BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//UNC Asheville - ECPv6.15.17//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:UNC Asheville X-ORIGINAL-URL: X-WR-CALDESC:Events for UNC Asheville REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Halifax BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0300 TZNAME:ADT DTSTART:20250309T060000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0300 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:AST DTSTART:20251102T050000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0300 TZNAME:ADT DTSTART:20260308T060000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0300 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:AST DTSTART:20261101T050000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0300 TZNAME:ADT DTSTART:20270314T060000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0300 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:AST DTSTART:20271107T050000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20260402T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20260402T130000 DTSTAMP:20260513T164128 CREATED:20260326T191233Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T181256Z UID:10000044-1775088000-1775134800@go.unca.edu SUMMARY:Dark Skies of Appalachia and Preservation Efforts Along the Blue Ridge Parkway DESCRIPTION:Join Jeff Bary\, PhD\, Sweet Family Chair and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University\, for Dark Skies of Appalachia and Preservation Efforts Along the Blue Ridge Parkway on Thursday\, April 2 at 12:00 PM. This talk examines how dark night skies have shaped Appalachian identity and how increasing artificial light threatens this treasured regional resource. \nDrawing from a multidisciplinary research project\, Bary will discuss the cultural and environmental significance of dark skies and share insights from a multi-institutional partnership working to preserve night skies along the Blue Ridge Parkway. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \nAccessibility\nUNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event\, such as ASL interpreting\, captioned videos\, Braille or electronic text\, please contact Heather L. Lindkvist\, assistant vice chancellor for institutional integrity and access\, hlindkvi@unca.edu or 828.232.5658. \nAdvance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs. All requests must be made ten business days prior to the event. We will attempt to implement late requests but cannot guarantee they will be met. \nVisitor Parking\nAll visitors must adhere to the University’s parking policy. Please visit the UNC Asheville Visitor Parking Permit Registration site to acquire a visitor permit to park on campus. \nEvent Photography and Videography\nPhotography and videography may be captured by University Marketing staff at any public University events. Please review our multimedia statement to learn more. URL:/event/dark-skies-of-appalachia-and-preservation-efforts-along-the-blue-ridge-parkway/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Calendar-TEMPLATE-3.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20260402T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20260402T200000 DTSTAMP:20260513T164128 CREATED:20260325T180025Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T181349Z UID:10000041-1775156400-1775160000@go.unca.edu SUMMARY:Parsons Lecture: "The Mathematical Heart of Tom Stoppard" DESCRIPTION:The UNC Asheville Department of Mathematics and Statistics is pleased to host the annual Parsons Lecture\, featuring Stephen Abbott\, professor of mathematics at Middlebury College and author of The Proof Stage: How Theater Reveals the Human Truth of Mathematics. \nIn this lecture\, Abbott examines the work of acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard\, whose plays frequently incorporate mathematical concepts to explore questions of truth\, logic\, and reality. From Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to Arcadia and Leopoldstadt\, Stoppard’s work reflects a decades-long fascination with ideas such as probability\, infinity\, and geometry. \nThrough discussion and performance excerpts with local actors\, the lecture traces Stoppard’s evolving engagement with mathematics\, highlighting how abstract concepts can deepen our understanding of human stories. Abbott brings his expertise in both mathematics and its connections to the arts to reveal the creative possibilities at the intersection of these disciplines. \nThis event is free and open to the public and will take place at 7:00 PM in the Blue Ridge Room of Highsmith Student Union. \nAbout Stephen Abbott\nJoe Parsons grew up on a farm in western Tennessee and graduated from high school at 15 in 1931. In order that he might get a teaching certificate\, a friend gave Joe enough money to attend his first year of college. He completed his undergraduate work and went on to the University of Tennessee for his graduate degree. \nWhen Joe started at Asheville-Biltmore College (what is now UNC Asheville)\, he was the entire Math Department\, and through much of the 1970’s he was the chair of the department. Other roles he filled at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Asheville include Dean of Students and Academic Dean. Joe also helped formulate the current plan of the UNC Asheville campus including the choice for the library to face Mt. Pisgah. The view from the library steps is admired on campus. He also was instrumental in the development of the first 4-year curriculum when UNC Asheville joined the UNC system. \nJoe matched his dedication to this institution with his dedication to his students. Joe was known to students at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Asheville as a wonderful teacher with a good sense of humor. He personally founded an endowment for student scholarships in mathematics. Even in retirement he could not stay away from the classroom\, reading for elementary students at Claxton school here in Asheville. Until his death on Sunday \,September 24\, 2006\, Joe continued to contribute to education in his community. He will be missed. \nIn 1998 one of Joe’s former students provided an endowment for the Parsons Lecture series to honor the dedication of this great educator and continue his legacy. \nAbout the Parsons Lecture\nIn 1998 a Mathematics alumnus from UNC Asheville provided an endowment\, in honor of Joe Parsons\, to fund this annual lecture series. The goal of the Parsons Lecture is to provide the UNC Asheville community with the ability to attend locally a presentation by a nationally renowned mathematician speaking on a topic accessible to the general audience. Speakers for the lecture series are invited to present a lecture not just because of their renown as mathematicians\, but also for their skills as educators and orators. The endowment is used to fund travel and other expenses incurred by the speaker and department. Find information on the Parsons scholarship here. \n\nAccessibility\nUNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event\, such as ASL interpreting\, captioned videos\, Braille or electronic text\, please contact Heather L. Lindkvist\, assistant vice chancellor for institutional integrity and access\, hlindkvi@unca.edu or 828.232.5658. \nAdvance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs. All requests must be made ten business days prior to the event. We will attempt to implement late requests but cannot guarantee they will be met. \nVisitor Parking\nAll visitors must adhere to the University’s parking policy. Please visit the UNC Asheville Visitor Parking Permit Registration site to acquire a visitor permit to park on campus. \nEvent Photography and Videography\nPhotography and videography may be captured by University Marketing staff at any public University events. Please review our multimedia statement to learn more. URL:/event/parsons-lecture-the-mathematical-heart-of-tom-stoppard/ LOCATION:Highsmith Student Union\, Blue Ridge Room ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Calendar-TEMPLATE.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR