Andrew Cogar, a University of Miami School of Architecture alumnus and partner with the Atlanta-based architectural firm Historical Concepts, will delve into the pages of his firm’s new book, Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House, on Tuesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. in the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center’s Glasgow Hall, 1215 Dickinson Drive, Coral Gables campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

During his presentation, titled “Past Meets Present: Applying the Southern Vernacular Precedent of Yesterday to the Designs of Today,” Cogar will take attendees into new and restored homes, from simple cottages to gracious estates, and explain how the rich architectural heritage of the South has helped define his firm’s architectural style. He will explore architectural patterns of the past and discuss how they have diverged into unique local and regional interpretations ranging from the Low Country to the Treasure Coast.

Cogar graduated from the UM School of Architecture in 1996 and joined Historical Concepts in 1999. Since that time he has achieved the distinction of being one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 under 40,” highlighting Atlanta’s rising business leaders. During his tenure with Historical Concepts, he has won numerous awards, including honors from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Period Homes magazine, and Southern Living Home Awards. He is on the national board of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and is a founding member of the Atlanta chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism. He has lectured and served as a guest critic at the University of Miami and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and has received the University of Miami School of Architecture Award for Alumni Service.

His firm has given generously to the School of Architecture, sponsoring the Historical Concepts Scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding students for design excellence and contribution to the studio culture of the architecture school.

For more information, visit www.arc.miami.edu.

The Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and the Department of Religious Studies are co-sponsoring a lecture by Tudor Parfitt, visiting professorial fellow at the Du Bois Center, Harvard, and  professor of Modern Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Parfitt will discuss “Al- Qa’ida, Israel, and Judaism” on Tuesday, April 3 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Miller Center Auditorium, 105 Merrick Building, 5202 University Drive, Coral Gables campus.

Parfitt’s numerous books include The Lost Ark of the Covenant: The Remarkable Quest for the Legendary Ark (Harper Collins, 2008); Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations (2000); The Road to Redemption: The Jews of the Yemen 1900-1950 (1996); Brill’s Series in Jewish Studies, vol. XVII. Leiden: Brill; and Genetics, Mass Media, and Identity: A Case Study of the Genetic Research on the Lemba and Bene Israel (2005).

Light refreshments will be served on the Scharlin Patio before the lecture. RSVP by email to [email protected], call 305-284-6882, or send a fax to 305-284-5274. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. UM parking lots are available to the public free of charge after 4 p.m.

Biologist and deep-sea explorer Edith Widder, cofounder of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, will lead a SEEDS (Scientists and Engineers Expanding Diversity and Success) Career Workshop on Tuesday, April 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, SLAB Seminar Room.

Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of degradation in our marine environment. She was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship and participated in the TED Mission Blue Voyage in the Galapagos in 2010. Widder will share lessons learned from 30-plus years in academia and industry and running a nonprofit organization.

This workshop will discuss switching specialties within the sciences, from medical research to bio-luminescence; moving among institutions and developing collaborations between universities; and moving between research science and conservation sciences, striking the balance between the two worlds.

For more information, please contact Marisa Hightower at 305-284-3988 or [email protected].

The Cardiovascular Division will host grand rounds on Tuesday, April 3 from 12 to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Sandra V. Chaparro, assistant professor of clinical medicine, will present “Management of Ventricular Assist Devices.” This educational activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. For more information, contact Raquel Mota at 305-243-9067 or [email protected].

The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History presents the seventh annual “Salon des Refuses” exhibition from April 2-27 at the CAS Gallery, 1210 Stanford Drive, on the Coral Gables campus.

Named after the celebrated Salon des Refusés exhibition of 1863 in Paris, in which the Impressionists exhibited their revolutionary new paintings that had been “refused” by the French Academy, the UM exhibition will showcase student works that were entered in the annual Juried Student Competition but not accepted.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 6 at 5 p.m. in conjunction with the art and art history department’s annual barbeque.

The opening reception for the Juried Student Exhibition will be held at the Lowe Art Museum on Friday, April 13.

A full schedule of exhibitions can be viewed at www.as.miami.edu/art. For more information about the exhibition or CAS Gallery, call 305-284-2543 or email [email protected].