Four candidates for the position of director of the IU Cinema will visit the Indiana University Bloomington campus and speak at public forums this week and next starting Thursday, Nov. 12.

So far, the communication strategies being employed by health care officials to warn people about the dangers of the 2009 H1N1 virus and needed precautions have been effective, according to an IU professor of communication and culture and an expert on rhetoric.

Indiana University officials will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17, for a project that will renovate the University Theater and convert it to a state-of-the-art cinema facility. The improvements also include added classroom, rehearsal and performance space for the Department of Theatre and Drama.

The Center on Congress at Indiana University will celebrate its 10th anniversary in a series of events at IU Bloomington Oct. 8-9, including two events at which center director Lee Hamilton will address the public. The celebration also marks the official debut of Hamilton's new book, Strengthening Congress, published by Indiana University Press, which details the steps Congress should take to re-establish the power and influence envisioned for it in the Constitution.

Dozens of Indiana University researchers participated in the American Sociological Association's annual meeting in San Francisco. In this media tip sheet, researchers discuss studies involving "coming out" in rural areas, public opinion about name change after marriage, the polarization of American politics, pet ownership, stigma and the medicalization of mental illness and bullies.

Recipients of the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award this year are Marco Arnaudo, French and Italian; Beth Gazley, Public and Environmental Affairs; Scott Herring, English; Ted Striphas, Communication and Culture; and Haixu Tang, Informatics. Each has received $14,500 to support his or her research and creative activity.

John Louis Lucaites, professor of rhetoric and public culture and adjunct professor of American studies at Indiana University, is the co-recipient of the 2008 James A. Winans-Herbert A. Wichelns Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Rhetoric and Public Address, as well the Diamond Anniversary Book Award.

To create a space for black voices to be heard artistically and start a meaningful dialogue about black identity in the theatre, Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Theatre and Drama will host the university's first-ever conference (Aug. 1-3) devoted solely to black theatre projects. The 2008 IU Mini-Conference on Black Theatre seeks to stimulate scholarship and discussion about theatre by and for people of African descent, said conference organizer Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe.

Fans of C-SPAN2's "Book TV" can visit the cable channel's Book TV Bus when it makes a stop at Indiana University Bloomington on Friday, Sept. 21. The bus, a customized 45-foot long motor coach with a mobile television production studio and media demonstration center on board, will be parked from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south drive bordering the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St.

The inaugural Film Indiana conference, "Screening Shorts," at Indiana University Bloomington next weekend (Sept. 14-16) will showcase the university's film archives and cinema-related collections.

Indiana University Bloomington professors share their comments about Hispanic issues in the United States in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Friday (Sept. 15) and continues until Oct. 15. The professors discuss how first-generation Latinos seek information, the premiere of the first Latin American-influenced television show, the growing interest in Latino Studies and why schools need to adjust their attitudes about Latina/o parents.

Movie buffs can step back in time and enjoy another year of classic films through the popular Golden Age of Hollywood series, thanks to a new partnership between the Indiana University Office of the Provost, Moveable Feast of the Arts Program and Bloomington's Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The fall film series begins on Tuesday (Sept. 12) at 1:30 pm with the showing of The Pajama Game starring Doris Day. Admission is free.

As the Oscars approach, several Indiana University Bloomington researchers are available to address issues related to the film Brokeback Mountain, including the politics of sexuality, challenges facing gay youth living in rural America, and the heterosexual male's attitudes toward gay concerns. Brokeback Mountain, which tells the story of the love between two cowboys, received eight nominations for the 78th annual Academy Awards, including "Best Picture." The awards ceremony is scheduled for March 5.

More than 125 rare and out-of-print films are now available for research and instruction thanks to Indiana University's yearlong project to digitize films from the Lilly Library's historic David S. Bradley Film Collection. The films, many of which are in the public domain but unavailable commercially, include silent comedies as well as forgotten gems featuring Harold Lloyd, Pearl White and a 16-year-old Charlton Heston making his big-screen debut.

As a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication and Culture, Heinz received higher than average ratings on her student evaluations and commendations. One year later, as students, colleagues, and mentors all agree, she had transformed herself into a great teacher. She is a recipient of IU's 2005 Lieber Memorial Teaching Associate Award.