Spring convocation 2018

Contact: Diana Hearit
Jan. 8, 2018

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University Spring Convocation on Feb. 23, 2018.

This day-long event is being organized collaboratively by the President's Office, Provost Office, Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Haenicke Institute for Global Education and Extended University Programs.

Fetzer Center

Morning Session

8 to 8:45 a.m.
Coffee and pastries

9 to 10:30 a.m.
Fullbright Workshop for faculty and administrators

9 to 3:30 p.m.
Virtual and Augmented Reality Demonstrations
Extended University Programs

9 to 11:30 a.m.
Discovery Symposia

• Discovery Symposium on Autism, room 1040-1050

  9 a.m.	Introduction — Stephanie Peterson
  9:05 a.m.	Opening Remarks — Lt. Governor Brian Calley
  9:15 a.m.	Early Detection and Early Intervention — Amelia Fonger and Becky Eldridge
  9:35 a.m.	School-aged Kids’ Services — Wayne Fuqua and Jessica Frieder
  9:55 a.m.	High School Years’ Services — Kayla Jenssen and Kourtney Bakalyar
  10:20 a.m.	Intermission
  10:30 a.m.	Mid-session Remarks — Senator Margaret O’Brien
  10:40 a.m.	Young Adult Services — Kourtney Bakalyar
  10:50 a.m.	Older Adult Services — Kimberly Peck
  11:05 a.m.	Senior Services — Brian MacNeill
  11:15 a.m.	Summary and Questions — Stephanie Peterson

• Discovery Symposium on Mobility, Putney Auditorium

  9 a.m.	Introduction — Sherine Obare
  9:05 a.m.	Opening Remarks — Senator Margaret O’Brien
  9:15 a.m.	Transportation Center Overview — Jun Oh
  9:25 a.m.	Increasing Pedestrian Safety at Unmarked Crossings — Ron Van Houten
  9:45 a.m.	Mobility for People with Visual Impairments — Dae Kim
  10:05 a.m.	Safety of Older Adults: Do Roadway Features Make a Difference? — Valerian Kwigizile
  10:25 a.m.	Modeling Equity of Access to Public Health Resources: Assessing Multimodal Transportation Accessibility when Siting Interventions — Kathleen Baker
  10:45 a.m.	Being Here and Not Being Here: Robots and Telepresence — Autumn and Chad Edwards
  11:05 a.m.	Discussion and Closing remarks — Sherine Obare

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Light hor d'oeuvres and table Time—participants invited to spend time with resource tables and to network before afternoon session starts

11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Discovery Excellence Recognition Luncheon—invited guests of the President, Provost and Vice President for Research

Afternoon Session

1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Emerging Scholar 2017, Putney Auditorium

• Gellert Mezei, Bioinspired Anion Binding by Nanojars

Distinguished Faculty Scholars 2017

• Thomas Gorczyca, Atomic Physics in X-ray Astrophysics
• Victor Cunrui Xiong, Heavenly Khan: The Story of Li Shimin
• Ping Zhang, A Problem in Graph Theory and Its Curious History

3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
Spring Convocation and Awards, Kirsch Auditorium

Immediately following
Gold Gathering Reception, appetizers and cash bar

Downloadable version