Insectapalooza

Go buggy over Insectapalooza, a free, family-oriented insect fair, Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Comstock Hall. The event features exhibits and information on insects and such arthropods as spiders, scorpions and centipedes for all age groups. Information online.

Alumni ceramic collections

Beginning Oct. 23 at 10 a.m., the Johnson Museum will exhibit a collection of modern and contemporary ceramics crafted by a distinguished group of such international artists as Kato Takahiko, Karl Scheid, Dieter Crumbiegel, Hiroshi Nakayama and Mario Enke. Highly experimental in their abstracted forms and expressive glazing, these pieces were collected over many years by Herbert and Eunice Shatzman '49.

Utopia

For one night only, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m., the film "Utopia in Four Movements" (2010), accompanied by live narration and music, will show at the Willard Straight Theatre. The event is Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sam Green's one-of-a-kind "live documentary," which threads together a century's worth of dizzying sounds and images into a meditation on the world's seemingly shrinking idealism. He will be joined by co-director and sound artist David Cerf and the Brooklyn-based band, the Quavers, who perform on guitar, trumpet, violin and vibraphone for this cinematic performance. Tickets: $12 general, $9 students/seniors.

Parents Weekend concerts

Several concerts are open to the public during First-Year Parents' Weekend. For a complete listing, see http://newstudentprograms.cornell.edu/FYPW/.

Standup comedy

Comedian, actor, writer and director Louis C.K. will present an evening of standup comedy at Bailey Hall, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Louis was the star and creator of HBO's first and only multi-camera sitcom, "Lucky Louie," and then performed his own one-hour standup special on HBO called "Louis C.K.: Shameless." He recently signed a deal with CBS to write and create a new series pilot. Tickets: http://www.CornellConcerts.com.

'How Goes the Recovery?'

William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will talk about the outlook for the national and regional economy, the current status of the economy, where he thinks the economy is headed in the fourth quarter, next year and the year after, Oct. 25 at 4:30 p.m., Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall. He will take questions after his presentation.

Lecture by explorer

Spencer Wells, anthropologist, geneticist, explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 Professor, will talk about The Genographic Project, which uses data from hundreds of thousands of people to decipher the migratory routes followed by early humans from Africa to the rest of the world, Oct. 26 at 4:30 p.m., 202 Uris Hall. His talk is part of the Cognitive Science Colloquium Series. Information: http://www.cogsci.cornell.edu.

Being Muslim under Soviet rule

Adeeb Khalid, Carleton College, will speak about his award-winning work, "The Many Ways of Being Muslim in the Modern World: Episodes from the Soviet History of Islam," Oct. 26 at 4:30 p.m., Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Lecture series. His work uncovers the impact of Soviet rule on the religious and social life of Muslims. A reception at the A.D. White House will follow the lecture.

An evening with Silverblatt

Michael Silverblatt, producer and host of KCRW's "Bookworm," will discuss his passion for literature, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m., 258 Goldwin Smith Hall. For more than two decades, he has conducted interviews with well-known contemporary authors. This event is part of the Fall 2010 Creative Writing Reading Series. Information: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/english/creative/readings/2010/.

Spreading social movements

Faculty from the ILR School and government department discuss their contributions to the book "The Diffusion of Social Movements," Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m., the Cornell Store. The book focuses on activist networks and such communication channels as dialogue, rumors, the mass media, the Internet, NGOs and organizational brokers. Light refreshments will be available and the book will be discounted 20 percent.

Environmental mediation

Lee Scharf, from the nonprofit Village Earth: The Consortium for Sustainable Village-Based Development, will facilitate a discussion about federal Indian law in relation to environmental law and alternative methods of dispute resolution, Oct. 28 at 4:30 p.m., 279 Myron Taylor Hall. Scharf served as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's tribal mediation lead for years before starting her own mediation company, Mediated Environmentally Sustainable Action, in Colorado. She continues her work with tribes through Village Earth.

Halloween happening

Explore the Museum of the Earth in the dark, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m., featuring flashlight tours, creepy critters from the Cayuga Nature Center, trick-or-treat stations and night sky activities. Come in your favorite family-friendly costume. Special event admission is charged. Information: http://www.museumoftheearth.org.

Odissi classical dance

With co-sponsorship from the Department of Music, the South Asia Program will present Odissi dancer Pratibha Jena Singh, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m., Barnes Hall. Known for her expression of a wide range of emotions, Singh will perform a unique form of Odissi in the Tantric tradition, a style created by her father, the Guru Surendranath Jena.

State of the University

President Skorton will deliver the annual State of the University Address during Cornell's Trustee-Council Joint Annual Meeting, Oct. 29 at 8:45 a.m., Statler Auditorium. Also speaking: Peter C. Meinig '61, BME '62, chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees, and Mitchell D. Lee '90, J.D. '96, chair of Cornell University Council. The address is open to all, but seating is limited. The event will be live-streamed on http://www.cornell.edu/video.

Renewing the faculty

Cornell faces an unprecedented number of faculty retirements over the next decade, providing an unprecedented opportunity to recruit outstanding faculty and distinguished senior scholars to Cornell. Cornell's president, provost and deans have made the renewal of the faculty a top priority. Michael I. Kotlikoff, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and G. Peter Lepage, the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will discuss this effort Oct. 29 at 1 p.m., Statler Ballroom, in a session open to the public.

Sleep for Success

Professor James Maas and Rebecca S. Robbins '09, Ph.D. candidate in communications, will talk about their new book, "Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask," at a book signing at the Cornell Store, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. They will discuss how the lack of sleep significantly affects mood, academic and work performance, productivity, athletic prowess, relationships, health and longevity.