Osprey Ideas inspires and sparks new considerations
Departments within the Division of Academic & Student Affairs hosted the inaugural Osprey Ideas event on Jan. 30. Inspired by a similar event at Harvard University, Osprey Ideas is a way for students to learn from faculty members they might not get to hear from in their own majors, and a unique feature of this event is that the speakers are chosen by students.
Led by Dr. Julie Merten, Director of Faculty Excellence and Associate Professor of Public Health, as the emcee for the evening, attendees listened to five-minute lectures on topics the speakers were passionate about. The inaugural Osprey Ideas had talks from the following faculty members:
- Tracy Alloway: Professor, Department of Psychology – How Biting a Pencil and Using a Rubber Band Can be Good for your Mental Health: Science-Based Ways to Help your Brain be Happy
- Erin Largo-Wight: Director, Institute of Environmental Research and Education (IERE) and Professor, Department of Public Health – Healthy Human Habitat: Creating Healthy Places with People in Mind
- Jacqueline Meier: Assistant Professor of Anthropology – Ideas about Ancient Animals
- Will Pewitt: Instructor, Department of English and Faculty Fellow, Hicks Honors College – Transformative Education by Experiential Learning
- Ayan Dutta: Associate Professor, School of Computing – Efficient and Secure Multi-Robot Coordination for Data Acquisition
At the end of the formal talks, the speakers mingled with students to engage further with the ideas they presented. The Office of Faculty Excellence & Academic Engagement anticipates making this a semesterly occurrence based on the success of almost 100 attendees.
If interested in recommending faculty members for future Osprey Ideas or helping with the event, contact the Office of Faculty Excellence & Academic Engagement at ofe@unf.edu.