On Wednesday, Dr. Dawn Holliday, associate professor of biology and environmental science at Westminster College, took the stage in Champ Auditorium to kick off the 2016 Hancock Symposium.
She was introduced by Senior Vice President Carolyn Perry.
"We will immerse ourselves in an experience unlike any other," Holliday said. "We will walk among giants."
Each year for 10 years, Westminster has suspended classes for two days in to bring in global experts to lecture on "topics of global importance," as Holliday put it.
This year, talks focus on the theme of "Audacious Ingenuity."
"(The speakers) push the boundaries of what we currently know," Holliday said.
She listed some of the speakers and their areas of study, which range from astrophysics to veterinary science to forensic pathology and far beyond. Communication is the secondary theme.
"According to a 2015 Pew survey, adult knowledge of general science is mediocre," Holliday said.
Many of this year's speakers have emphasized science education and accessibility, both for children and adults, throughout their careers.
Today at 1 p.m., Dr. Bennet Omalu, a physician, forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, will speak in the 57th John Findley Green Lecture. Omalu battled the National Football League for more than a decade over his breakthrough research on brain damage in football players and other athletes caused by the impact of crashing helmets. In the movie "Concussion," Omalu was played by actor Will Smith. This lecture will be at Champ Auditorium at the Westminster College campus and is free.
Online:
symposium.westminster-mo.edu
