Stories this week at Wake Forest

IRISH FESTIVAL CELEBRATION CONTINUES

Wake Forest continues its Irish Festival celebration with a performance by the Selkie Celtic Music Band at 7:30 p.m. on March 16 in Carswell Hall’s second floor reading room. The band will perform “The Struggle for Freedom in Ireland, in Music and the Spoken Word.” On St. Patrick’s Day, Wake Forest student Krista Duran will perform on the Celtic harp, and SOUL, a women’s acapella group, will perform Irish music on the steps of Wait Chapel at 4:15 p.m. The celebration’s final event is a Community Day at the Reynolda House on March 18 from noon to 3:30 p.m. The Community Day will feature food, music, games and children’s activities. Festival events are sponsored by the Wake Forest University Press, the premiere publisher of Irish poetry in North America. All of the events are free and open to the public.

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE EXPERT TO LECTURE

John R. Searle, the Mills Professor of Philosophy of the Mind and Language at the University of California at Berkeley, will present “Rationality in Action” at 3 p.m. on March 28 in the Benson Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Known for his work on the relation of the mind to the brain and on artificial intelligence, Searle has hosted his own BBC series on “Minds, Brains and Science.” The event is free and open to the public. To interview Searle, please contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

GOT WATER?

Water is especially important as the weather gets warmer and people are spending more time outside exercising and doing other activities. It’s a “wonder substance,” said Gary Miller, an assistant professor of health and exercise science who specializes in nutrition. “Water is the most important nutrient in our body,” he said. Every single system in our body depends on water to maintain proper function. Water regulates body temperature, removes wastes, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, removes toxins, and helps to dissolve vitamins, minerals and other important functions. To interview Miller, call the News Service at 336-758-5237.

WFU PREPARING FOR VISIT TO BIRTHPLACE

Wake Forest alumni and students are preparing for a three-day visit to the town of Wake Forest, carrying into the 21st century a tradition of making pilgrimages to the historic campus where the university was founded in 1834 and remained until 1956. The celebration of the university’s heritage will be held March 31-April 2. Most of those attending the event will be alumni who completed their studies on the university’s original campus, which is now occupied by a Baptist seminary unaffiliated with the university. Students are expected to travel to the “old campus” by bus on Sunday morning, April 2. The buses will leave Wake Forest’s Winston-Salem campus and arrive at the “old campus” in time for a church service, a luncheon and tours.

COMMENTARY ON PRESIDENTIAL RACE AVAILABLE

Members of Wake Forest’s faculty are available for media interviews about the race for the presidency. Faculty from the university’s politics and communication departments can offer insight into topics ranging from candidate image to voter behavior. Please contact the News Service at 336-758-5237 to arrange an interview.

WEB SITE FEATURES CONTACT INFORMATION FOR STORIES

The News Service staff is available to answer media questions about upcoming events, offer story ideas, contact faculty sources and more. To learn more about the News Service staff and obtain contact information, go to www.wfu.edu/wfunews and click on “Staff.”