A canine mathematics assistant, historical novels, waterfowl and Kenya will all be featured during the annual Hope College Winter Happening on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Winter Happening will feature multiple seminars in two blocks in the morning, a luncheon with musical entertainment, home women's and men's basketball, men's and women's swimming competition, and an art exhibition.
The event is sponsored by the college's office of public and community relations, and is open to the general public.
Admission is free to the seminars, exhibition, swimming competition and women's basketball game.
The seminar "The Fascinating World of Waterfowl: From Marsh to Museum" will be presented at both 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The seminars "Why Would a Historian Write Novels?" and "Brain 101: A Tool for Lifelong Learning" will be presented at 9:30 a.m. "Searching for Kenya," "Do Dogs Know Calculus?" and "'This Rough Magic I Here Abjure': Resurrection and Reconciliation in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'" will be presented at 11 a.m.
The Fascinating World of Waterfowl: From Marsh to Museum will provide an illustrated overview of waterfowl diversity, natural history and behavior, and will include a visit to the college's museum display of ducks and geese donated by the late Jack Moermond. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Eldon Greij, who is the Edward A. and Elizabeth Hofma Professor Emeritus of Biology and founder of "Birder's World" magazine.
Why Would a Historian Write Novels? will consider the way that conducting research and developing a narrative are experiences common to historians and novelists alike, as well as the challenges facing those interested in writing. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Albert Bell, professor of history and chairperson of the department.
Brain 101: A Tool for Lifelong Learning will explore the findings of recent research concerning the brain and their applications to everyday life. The seminar will be presented by Linda Jordan, assistant professor of education, and Dr. Leslie Wessman, who is the Arnold and Esther Sonneveldt Professor of Education and chairperson of the department.
Searching for Kenya will look beyond preconceptions to the reality of Kenya as a crossroads where peoples and cultures from Africa, the Middle East and East Asia have been meeting for hundreds of years. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Neal Sobania, who is director of international education and professor of history.
Do Dogs Know Calculus? will review how a dog's instinctive approach to playing lakeside fetch matches the ideal route suggested mathematically, and subsequent international interest in the related research. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Timothy Pennings, who is an associate professor of mathematics, and his Welsh Corgi Elvis.
'This Rough Magic I Here Abjure': Resurrection and Reconciliation in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' will explore the play as a meditation on the Christian practices of reconciliation and forgiveness. The seminar will be presented by Dr. David Cunningham, who is director of the Crossroads Project and a professor of religion.
The luncheon will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center ballroom, and costs $11 per person. Highlights will include the presentation of a Meritorious Service Award to Richard E. Huff, a 1952 Hope graduate living in Holland, and musical entertainment by Luminescence, Hope's new women's a cappella group. Reservations for the luncheon are required.
The men's and women's swimming teams will host the Illinois-Michigan Quad meet at 1 p.m. at the Holland Aquatic Center. In addition to Hope, the schools competing will be Kalamazoo College, Lake Forest of Illinois and Wheaton of Illinois. Admission is free.
The women's basketball team will host Tri-State of Indiana at 3 p.m. at the Dow Center. Admission is free.
The men's basketball team will host Kalamazoo College at 7:30 p.m. in the Holland Civic Center. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, and a limited number of general admission tickets will be available for persons attending other Winter Happening events.
The gallery of the De Pree Art Center will be featuring an on-going exhibition of work by two new faculty members. The exhibition features ceramic works by Israel Davis and oil paintings by Katherine Sullivan, and runs Friday, Jan. 9-Friday, Feb. 6. The gallery is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
In addition to being required for the luncheon, advance registration is recommended for the seminars. Additional information may be obtained by calling the college's Office of Public and Community Relations at (616) 395-7860.
Registration during the morning of the event will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center, located facing College Avenue between 9th and 10th streets.