Schedule

Location: Champ Auditorium 

Summary: The Sun we see every day is surrounded by a million-degree atmosphere – the solar corona – which expands outwards to fill the whole solar system via the solar wind and explosive eruptions called Coronal Mass Ejections. We on Earth live within this active solar environment, protected, albeit imperfectly, by our magnetic field. In this talk we will discuss the Sun, how we monitor and study it, what we know about the origins of its activity, and what it means for us on and our technological society to live alongside an active star. 

Location: Champ Auditorium 

Summary: This presentation examines how XR technology (virtual, augmented, and extended reality hardware and software) is being used by everyday people, enterprises, and other organizations today to interact with physical and virtual objects and environments in new ways, and where the field of XR is headed over the next several years. Attendees will come away with a better sense of XR's strengths and weaknesses relative to real-world processes that people and companies have used for generations, and how XR may soon disrupt some longstanding traditions. 

Location: Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall (CSC 203)

Summary: The mistrust the public feels toward news organizations is not limited to one country or region but is felt worldwide. Simultaneously, bad actors are intentionally preying on distrust of legitimate information and institutions to spread intentional falsehoods. Disinformation is at the core of a litany of violent historical events. What are some of their rogue tactics? How can you play a role and be part of the solution to lessen this danger?

Location: Champ Auditorium

Summary: This presentation will explore how The Missouri Symphony has been exploring performing in spaces that seem to juxtapose the “idea” of where an orchestra should perform and what an orchestra is and how that has led to changing peoples’ mindsets about their definition of a symphony orchestra and its relevance in today’s world. 

Location: Hermann Lounge 

Summary: Space Weather describes the intersection between solar activity, the Earth environment, and our technological society. Space weather’s effects impact satellites and astronauts in space; air travel, global navigation, communications, and power transmission on Earth; and impact search-and-rescue operations, agriculture, and animal migration. In this workshop we’ll take a deep dive into space weather’s effects and how we predict them. We’ll use real space weather analysis tools and solar and space physics data to attempt some forecasts of our own. And we’ll discuss some ways that you can take an active role in the space weather community.

Location: Coulter Science Center 207

Summary: This introductory workshop will equip aspiring and/or interested individuals in the nonprofit sector with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for effective nonprofit management. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing the nonprofit sector. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a solid foundation in nonprofit management, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to their organizations and make a positive impact in their communities. 

Location: Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall (CSC 203)

Summary: In this hands-on workshop, attendees will form small, multidisciplinary groups and identify, design, and devise a plan to build and grow their own new virtual communities. Loosely based on a hackathon – but without any coding skills needed – attendees will gain an understanding of what it takes to design, launch, and scale a distinctive startup with a social networking orientation. Bring your creativity and your tablets! 

Location: Coulter Science Center (CSC) 206 

Summary: In this workshop, Dr. Schwain will provide groups of students with a work of art from the Missouri. Heart of the Nation collection along with related images and artifacts.  Drawing on the Smithsonian Institution’s “Guide to Exhibition Development,” the groups will generate an exhibition proposal that uses the painting to raise a particular question, tell a certain story, or explore a theme. This will require them to identify where the exhibition will take place, who its audience will be, and what interpretive elements and display strategies will be required.

Location: Coulter Science Center (CSC) 126 

Summary: Facts matter. That's why scholars, technologists, engineers, scientists and journalists are working to thwart the threat of propaganda and disinformation. You have a role to play too and we'll discuss how. Disclaimer: This workshop may include some images that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion advised.

Location: Anson Cutts Gallery, America’s National Churchill Museum 

Summary: In honor of the 150^th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s birth, join us as ANCM opens a new exhibition—Churchill and Blenheim Palace. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular attractions in England, Blenheim Palace was the birthplace of Winston Churchill and the ancestral home to the Churchill family. Discover how the grand palace and Churchill’s illustrious ancestor, John Churchill, the 1^st Duke of Marlborough (1650– 1722), captured Winston Churchill’s imagination and inspired him to leave a legacy that impacts us today. The workshop will also explore Churchill’s unpublished essay “Are We Alone in the Universe?” in which Winston Churchill posits the existence of extraterrestrial life. The original 11-page essay will be on special display. Immediately after the workshop, participants are invited to attend the Churchill and Blenheim Palace opening reception. Refreshments will be provided. 

Churchill and Blenheim Palace is organized in conjunction with Churchill 2024, a global commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Churchill’s birth on November 30, 2024, and is made possible by the Anson Cutts Fund for America’s National Churchill Museum. 

Location: Champ Auditorium

In 1946, the Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney department store in St. Louis commissioned fourteen modern artists to “depict for Missouri, and the rest of the world, the charm, the strength, the beauty, the way-of-life of our mid-western Missouri of today.” The ninety-eight paintings and drawings feature scenes of rural and urban life, agricultural and industrial production, and folk life and mass entertainment. The Missouri: Heart of the Nation collection toured the state for two-and-a-half years; appeared in catalogs, advertisements, and other print materials; and eventually adorned Jesse Hall, the administrative center of the University of Missouri. The paintings became part of the university’s art collection in 2014 and remained in storage until an exhibition of the oil paintings at the Boone County History and Culture Center two years ago.

The artworks depict particular Missouri spaces and endow them with a sense of place by engaging the viewers’ emotions, memories, and senses. In this presentation, I consider the cultural significance of those translations and what they reveal about middle-class life in Missouri at mid-century. I address, too, how the stories change according to where the paintings are exhibited and who sees them.

We will have opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to register to vote on Sept. 19th from 11:00- 1:00 pm in the Dining Hall. Please stop by to register and learn how to vote using an absentee ballot!
Below are helpful resources as well!

NONPARTISAN RESOURCES FOR ELECTIONS: 

• Register to vote at https://allintovote.org/register/
  • Registration deadlines may have passed or are quickly approaching. Make sure your campus community is registered and ready to vote. 
  • Voters can check their registration at allin.vote/check
• Find your polling location at ALLINtoVote.org/PollingLocation
• Distribute VoteRiders Voter ID Information cards (find your state here) or let VoteRiders print and ship them to you for free (place your order here).
• Research who is on your ballot at ALLINtoVote.org/Research
• Share the September elections graphic on your institution’s social media channels. Find graphics in this folder
• Encourage your students to commit to turning out to vote this year by taking the pledge at ALLINtoVote.org/Pledge
• If a campus community member has questions or concerns while trying to cast their ballot, have them call or text the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.