Ex-capo headlines Penn State Forum Speakers Series

The Penn State Forum Speaker Series will kick off with Michael Franzese, motivational speaker, who will discuss "Life Choices, Life Stories," Friday, Sept. 12, in the ballroom of the Nittany Lion Inn, University Park. The event begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by Franzese's talk beginning at noon.

The luncheons, modeled after the National Press Club Speaker Series, include a presentation by an invited speaker, followed by audience questions. This year the series is being sponsored by the offices of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Senior Vice president for Finance and Business, and the Penn State Bookstore. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased through the id+Office at 103 HUB-Robeson or by calling (814) 865-7590. 

Franzese is a former capo in the Colombo crime family in New York. He is the son of mob underboss Sonny Franzese, who was dubbed the "Yuppie Don" by the press. Today, transformed, Franzese speaks in venues as diverse as corporations, collegiate and professional athletic events, and church events.

The schedule of upcoming speakers includes:

-- Jay M. Cohen, Department of Homeland Security under secretary for science and technology, "Strengthening Domestic and Global Security through Technology," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, Alumni Hall, HUB. 
 
-- Allen M. Hornblum and Edward "Butch" Anthony, "Cold War Prison Experimentation in America," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn. Hornblum's book, "Sentenced to Science" tells the story of inmates used for medical science experiments.

-- Steve Pomerantz, associate executive director and director of counter terrorism programs, "The Ten Commandments of Counter Terrorism," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, President's Hall, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Pomerantz currently serves at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. He is a partner in Itel Tech International, a Virginia-based company that is involved in the identification and marketing of newly emerging technology in the homeland security arena.

-- Kim Cook, Penn State laureate, "Making Music at Penn State: A Cellist's Story," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn. Cook has performed to critical acclaim as a soloist in 25 countries including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, China, Israel, Jordan, Latin America, and throughout the United States. She has toured extensively as an International Artistic Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, presenting concerts and master classes throughout the world.

-- Mark Schaprio, author, "Global Environmental Power in the 21st Century," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, President's Hall, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Schapiro is the editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit organization of journalists producing investigative stories for all media. His recent book, "Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power" investigates the response of U.S. business to the heightening of environmental standards in the European Union. 

-- Arlie O. Petters, professor of mathematics and physics, Duke University, "Einstein, Extra Dimensions and Black Holes," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 6, President's Hall, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Petters' research on gravitational lensing deals with how light is affected by the warping of space and time. He was the first to develop the mathematical theory of gravitational lensing, which brought powerful methods from pure mathematics to bear on astronomy. Petters also pioneered new applications of gravitational lensing in physics, predicting effects that probe the nature of spacetime around black holes and developing tests of gravitational theories like Einstein's general relativity and hyperspace gravity models.

-- Bruce Christopher, psychologist/humorist, "Why are Women So Strange and Men So Weird? Effective Communication with the Opposite Sex," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn. Christopher is a licensed psychologist with more than 20 years of experience as a speaker, trainer and consultant.

-- Catherine Bertini, professor of public administration, Maxwell School, "The Secret to Ending Hunger: Invest in Women," 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, May 4, President's Hall, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Following more than a decade of service to the United Nations, Bertini joined the faculty of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2005. She teaches courses in humanitarian action, U.N. management and girls' education. Currently, she is senior Fellow for agriculture development in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.