Iowa State University will hold its 23rd annual First Amendment Days celebration Monday through Thursday, offering students and the broader campus community a week of events focused on the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

First Amendment Days is the longest-running student-led First Amendment celebration in the country. Organized by the First Amendment Committee—which includes members of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and the Iowa State Daily Media Group—the event is designed not only to educate but to offer spaces for active engagement with these five essential rights.

This year’s lineup includes a virtual talk by artist and science communicator Jill Pelto on Tuesday. Pelto, known for integrating scientific data into her watercolor paintings, will speak about how art can visualize environmental change. Her presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom and shown in the Danfoss Room at the Ames Public Library.

Also on Tuesday, Glenn Branch of the National Center for Science Education will deliver a lecture marking the centennial of the John Scopes “Monkey Trial” (State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes). He will discuss the evolution of First Amendment debates in science education.

The week concludes with Feast on the First, held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday on Central Campus, featuring food, t-shirts and buttons honoring the late Ames artist Richard Deyo.