CHICO — What has become a staple of academic presentations at Chico State University is now the highlight of Wildcat Weekend, the school’s homecoming-style event, now in its second year.
The sixth annual “Joy of Learning” series of presentations begins at 9 a.m. Friday in the Recital Hall of the Arts and Humanities Building, corner of West First Street and Normal Avenue.
The show features several university faculty members giving short presentations about why they are so passionate about their fields of expertise. The presentation will begin after remarks by Chico State University President Steve Perez, Interim President Terence Lau, and Associate Dean of Students Autumn Alanis Wiggins.
Eleven faculty presenters are scheduled to share the joy of learning through presentations. This year, members of Merriam Library and Undergraduate Education and Academic Success will join her seven colleges at the university to present.
Viewers can watch the presentation on Chico State’s livestream page (www.csuchico.edu/stream), and the entire event will be available in the archives on the Joy of Learning webpage immediately after the event concludes.
Presenter
Thomas Henderson will speak on “Operation Launch Point: Giving students a platform to reach new heights.” Mr. Henderson shares how his first mentor taught him the importance of “moving on” and how teachers can use this in their classrooms to create transformative experiences for their students. Let’s talk about how to lead. He is a faculty member in the Faculty of Agriculture.
Martin van den Bergh presents ‘Cognitive Science Reminders for Becoming Mindful’. What exactly is the mind? Van den Bergh analyzes the cognitive processes that occur in our heads and shows how impressive they are. He is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology.
Jevon “JB” Song will present “Tweeting through disaster: How do emojis shape communication on Twitter?” Song delves into how social media and emojis have changed the way we communicate about disasters. Faculty member of the Information Systems Department, Finance and Accounting Department.
Jesse Engebretson presents “Thinking Outside the Classroom.” Engebretson highlights how the definition of “classroom” has expanded through online and field-based learning, transforming the educational “snow globe” for the better. Engebretson is a faculty member in the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Park Management.
Zahrasadat Alavi will give a talk on “A personal journey into the world of machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence)”. Alavi shares her own educational background and how her extensive knowledge has led her to the forefront of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep neural networks. She is a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Gloria Lopez will present “Making History Matter.” Historians are often asked why history is important. Through our stories, López highlights how important history is to us culturally and socially. She is a faculty member in the history department at Chico State University.
Hyewon and Joseph Pekiskis will co-present “Ultracold Atoms: The Coolest Stuff in the Universe.” Together, they will show you how cutting-edge science is done at the Ultracold Atomic Laboratory and Chico State University. Hyewon and Joseph both belong to the physics department.
Librarians Michelle Musto and Stephanie Valdivia will co-present on “Getting Everyone Involved: Merriam Library Beyond Books.” Mussuto and Baldivia will unveil some of the technology available to students and faculty at Meriam Library. Ms. Musto serves as the agriculture, natural sciences and sustainability librarian at Chico State University, and Ms. Valdivia serves as the university’s equity and outreach librarian.
Kim Jackson will present “The Impact of Undergraduate Research on Learning and Identity.” Her talk will highlight some of the research projects being conducted at Chico State University, what they involve, and how students can get involved. She is a faculty member in the English Department and serves as the Undergraduate Research Coordinator for Undergraduate Education and Academic Success.