Professorial Lectures
Auf Wiedersehen!: A Teenage Girl Chronicles the Destruction of Her Hometown and Worldview during the Second World War
Kevin Ostoyich, Ph.D. (Department of History)
In this lecture, Professor Ostoyich will present the experiences of “Hildegard Weber,” a thoroughly-indoctrinated member of the League of German Girls (the female division of the Hitler Youth), who chronicled…
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The Pedagogical Importance of Happiness
Lissa Yogan, Ph.D. (Department of Sociology)
Twenty years have passed since Martin Seligman, 1998 President of the American Psychological Association, pitched Positive Psychology to the behavioral and social sciences. New research highlights the important benefits of…
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From Light to Color: A Scientific Explanation of Poetry
Carlos Miguel-Pueyo, Ph.D. (Department of World Languages & Cultures
Since the origins of civilization, humans have viewed the concept of “light” as paving the way to a higher dimension, whether spiritual or artistic. Ever since we became conscious of…
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Student Development of Valpo’s Solar Furnace and A Program to Prepare Students to Obtain High Quality Employment
Scott Duncan, Ph.D. (Department of Mechanical Engineering & Bioengineering)
The Mechanical Engineering program at Valpo recognizes that it is critical to prepare our graduates for immediate success once they begin their employment. This presentation will describe two methods that…
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The Return of Reason: Contemporary Juvenile Justice
Dawn Jeglum Bartusch, Ph.D. (Department of Sociology & Criminology)
Juvenile justice systems have existed in the United States since 1899. Significant transformation of juvenile justice philosophy, policy, and practice began in the 1960s. In this talk, I will discuss…
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Engineering a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Mark Budnik, Ph.D. (Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Few words are less understood than “engineering.” What is engineering? What is its purpose? Yet every year, millions of students across the world head to college to enroll as engineering…
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Designing a Public Advocate: The Story of Alice Hamilton, MD
Matt Ringenberg, MSW (Department of Social Work)
Alice Hamilton is the person most responsible for establishing workplace safety standards in the United States. She is often referred to as the “mother of OSHA” (The Occupational Safety and…
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From Beautiful Cockroaches to Beverly Hills Chihuahuas: A Humane Education Approach to Cultural Products for Latinx Children
Stacy Hoult-Saros, Ph.D. (Department of World Languages & Cultures)
The growing field of Humane Education provides a fruitful approach to teaching critical thinking while fostering empathy through the careful study of the cultural production of Hispanophone cultures. This solution-focused…
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Boredom, Contemplation, and Liberation: Education in an Age of Distraction
Kevin Gary, Ph.D. (Department of Education)
Boredom is an inevitable part of the human condition–but teachers and students alike get the message that boredom should be avoided at all costs, especially in the classroom. In this…
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