Nadia Dahmane, assistant professor of the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, will present “Transcriptional Regulation of Mouse Cerebral Cortex Growth” on Friday, January 15 at 12 p.m. in the Gautier Building, Room 118.

In 1985 South Africa burns as the Apartheid regime crumbles. In the months leading up to this historic moment, a group of men holds secret talks to bring about peace and democracy to the nation. Under constant threat, fearful for their lives, a gathering of ANC “terrorists” led by the future president of South Africa, Thobo Mbeki, and key Afrikaner representatives meet in a manor house in South East England. Against all the odds, through volatile discussions, setbacks, and breakthroughs, the secret talks in Britain achieve a precious arena of frail trust between the two archenemies. While Mandela’s tense negotiations at Pollsmoor Prison and, later, in the heavily bugged warden’s villa at Victor Verster Prison prove fruitful, the courage of the unsung heroes at the crucial British talks begins to show results. But will they live to see the peace they are striving so hard for? In the climate of the “war on terror” in which we now live, this inspiring film, based on Robert Harvey’s acclaimed book, The Fall of Apartheid, is more relevant than ever. Starring William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jonny Lee Miller, and Mark Strong, the film was nominated for a 2009 Golden Globe Award. Admission is $6 for all University of Miami faculty, staff, and alumni; free for students. General admission is $8. The film screens on Friday, January 15 at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., and Saturday, January 16 at 2 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 6:20 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com.

Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will present “Imaging White Matter Pathology in Acute and Chronic Neurological Disease” on Friday, January 15 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, contact Jessica Busquets at 305-243-8785 or [email protected].

In our aging society, health care professionals and others are increasingly called on to provide compassionate support to dying persons and their families. A presentation by Roshi Joan Halifax, director of the Upaya Institute and its Being with Dying program, will address skills of mindful awareness, emotional balance, equanimity, and compassion around death and dying. Also covered are aspects of changing the inner and outer culture of care of the dying to help reduce trauma, burnout, and distress in health care professionals. The event takes place on Friday, January 15 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, room 1301.

The Upaya Institute and its Being with Dying program trains health care providers in the psychosocial, ethical, and spiritual aspects of dying and the means to implement these skills in traditional medical settings. Halifax is a Buddhist teacher and Zen priest as well as founder, abbot, and head teacher of Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  This presentation is open to all UM personnel as well as members of the local community and RSVPs are not required. For more information, call 305-243-6398 or e-mail [email protected].

(This event has been cancelled. -eds. 12/02/09)

The University of Miami School of Communication, joined by The Online News Association (ONA), will host the school’s annual Beyond Bootcamp Multimedia Workshops from January 9 to January 16.

The intensive three-day workshops will be taught by leading faculty and internationally renowned multimedia professionals. Each workshop opens in the evening with a keynote speaker and features a daily luncheon with an award-wining multimedia producer and three full days of instruction.

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