Schedule of Events and Keynote Speaker

Schedule of Events 

Current schedule of events click HERE

Book of Abstracts

View the Book of Abstracts HERE

Keynote Speaker 11:45am - Cornerstone

Dr. Juan Miguel Arias

Visiting Professor, Colorado College Department of Education

Title: Axe Sharpening: Undergraduate research in a constantly changing world

Abstract: Abraham Lincoln (allegedly) once said, “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” Taking this and any Lincoln quote with a historical grain of salt, the lesson nevertheless holds true. This is especially so in our world today, when we realize that the figurative trees we face in our work are not ones we will face for an hour but rather years and lifetimes, and that these trees are changing with every new technology and cultural pattern we create. In the face of this magnitude, undergraduate research—often the first opportunity to “add a tiny bit of knowledge to a field”—can feel at once overwhelming and superficial. In this talk, however, I draw from psychology, education, history, environmentalism, and critical social theory to propose that the divergence of thought made possible by the undergraduates themselves doing such research is necessary our resilience and adaptability in this constantly changing world.