Hailing from the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, members of the male dance troupe Halau Kiawekupono O Ka Ua will present an evening of authentic traditional Hula dance and music in the Carleton College Weitz Center for Creativity Auditorium on Saturday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. This not-to-be-missed event is free and open to the public. Reserve your free ticket online at www.carleton.tixato.com/buy.

Biogeochemist Thure Cerling will deliver the Carleton College 2011-2012 Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lecture on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema. Entitled “Iso-Forensics, or NCIS (Never Contest Isotope Science),” Cerling’s presentation is free and open to the public.

The Carleton College Perlman Teaching Museum will formally open its new spring term exhibit, “Our Treasures: Highlights from the Minnesota Museum of American Art,” on Saturday, March 31 at 2 p.m. with a three-hour reception and community open house that includes a presentation by the exhibit curator along with a special “Family Day at the Weitz Center,” featuring hands-on art projects, including a museum treasure hunt, and tours specifically designed for elementary age children. “Our Treasures,” on display in the Braucher Gallery of the Perlman Teaching Museum, is comprised of a rich collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, photography and craft objects, showcases American art in a variety of styles and runs from March 30 until May 8, 2012. Located in the College’s Weitz Center for Creativity, admission to the Perlman Teaching Museum is free and all related events are open to the public.

Carleton College will present “Photographing the Social Body: Malian Portraiture from the Studio to the Street” in the Kaemmer Family Gallery of the Perlman Teaching Museum, located in the Weitz Center for Creativity. The exhibit, which showcases the vibrant photographic culture of the West African country of Mali, opens Friday, March 30, with a guided tour, a lecture, and an opening reception. The opening events, along with gallery admission, are free and open to the public.

Jennifer Thompson, whose personal story of tragedy and redemption forms the core of her bestselling book, Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption, will deliver Carleton College’s convocation address on Friday, March 30 at 10:50 a.m. Based on “Picking Cotton,” Thompson’s presentation will recount the personal experiences that led to her unlikely friendship with a man wrongly accused of attacking her, and her subsequent advocacy on behalf of judicial reform. Following her presentation, Thompson will sign copies of Picking Cotton (St. Martin’s Press, 2009), which will be available for purchase at the event at a 15% discount. Held in the College’s Skinner Memorial Chapel, this event is free and open to the public.

Second Nature, a Boston-based national nonprofit that works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society by transforming higher education, has announced that Carleton College is a finalist for its 2012 Climate Leadership Awards, a national competition among colleges and universities to earn the title of “Most Innovative Climate Leader.” 

Carleton College students Gracie Ogilby ’12 (Belmont, Mass.) and Niki Tomita ’12 (Redwood City, Calif.) earned two of the 40 fellowships from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. The fellowships, awarded to college seniors to pursue their unique passion or dream for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States, are picked from select private liberal arts colleges and universities. This year, from over 700 candidates, 147 finalists were nominated to compete on the national level from which the 40 fellows were selected. Each fellow will receive $25,000 for twelve-months of travel and exploration.

For the seventh time in the last ten years, Carleton College has placed in the top 20 in number of Peace Corps volunteers. The College produced 21 alumni volunteers in 2011, ranking it eighth among small colleges and universities nationwide. Carleton ranked third among small colleges in producing volunteers in the period 1961-2005, with 426 volunteers, according to the last cumulative report available. Incorporating recent numbers, Carleton has produced an estimated 539 Peace Corps volunteers since 1961.

An ongoing series of films at Carleton College’s Weitz Center for Creativity, showcasing the best of contemporary cinema from around the world, continues tonight at 7 p.m. with a screening of "Monsoon Wedding." The Global Cinema series, presented by the College’s Department of Cinema and Media Studies and curated by assistant professor Jay Beck, is free and open to the public.

The Carleton College Orchestra, under the direction of Hector Valdivia, will perform in concert on Friday, March 9 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall. This performance is free and open to the public.

Carleton College will present “A Mid-Winter’s Journey,” a choral celebration featuring the Carleton Choir and Minnesota choral artists, The Singers. “A Mid-Winter’s Journey” will feature musical selections reflecting on life’s love, loss, and healing.  This concert will be Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carleton Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.

Carleton College will host an interfaith celebration of two festive holidays celebrating early spring – Jewish Purim and Hindu Holi – on Saturday, March 3 at 6 p.m. in the Severance Great Hall. Representatives of both faiths will speak on the significance of their respective holidays and will lead the appropriate prayers. This will be followed by a dinner with foods representing both religions, and by student-led cultural events. This event is free and open to the public.