The presentation will feature recitation of translated poems and songs to the accompaniment of music. 

by Dr. Yuemin (Brooke) He and Judith Gomez

1-2:30 pm in CA 302 at Annandale Campus, on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025 

Dr. Yuemin (Brooke) He has worked as an English professor at NOVA Languages, Arts and Social Sciences for more than 25 years. She has written on Asian American literature, Buddhist American literature, composition pedagogy, and translation studies. Her essays appear in The Emergence of Buddhist American Literature, Religion and the Arts, Teaching Asian North American Texts, etc. Her poems and translations have been anthologized or published in more than thirty literary magazines and journals, including The Cincinnati Review and Metamorphoses. Her first book of poetry translations, I’ve Seen the Yellow Crane, was published last year. She is the 2025 recipient of The Jules Chametzky Translation Prize from The Massachusetts Review. Her work was also longlisted for Best Literary Translations 2026 anthology by Deep Vellum. 

 

 

Judith Gomez has worked for NOVA Languages, Arts and SocialSciences for just short of 40 years.  In addition to working for NOVA, she has been a professional musician for even longer, establishing, directing, and performing traditional Mexican mariachi for lovers of folkloric music which has included performances at both Clinton inaugural celebrations, President George H.W. Bush, Vice President Joe Biden and the Republic of Congo President, Denis Sassou Nguesso.  More recently she began performing jazz Manouche, which has its origins in 1930s France and was popularized by guitarist, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.  She is the founder and director of the DC based Swingology, an acoustic jazz ensemble featuring guitars, violin, and upright bass. 

 

 

 

This presentation will highlight the speaker’s contribution to Space Quest Program for educational outreach to elementary students about space science, supported by original story songs for group participation. For example, the song “To Follow Apollo” teaches the history of the Apollo program by imagining that kids of the future could go to the moon and find the six historic landing sites. Space Quest and the story songs have been presented to over 10,000 elementary science students since 2014, at schools, libraries and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

by Dr. James Thorne

Noon- 1:00 pm in CA 302 at Annandale, on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025

 

Mission to Europa-ft. Laura Starr and Tommy Cosmo

Bio: Dr. Jim Thorne is a space scientist, singer-songwriter, young-adult science fiction novelist, and TV host of the Telly-Award winning public-access and YouTube series, “Space Quest with Dr. Jim.” His 3-D animated planetarium video, "Mission to Europa" about a future trip to Jupiter's moon, was selected for screening at the 2025 Macon Film Festival.

Mission to Europa - ft. Laura Starr and Tommy Cosmo

About Jim - Jim Thorne Music

Neutrinos are tiny, elusive particles all around us. Join neutrino physicist Dr. Matthew Murphy to explore their history, modern experiments, and the scientific collaboration behind studying these invisible enigmas. 

1-2 PM in CA 302 at Annandale Campus, on Thursday, February 19th, 2026

 

Dr. Murphy earned his physics Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, worked at Jefferson Lab, Fermi Lab, and Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN). Now he serves as the physics laboratory technician at  Annandale Campus of NOVA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Dr. Manori Nadesalingam (mnadesalingam@nvcc.edu)

The speaker will discuss her work of performing and promoting the work of women composers.

by Dr. Natalia Kazaryan, Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Area Coordinator at Howard University in Washington DC

1-2 pm in Annandale Musics Room (CM 203) on Monday, March 2nd, 2026

 

Bio: Pianist Natalia Kazaryan has appeared at leading venues including the Kennedy Center, Merkin Concert Hall, the Kimmel Center, and Salle Cortot in Paris. A graduate of The Juilliard School with advanced studies in Paris, Madrid, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan, she is recognized for artistry that bridges tradition and contemporary voices. She is the founder and artistic director of Counterpoint Concerts in Washington, DC, acclaimed for imaginative programming and community engagement. Kazaryan also serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Piano Area at Howard University.

https://www.nataliakazaryan.com/bio

Moderators: Dr. Johnathan Kolm, Professor of Music (jkolm@nvcc.edu) and

James Wolter, Professor of Music (jwolter@nvcc.edu)

 

 

Pulitzer Prize in Poetry nominee Dr. Latorial D. Faison highlights her poetry writing process, and her new collection, Nursery Rhymes in Black, a work that reimagines childhood rhymes through the lens of Black history, and lived experience.

1-2 PM in CA 302 at Annadale Campus, on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026

 

Dr.Latorial D. Faison is the Department Chair, and an Assistant Professor, Department of Literature and Languages, Virginia State University

Bio

Moderator: Prof. Steven Lessner (slessner@nvcc.edu)