This year's Hancock Symposium, a two-day chance to learn from some of the world's smartest people, is again coming to Westminster College, Fulton.
According to Nate Leonard, assistant professor of English and chair of the symposium committee, the event will be Sept. 11-12.
This year's theme: "Creativity and Innovation: Imagining Our Way Into The Future."
"We've got a great group coming in - a really diverse set of speakers," he said.
The symposium is not about the arts, per se. It's about people who found creative solutions to complex problems.
"Creativity makes up a huge portion of our economy and we ignore it," Leonard said. "But as jobs get more automated, we will still need creative people."
The symposium is broken down into plenary, executive and breakout sessions. Breakout sessions typically are hosted in smaller classroom setting and often are standing room only with just students. However, the plenary and executive sessions welcome members of the public to attend for free.
Dr. Barbara Kerr, professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Kansas, will be the Plenary speaker at 9:20 a.m. on the first day.
"She does really interesting research; she's a positive psychologist," Leonard said.
So much of the mental work/therapy people undergo focuses on the negative aspects of their thinking patterns and belief sessions; however, Kerr's work instead focuses on their positive aspects.
"She studies the psychology of people with brains that work really well," he added. "She's trying to understand the creative mind and doing groundwork for creative thinking."
Local people also will be presenting. Beth Snyder, owner of OneCanoeTwo, will speak: "Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mountains and Canoes: The Creativity in Etsy Entrepreneurship."
Jane Mudd, assistant professor of art at William Woods University, will present: "Seeing Like an Artist." David Wilson, co-founder of the True/False Film Festival, also will speak.
"We've got an alumni who lives in West Africa, Gregory Rockson," Leonard said of the Ghanaian entrepreneur and co-founder of mPharma.
Rockson's goal is to make prescription drugs available in third-world markets, Leonard said. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Westminster College. He was a public policy and international affairs fellow from Princeton University and a Rotary scholar at the University of Copenhagen. mPharma works with drug manufacturers, service providers and third-party payers to develop products and services that improve the access and affordability of high quality drugs for patients across the African continent.
The Green Lecture this year is untied from the Hancock Symposium and one may be scheduled in the spring. Last year, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke to students and invited guests.
Until the symposium is over, Leonard won't be getting much sleep.
"It's a lot of work the whole way through," he said. "The team that does 95 percent of the work is three people, and I'm one of the three people."
Here is the schedule for this year's Hancock Symposium:
Sept. 11
9-9:20 a.m.: Opening of 2018 HSWC: Dr. Nate Leonard (Champ Auditorium)
9:20-10:15 a.m.: Plenary Session 1:
Dr. Barbara Kerr, Professor of Counseling Psychology, University of Kansas: "Bottled Lightning: The Psychology of Creative People" (Champ Auditorium) 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Executive Session 1:
Ashley Tate, Founder & Artistic Director, Ashleyliane Dance Company: "Community in Creativity: Dance as a Unifying Art Form" (Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall)
Gina Shannon, assistant director, Clinical Skills Progra.m., Emory University School of Medicine: "Giving the Gift: Applying Improvisation to Healthcare Simulation" (Church of St. Mary)
11:45 a.m.: Lunch (Backer Dining Room/Marsh-Jones Dining Room)
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Breakout Session 1 (Coulter Science Center):
Gabe Fleisher, editor-In-chief, Wake Up to Politics: "Politics and Media in the Digital Age" (CSC 204)
Mark Anastasio, professor of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis: "Computational Methods for Modern Biomedical Imaging Systems" (CSC 304)
Beth Snyder, Owner & Product Develop.m.ent, OneCanoeTwo: "Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mountains, and Canoes: The Creativity in Etsy Entrepreneurship" (CSC 206)
Jane Mudd, assistant professor of Art, William Woods University: "Seeing Like an Artist" (CSC 126)
2:45-3:45 p.m.: Plenary Session 2:
Sarah Lench, chief curiosity officer, Center for Innovation in Education: "Beyond the Toothbrush Test: The 21st Century Imperative of Fostering the Creative Potential of Every Student in Every School" (Cha.m.p Auditorium)
Sept. 12
9-10:15 a.m.: Executive Session 2:
Gregory Rockson (2012 Westminster graduate), co-founder & CEO, mPharma: "mPharma: Innovating Pharmaceutical Distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa" (Church of St. Mary)
Dr. Robin Blume-Kohout, principal R&D scientist, Sandia National Laboratories: "Creativity and Quantum Computing" (Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall)
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Breakout Session 2:
One-on-One with Dr. Robin Blume-Kohout, Principal R&D Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories (CSC 305)
Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri, co-founder & artistic director, GreenHouse Theater Project: "A Resourceful Performance" (Hermann Lounge)
One-on-One with Sarah Lench, chief curiosity officer, Center for Innovation in Education (CSC 126)
Westminster Eco Reading Group: "Ecologically Embracing & Envisioning the Future (CSC 304)
One-on-One with Gregory Rockson '12, Co-Founder & CEO, mPharma (CSC 207)
11:45 p.m.: Lunch (Mueller Leadership Hall/Backer Dining Room)
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Plenary Session 3:
David Wilson, Co-Founder, True/False Film Festival: "Film Festivals as Creative Placemaking, OR What Artists Can Learn From Disneyland" (Cha.m.p Auditorium)