GV to co-host Roger That! conference 

Monday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 16, Grand Valley State University is co-organizing the Roger That! event with the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Roger B. Chaffee Scholarship Fund. The five-day event is being held to honor Roger B. Chaffee, a Grand Rapids native who was an engineer, pilot and astronaut. He died on Jan. 27, 1967 in the Apollo 1 accident. 

On Friday, Feb. 15, astronaut and artist Nicole Stott will be the keynote speaker at the GVSU Pew campus at 6:30 p.m. Stott was the first artist to paint a watercolor in space, and she started the Space for Art Foundation. Her address is titled “eArth from Space.” She will also be giving a presentation called “Space for Everyone” at the Grand Rapids Museum on Saturday, Feb. 16. 

For more information and scheduling for the week, visit www.gvsu.edu/rogerthat.

Celebrate Asian heritage at GV

On Friday, Feb. 15, the new Grand Valley State University Vietnamese Cultural Association (VCA) will be inaugurated at an unveiling Gala held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. 

The gala will include many different cultural and educational activities, such as martial arts, traditional Vietnamese lion dances and a parade illustration. There will also be special performances by members of VCA and season four American Idol contestant JR Aquino. 

The gala will take place at the Kirkhof Center Grand River Room 2250 from 7 to 10 p.m. This event is one of many to celebrate the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration. A full list of events can be found at www.gvsu.edu/gvnow.

GV to hold International Water Poetry and Song Celebration  

The Grand Valley State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is looking for talented poets and song writers to celebrate the first annual International Water Poetry and Song Celebration. 

Submissions are due by Friday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. Students are welcome to perform a poem or song about water in a language of their choice. The celebration will take place on Wednesday, April 3 at the Cook-Dewitt Center at 6 p.m. If interested, email the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at [email protected].