UNC alumni to give second annual Sequoyah Lecture March 22

Two doctoral graduates, representing the fields of history and cell and molecular physiology, will be the featured speakers at the second annual Sequoyah Distinguished Lecture on March 22 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The free public event will be held at 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall I of the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. A reception will follow.

Cary Miller, who received her Ph.D. in history in the College of Arts and Sciences, is an associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She also is the author of “Ogimaag: Anishinaabeg Leadership, 1760-1845,” published by the University of Nebraska Press. Miller’s book research included accounts from the Ojibwes, American and British officials and people who interacted with the Ojibwes in official and unofficial capacities.

Miller’s presentation will focus on her ongoing research and on her instrumental efforts in the creation of the First Nations Graduate Circle, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and professional student organization that provides advocacy, support, professional development, mentoring and other enrichment opportunities to American Indians campuswide.

Damon Jacobs, who received his Ph.D. in cell and molecular physiology, is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He recently began working in the laboratory of Pamela Tran, Ph.D., assistant professor. His current research is focused on ciliopathies, a growing class of diseases and conditions that arise from defects in primary cilia.

Jacobs, who is a former president of the First Nations Graduate Circle, will discuss his ongoing research and on the ways minority graduate students can deal with challenges they may face.

The Sequoyah Distinguished Lecture is connected with the Sequoyah Dissertation Fellowship, within the Graduate School’s Royster Society of Fellows. The lecture is part of the Graduate School’s American Indian Graduate Student Recruitment Event, which will take place March 22 and 23.

For more details, please visit http://gradschool.unc.edu/about/news/2012/sequoyahlecture.html