice use, particularly examining voice disorders in elementary and secondary school teachers. Dr. Hunter’s research interests also include signal processing, biomechanics of speech articulators and biomechanical models of the vocal system, and muscle mechanics and muscle models.
Morten Schlütter
Dr. Schlütter is Associate Professor of Chinese Religion and Buddhist Studies and Director of Graduate Studies in the UI Department of Religious Studies. His research interests center broadly on Chinese Buddhism (especially Chan [Jpn.: Zen] Buddhism) and Chinese religions, and he has worked on a number of different topics and periods, employing a range of methodologies. What unites his work is an overall interest in trying to understand different aspects of Chinese religion in the broader context of their political, social and economic settings.