November 12th, 2003--Dr. Sarah Pike presented: Burning Man's Postmodern Rites of Passage. Dr. Pike studies religion in America, and obtained her PhD from Indiana University.  Her research has focused on New Religious Movements, about which she has written numerous articles and book reviews.  Using slides of her trips as illustration, she argued that Burning Man is a religious site for many participants (last year's theme was "Beyond Belief"). 
   
October 16th, 2003--Dr. Jennifer Skeem presented: How Accurately Can We Identify 'Superpredators'  During Adolescence; The Lure of Psychopathy. After finishing her doctoral training in clinical psychology and law at the University of Utah in 1999, Dr.  Skeem completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in law and psychiatry research at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her current research focuses on understanding the construct of psychopathic personality disorder, assessing and managing violence risk, and identifying key influences on the outcomes of probationers who are required to accept psychiatric treatment.  See page 2 in this Newsletter for greater coverage of this presentation.

May 8th, 2003--Dr. Robert George, Princeton University, gave a presentation entitled: Reason, Freedom and the Rule of Law. Dr. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He is the author of  The Clash of Orthodoxies; Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality; and, In Defense of Natural Law. He is also editor of Natural Law Theory: Contemporary Essays; The Autonomy of Law: Essays on Legal Positivism; Natural Law, Liberalism, and Morality; Great Cases in Constitutional Law; and co-editor of Constitutional Politics: Essays on Constitution Making, Maintenance, and Change.

April 17th, 2003--Richard W. Harris, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at UNR and partner in Harris & Thompson, a Reno law firm specializing in the fields of Natural Resources, Environmental, and Business Law, presented: U.S. Environmental Policy: Why Some Issues Get Attention and Others Don't.   Mr.  Harris, addressed such questions as: Why did the international community respond quickly and effectively to the threat of ozone depletion? Why has the United States failed to develop an effective response to the issue of global warming? Mr. Harris discussed the "policy cycle" and other aspects of environmental decision making.

February 28th, 2003 --The Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies, Nevada Dispute Resolution Coalition, and the Neighborhood Mediation Center hosted a public presentation by Nancy Neal Yeend entitled: The Integration of Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Judicial System. Nancy Neal Yeend has over 20 years of experience as a mediator. She has served on trial and appellate court panels, as a member of the National Judicial College faculty, and was the recipient of the Mediation Society Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions.