Designed to introduce the Southern Utah community to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews, Dixie State University’s weekly lecture series, Dixie Forum, is getting under way for the Fall 2021 semester.
“The Dixie Forum is a long held and wonderful tradition here at DSU,” John Burns, the Dixie Forum chairman said. “Our mission is to help attendees experience a window on the world with a goal of igniting a hunger and thirst for curiosity-based life-long learning.”
The 50-minute presentations take place at noon every Tuesday of Dixie State’s academic semester in the Dunford Auditorium, located in the Browning Resource Center on the DSU campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Bring a friend or ten, an enemy, a relative, a neighbor, or anyone you know,” Burns said. “These guest speakers are not to be missed and have most graciously set time aside to be on our campus to share their research and knowledge with us. Join us for a season of fascinating topics and captivating guests.”
Dixie Forum aligns with the university’s strategic goal to establish the community as a university and provide Southern Utah with educational resources and learning opportunities. The goal is part of the University’s five-year strategic plan, Trailblazing Distinction, which is guiding the institution’s growth as it works toward becoming the nation’s first open, inclusive, comprehensive, polytechnic university.
To receive details for each guest each week, sign up for the email list by emailing your full name and preferred email address to Dixie Forum Chairman John Burns at burns@utahtech.edu.
Dixie Forum’s complete lineup for the Fall 2021 semester includes:
Date: Tuesday, August 31 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Professor Jianliang Xiao, Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado
Topic: Wearable Technology Converts Body Temperature into Electricity
Date: Tuesday, September 14 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): William A. Powell, Director, SUNY American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project
Topic: Bringing Back the American Chestnut: A Story of Successful Conservation
Date: Tuesday, September 21 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Author Michael Moss, Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions
Topic: Humans are Wired to Crave Highly-Processed Foods
Date: Tuesday, September 28 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): John Haller
Topic: Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
Date: Tuesday, October 5 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Lynn Chen
Topic: The Art of Digital Illustration
Date: Tuesday, October 26 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Adam Mastroianni, PhD Candidate, Harvard University Dept. of Psychology
Topic: Do Conversations End When People Want Them To?
Date: Tuesday, November 2 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Natasha Stavros, Applied Science System Engineer, California Institute of Technology
Topic: The Science of Wildfires
Date: Tuesday, November 9 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Kevin D. Packard, Combo Marketing Manager, Pearl Corporation
Topic: The Music Industry, The Modern Drummer, and The Drum
Date: Tuesday, November 16 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Author Jocelyn Zuckerman
Topic: How Palm Oil Ended Up in Everything and Endangered the World
Date: Tuesday, November 30 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Speaker(s): Professor Phillip Gable, Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware
Topic: The Science of the Perception of Time