The University of Iowa Lecture Committee will kick off its spring semester lecture series Tuesday, Feb. 9, with Ben Plesser, a senior producer for NBC News.

“ISIS: A Journalist’s Challenge” will begin at 7 p.m. in Shambaugh Auditorium (Main Library). The event is free and open to the public. The lecture is sponsored by the Lecture Committee, UI College of Law, and UI Public Policy Center.

Plesser, recipient of the prestigious Peabody award and multiple Emmys, will discuss his experience as the head of a dedicated team working with the network’s chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel.

Other upcoming lectures for the spring semester:

Angela Davis, activist, author, and scholar, will present “International Women’s Day: The Black Radical Tradition” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City in cooperation with the UI Just Living Theme Semester on social justice. Davis, the recipient of the UI Lecture Committee’s annual Distinguished Lecturer award, will entertain questions from the audience following her talk.

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning cartoonist and writer Alison Bechdel will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at the Englert Theatre in conjunction with Iowa City’s annual Mission Creek Festival. Her award-winning memoir, Fun Home, was adapted into a musical, which garnered numerous accolades including five Tony awards—including one for best musical. Bechdel’s comics have also appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Slate, McSweeney’s, The New York Times Book Review, and Granta. Her work has been widely translated, and she received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2012 and a MacArthur “Genius” Grant in 2014.

Robert Bullard will present “Building a Just and Sustainable Communities for All” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at the Englert Theatre. Bullard is often described as the “father of environmental justice” and is the author of numerous books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, housing, transportation, and climate. He has been featured on CNN and the radio program People You Should Know, and was named by Newsweek as one of the 13 environmental leaders of the century. The lecture is part of the Just Living Theme Semester on social justice and in partnership with the UI Public Policy Center.

Note: The University Lecture Committee and the Just Living Theme Semester are working to reschedule the Eighth Annual Cassandra S. Foens, M.D., Lecture featuring Laverne Cox, originally scheduled for Feb. 1 and canceled due to a scheduling conflict for Cox. Next steps will be shared when available.

For more than 30 years, the University Lecture Committee has brought some of the world’s greatest thinkers to the UI campus. Speakers have included an impressive roster of national and international figures in science, politics, business, human rights, law, journalism, and the arts. The series is funded through student fees with additional private support, as well as campus and community partnerships.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend this lecture, call 319-335-3059 in advance.