It’s not fiction! All are invited to be alternately horrified and entertained as UP biology student Ryan Kenton presents “The Biology of Zombies and Other Parasitic Tales,” a Beckman Humor event, on Wednesday, October 30, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Kenton will dive into the world of actual parasitic wasps, worms, and fungi that have been found to turn thousands of other species into assorted forms of “zombies”
Co-sponsored by the Beckman Humor Project and the Garaventa Center. For ADA accommodations or more information: x7702 or up.edu/garaventa.
School of Education doctoral fellow Danielle Trollinger presents a humorous look at what hipsters have to offer the field of theology in her Beckman Humor Project event on Wednesday, February 6, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120.
Who doesn’t love a great story that gets funnier the more times you tell it? All are invited to a 7-Minute Story Slam on Friday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Franz Hall 120 (please note new venue!). All are welcome to enjoy an evening of hilarious tales and whimsical memories told by UP storytellers, each one taking a maximum of 7 minutes. Brought to you by the Beckman Humor Project and Actually Gavin Improv.
Who doesn’t love a great story that gets funnier the more times you tell it? All are invited to a 7-Minute Story Slam on Friday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Recital Hall. Enjoy an evening of hilarious tales and whimsical memories told by UP storytellers, each one taking a maximum of 7 minutes, brought to you by the Beckman Humor Project and Actually Gavin Improv. Want to be part of the event? All UP students, faculty, and staff are invited to submit their own true story that captures life’s humor no later than January 18. It’s not a competition, but we do need to hear your story aloud ahead of time.
This is a reminder from one of last May’s Faculty Development Day sessions that the Beckman Humor Project fund exists to help faculty and students fund just about any kind of project that uses humor as a gentle, sideways weapon against the forces of darkness. Applications for funding roll through the year, and can be downloaded from the 
Justin Yeakel will offer a free lecture, “It’s Alive! Competition, Extinction, and the Ecology of Reanimation,” on Wednesday, October 24, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. In his talk, Yeakel will plumb the surprising wisdom of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with regard to competitive forces and survival in ecological communities. Yeakel is one part paleoecologist, two parts theoretical biologist, a recovering anthropologist, and a fan of science fiction and cosmic horror. He is a professor of theoretical ecology at UC Merced, and lives in Gilroy, Calif. (“Garlic Capital of the World”) to avoid the undead.
UP theology students Ally Liedtke and Niko Strom with Professor David Turnbloom offer the latest installment in the “Why Theology Needs…” series from the Beckman Humor Project on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Dining Room. In their talk, Liedtke and Strom present a humorous look at what The Lord of the Rings fantasy phenomenon has to offer the field of theology. For ADA accommodations or more information: 
Writer, photographer, and advanced practice nurse Hob Osterlund will present “Humor in Nursing: How to Find Time to Laugh When There’s Zero Time for Lunch” on Tuesday, February 7, at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons. Osterlund’s talk is sponsored by the Garaventa Center, the School of Nursing, and the Beckman Humor Project and is free and open to all.
Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, moderates an all-star panel of experts to discuss the question of humor in comics from a variety of professional perspectives on Thursday, February 9, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Panelists include Diana Schutz (editor of Sin City, Grendel, and Usagi Yojimbo), Mark Russell (God is Disappointed in You, Apocrypha Now, Prez), Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man), and MK Reed (The Castoffs, Americus). The event is co-sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the Beckman Humor Project, and is free and open to all. For more information or ADA accommodations: x7702 or 
Does theology have something to learn from a humble and humorous world view? Come enter into theological conversation through the comedy of Louis CK on Wednesday April 6, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall Room 120. The event is free and open to all. The talk will be facilitated by David Turnbloom, theology, and theology students Kit Tobin and Jonathan Wiley, and is part of the Beckman Humor Project.