FVCC symposium looks to change the world
Flathead Valley Community College kicks off its 18th annual Honors Symposium Feb. 25 with lectures focusing on “How to Change the World.”
All lectures are free and take place at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Technology Building on the college’s Kalispell campus. People attending should arrive early since previous symposiums have filled all seats.
Gregg Davis, director of health care industry research at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at The University of Montana, opens the symposium Feb. 25 with his presentation “Economic Realities in a Changing World.”
Throughout his career, Davis has conducted economic impact studies including regional and wage studies for both the public and private sector. A former economics instructor at Flathead Valley Community College, Davis directed the Center for Business and Economic Research and chaired the Division of Social Sciences.
He earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology and a master’s degree in economics from The University of Montana and a doctorate in mineral resources from West Virginia University.
The symposium continues March 1 with “Technology and the Challenge of Direct Energy Conversion,” a lecture by Stephen Sofie, assistant professor for the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Montana State University.
He specializes in innovative ceramic processing and applications ranging from medical ultrasound imaging to solid oxide fuel cells. His work involves cutting-edge research in energy conversion.
Prior to joining the university, Sofie investigated solid oxide fuel cell systems at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
He received a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Washington.
The remaining lectures of the series will include:
March 8 — “Be the Change: How a Life of Activism Can Empower Women and Children in the Developing World,” presented by Kim Plewes of Free the Children and the Me to We Foundation, Washington, D.C.;
March 18 — “Lesser Goods in International Relations: How to Live in and Improve the World As It Is,” presented by Karen Adams, assistant professor of political science at The University of Montana;
March 25 — “How Social Entrepreneurs are Changing the World,” presented by David Hopkins, co-author of “The Tactics of Hope.”
The Honors Symposium is supported by the college, American Association of University Women, Humanities Montana and the Theodore Chase Endowment Fund.
For more information, stop by the Flathead Valley Community College Kalispell campus to pick up a brochure, visit www.fvcc.edu or call 756-3822.