Multiple general-interest seminars led by members of the Hope College faculty will be featured during the college’s annual Winter Happening on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Presented in two blocks in the morning, the seminars will feature insights from a Hope course in Vietnam; how faith shapes the way people experience natural disasters; mother’s milk and premature infants; the biblical book of Jeremiah; using mathematics to identify birdsong; and an overview of wearable activity monitors and their effectiveness. A luncheon with musical entertainment will follow. Open to the general public, the event is sponsored by the college’s Division of Public Affairs and Marketing.
Other highlights during the day will include two art exhibitions; a home men’s basketball game; and the return of the acclaimed Cashore Marionettes.
Admission to the seminars and exhibitions is free. There is an admission charge for the luncheon, basketball game and marionette performance.
The morning will feature six seminars, three at 9:30 a.m. and three at 11 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. seminars are “The Long Shadow of Vietnam,” “Finding Faith in the Storm: The Role of Religion and Meaning in Adversity, Suffering and Natural Disasters,” and “When There’s Not Enough Mother’s Milk: Human Milk for Premature Infants.” The 11 a.m. seminars are “Jeremiah: A Prophet for Fractured Times,” “What Bird Was Heard?” and “The Quantified Self: Wearable Activity Monitors and Behavior Change.”
“The Long Shadow of Vietnam” will highlight a 2017 May Term course that visited the nation, providing students exposure to Vietnam’s people, culture and institutions and insights into the Vietnam War and its legacy. The presentation will be by the two faculty members who led the course, Dr. Fred Johnson III, associate professor of history, and Dr. Scott VanderStoep, dean for the social sciences and professor of psychology.
“Finding Faith in the Storm: The Role of Religion and Meaning in Adversity, Suffering and Natural Disasters” will examine how people rely on their religious beliefs to find meaning and cope with severe adversity, with implications for others experiencing challenges of their own. The presentation will be by Dr. Daryl R. Van Tongeren, assistant professor of psychology.
“When There’s Not Enough Mother’s Milk: Human Milk for Premature Infants” will consider the importance of mother’s milk for babies and the challenges faced by mothers who cannot produce enough milk when their children are born prematurely. The presentation will be by Dr. Anita Esquerra-Zwiers, assistant professor of nursing.
“Jeremiah: A Prophet for Fractured Times” will explore the message and wisdom of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and the insights of those who interpreted him during the Protestant Reformation. The presentation will be by Dr. Jeff Tyler, professor of religion and department chair.
“What Bird Was Heard?” will discuss a collaborative faculty-student research project that has been using mathematics and technology to identify birds by their songs with a high degree of accuracy. The presentation will be by Dr. Paul Pearson, assistant professor of mathematics.
“The Quantified Self: Wearable Activity Monitors and Behavior Change” will explore the development of wearable personal health-tracking devices, their accuracy and whether or not they lead users to make meaningful changes. The presentation will be by Dr. Brian Rider, assistant professor of kinesiology and director of the college’s Health Dynamics program.
The luncheon begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center ballroom, and costs $13 per person. The event will feature entertainment by the college’s Appalachian String Band.
Also on Winter Happening Saturday, the De Pree Art Center and Gallery is hosting the exhibition “Jamia | Studio,” featuring work by faculty member Katherine Sullivan, from Monday, Jan. 8, through Friday, Feb. 9. The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is featuring the exhibition “Culture, Commerce and Criticism: 500 Years of American and European Prints from the Kruizenga Art Museum Collection,” which is running from Friday, Jan. 12, through Saturday, May 19. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The Hope College Great Performance Series will feature the Cashore Marionettes on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre. Tickets are available through the ticket office in the college’s Events and Conferences Office, and are $22 for regular admission; $16 for senior citizens, and Hope faculty and staff; $6 for children 18 and under; and free for Hope College students.
Men’s Basketball will host Olivet College on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 3 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating, $7 for adults in general bleacher seating, and $5 for those 18 and under in general bleacher seating.
In addition to being required for the luncheon, advance registration is recommended for the seminars. Registration may be done online or through the ticket office in the college’s Events and Conferences Office.
The Events and Conferences Office is located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
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 at 225 College Ave., facing College Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets.