Jim Kelly, historian and historical interpreter at the Whitney Plantation and consultant on numerous film projects, will discuss the way history is written and represented, and the lessons we may take from this today
Dr. Elewitz, who heads the Enterprise AI Lab at McKesson (a Fortune 10 pharmaceutical distribution company, presents on what major enterprises are trying to achieve with AI. His presentation will highlight how CEOs think about value, how to build AI products with reasonable risk, what AI/data scientists really do and how they spend their time, and identifying legitimate concerns with AI.
Our ability to correctly determine the probability, or likelihood, of a particular outcome occurring guides the many choices we make each day. This talk will explore examples of where our innate intuition about the world and these probabilities can lead us astray. Dr. Kyle Besing is the Associate Provost for Curriculum and Instruction and an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Dr. Anuj Gurung and MU students of Jan 26 This presentation, led by MU students who have visited Nepal, explores the unprecedented role of Nepalโs Generation Z in challenging entrenched political systems and catalyzing a change of government. Drawing on on-the-ground accounts, social media campaigns, and youth-led organizing, it examines how a digitally connected, socially conscious generation transformed frustration into coordinated action. We will trace the movementโs origins, tactics, and leadership, highlight the cultural and political context that gave rise to it, and consider its implications for democratic participation, governance, and intergenerational power dynamics across South Asia and beyond.
Love argues that reexamining Conjure traditions exposes how African American spiritual practices have been sidelined in Eurocentric religious studies. Highlighting Conjureโs history of resistance and Black womenโs agency, the essay challenges Western categories that separate religion, magic, and science. Love ultimately urges a decolonized approach that honors the resilience and creativity of African American folk traditions.
MU senior, Megan Pierce shares a 10-year journey of collecting memorabilia of the DC Comic's villain, The Joker. As of 2025, Meganโs collection was officially recognized by Guinness World Records, as being the "Largest collection of the Joker memorabilia.
Kate Black and Bob Haluska A look backstage at the community theatre experience. Travel with Kate Black and Bob Haluska through auditions, casting, rehearsal, and performance. Consider how the work resonates over time.
Andrea Warnke โ79 was associate director of the ACLU of Vermont. She was recognized with the organizationโs highest honor, which now bears her name. She is active with the organization Third Act, joining her concerns for the environment with her civil liberties background to safeguard our climate and democracy.
Marx in Soho is Howard Zinnโs one-person play in which Karl Marx returns to modern-day New Yorkโs Soho to defend his ideas, critique contemporary capitalism, and show the human side of a figure often reduced to caricature.
Tom Neilson is an award-winning folk musician and activist whose songsโrooted in his upbringing on a dairy farm and shaped by decades of international work in education, public health, and community organizingโgive voice to movements for justice around the world. He draws on experiences from Colombia to Kenya, Somalia to Nicaragua, weaving humor, political insight, and storytelling into music that has been performed in more than twenty countries. Tom combines art and activism through concerts, residencies, and community engagement, offering audiences both sharp social critique and a generous dose of wit.
The global fame of Bad Bunny has raised popular awareness of Puerto Rico and its people, millions of whom live in the United States. In Chicago, the Puerto Rican community has played a pivotal role in shifting understandings of identity and belonging over the past century. This talk will demonstrate how Chicago and the whole Midwest have generated elements of culture and politics that helped pave the way for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl moment, and it will suggest a possible future path for Puerto Ricans and their relationship with the USA.