Carleton student Courtney Dufford ‘14 (Stockton, Ill.) has been selected as one of 50 Udall Scholarship winners. Dufford, a political science and environmental studies major, was selected by a 14-member independent review committee who picked this year's group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Native American health care, or tribal public policy; leadership potential; academic achievement; and record of public service.

Carleton College’s Department of Latin American Studies is preparing for 2013’s installment of the Foro Latinoamericano, a series of events focusing on a single issue related to Latin America. This year’s Foro, entitled “Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela and Beyond,” takes place on Friday, Apr. 26 and Saturday, Apr. 27. The series will focus on the rule of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and on Venezuela’s prospects in the wake of his death in March 2013. All Foro events will take place in the Gould Library Athenaeum and are free and open to the public; events that include lunch or dinner receptions will be reserved for affiliates of the Department of Latin American Studies.

Robert H. Grubbs, the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, whose many honors include the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will deliver the annual Carleton College Jerry and Jean Mohrig Lecture in Chemistry at on Thursday, Apr. 25. Entitled “Olefin Metathesis Catalysts for the Preparation of Molecules and Materials,” Grubbs’ presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Room 149 of Olin Hall, and is free and open to the public.

Education policy expert Emily Schultz, Carleton Class of 2005, will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation on Friday, Apr. 26. Convocation is held from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and it is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.

Carleton College will host an Earth Day event celebrating the Weitz Center for Creativity’s LEED^® Gold certification on Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Harry McKinley Williams, the Laird Bell Professor of History at Carleton College, will deliver a multimedia retrospective chronicling his recent ten-month Fulbright Lectureship in China on Tuesday, Apr. 23. Williams’ presentation, entitled “10x6: Snapshots of a Fulbrighter’s Sojourn in the People’s Republic of China,” will feature ten selected samples of the tens of thousands of photographs he took during his time in China. This special evening begins with a Chinese green tea and cookies reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by Williams’ presentation at 7 p.m. in the Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema. This event is free and open to the public.

Danielle Smogard '13 (Southlake, Texas) has earned a prestigious Carnegie Endowment junior fellowship, and will be working next year on peace issues related to South Asia with a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Smogard, a political science and international relations double major, is one of approximately ten seniors chosen nationwide from applicants from over 400 institutions. 

Everyone is invited to celebrate the season at the 5th Annual Northfield Earth Day Contra Dance, Friday, April 19 in the Carleton College West Gym. This popular night of music and dancing will feature the band Contratopia! and dance caller Robin Nelson. The event begins with a dance lesson at 7 p.m. followed by a fun evening of contra dancing from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults and $6 for students; proceeds from the event will benefit the Cannon River Watershed Partnership. For more information, email NorthfieldContraDance@gmail.com. Everyone is welcome!

The Westhuizen Duo, a pair of critically acclaimed pianists who have delighted audiences throughout the United States and their native South Africa, will appear at Carleton College in a special performance on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The program will include Franz Schubert’s piano duet “Fantasia in F Minor,” Percy Grainger’s “Fantasy on George Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’” and works by Francis Poulenc and Ástor Piazzolla. The concert is free and open to the public. Learn more and hear samples online at www.westhuizenduo.com/.

Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet who founded Project V.O.I.C.E., a group dedicated to the art of spoken word poetry, will deliver Carleton College’s weekly convocation address on Friday, Apr. 19. Kay’s presentation, entitled “The Art of Storytelling in a Digital World,” looks at how spoken word poetry has been reborn in an era dominated by social media. Convocation is held from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and it is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.

The Northfield Public Library is pleased to host a reading by local author and Carleton College professor of English Gregory Blake Smith, as part of the Minnesota Book Awards Author tour.

Zalmay Khalilzad, a foreign policy expert and former diplomat who has served as the ambassador of the United States to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, will deliver Carleton College’s convocation address on Friday, Apr. 12. Khalilzad’s address, entitled “U.S. Global Leadership,” will take a worldwide look at the challenges faced by the U.S. in the world, their implications for the American people and what effective American strategy in the future could look like. Convocation is held from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and it is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.