DuPont Manual High School students are seriously taking to heart the idea that schools should be the center of a community’s intellectual life.
Toward that end, the Old Louisville magnet high school has assembled some of the top minds in Louisville for its IdeaFestival duPont Manual, structured along the lines of the IdeaFestival ”convergence of great ideas” concept created in 2000 by Kris Kimel.
The event is scheduled for Friday after school is out, and most of the day Saturday. (See the full IFMH schedule below.)
Cindy Perry, whose son Michael Perry is the founder of IFDM, said her son’s vision, and the vision of the students involved, is that the duPont Manual IdeaFestival should be intellectually stimulating and entertaining.
In that spirit, IFDM will present topics from trends in advertising and marketing to why spinal cords don’t regenerate after injury.
The goal is to have “an ebb and flow” between the arts and hard sciences, engaging left brain, then the right brain as attendees move through presentations, Cindy Perry said.
duPont Manual students have the rights to use the IdeaFestival name and concept for IdeaFestival duPont Manual, Kimel said.
Michael Perry, duPont Manual student president, started formulating the idea last June, said Cindy Perry.
IFDM has a core of five students, including junior Zack Higdon. To perpetuate the event, Zach – IFDM co-founder – will use his experience this year to oversee the 2013 event as a senior, with a junior co-organizer as his understudy, Cindy Perry said.
Asked if he sees IFDM turning into an annual event, IdeaFestival founder Kimel said, ”Everything is always an experiment! We’ll see how it goes.”
A total of about 35 students are helping with all aspects of the inaugural IFDM, including stage production and other roles, Perry said.
IFDM will be held in duPont Manual’s 1,200-seat auditorium, she said.
All the public schools are invited, as well as many private schools including Louisville Collegiate School, St. Francis School, Assumption High School, St. Xavier High School and Walden School.
IFDM is a reality because of the overwhelming support of the business community including organizers of another bring-Louisville-together effort, IdeaMornings, an informal “big ideas” discussion group that meets the last Friday of every month.
IdeaMornings organizers JohnWeinrich and Jason D’Mello have been instrumental, especially Weinrich, Perry said.
“John’s connections to the business community are incredible.”
FRIDAY, APRIL 29
Opening and Introduction, 3:30 to 4 p.m.
Mr. Larry Wooldridge, Principal Manual High School, Michael Perry, founder IdeaFestival Manual, Kris Kimel, founder of Ideafestival (IF), Mayor Greg Fischer, Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens, Professor Phillip Kraemer (U of Kentucky), Dr. Nat Irvin (U of Louisville), John Weinrich, business development, Jason D’Mello (IdeaMornings), Ted Smith, Innovation Director for Metro Louisville government and Zack Higdon, co-founder of IFManual.
“The Emergence of the Global Mind: Living, Learning, Thinking in the New Age-2045 and Beyond” Nat Irvin, 4 to 5 p.m.
Author, innovator, futurist, teacher and commentator, Nat Irvin, II, is the W.M. Strickler Executive-in-Residence and professor of management at the University of Louisville, College of Business. At the College of Business, Irvin teaches change management, leadership and future studies. He was also 2008 Visiting Executive Professor of Future Studies at the Babcock Graduate School of Management, Wake Forest University. In 2010, Dr. Irvin launched “Thrivals 3.0”, as part of the IdeaFestival (IF), a world-class event that attracts leading global innovators and thinkers to discuss and celebrate imagination, new perspectives and transformational ideas. The IdeaFestival provides a unique stage to explore the cross-cutting nature of innovation involving a range of diverse disciplines, while supplying the creative tools needed to “see,” synthesize and apply this knowledge in new and dynamic ways.
Dr. Nat Irvin, University of Louisville
“Autonomy and Self-Organization” Tyler Darnell, 5 to 5:30 p.m.
Self -organization and autonomy are dominant political and social themes throughout much of the United States and world history. Some historical examples are particularly pertinent when discussing modern education and modern occurrences of organization. These will be elaborated upon as well as contemporary events, and ideologies will be discussed relating to self-organization.
Break and Music
Ibash Chertmanov, solo piano, 5:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
“The Importance of Media in Society” Zoe Schaver and Patrick Haertel, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m.
Why does journalism exist? A history of media near and abroad, and its importance in a moral and conscious society.
Food and Music, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Joseph Ohkubo and Hannah Soren- String Duet
Neil Rao- Marimba
“In Tune with the Possible” Harry Pickens, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mr. Pickens is an internationally recognized jazz pianist who has performed in 17 countries on four continents with hundreds of legends in the jazz world, including Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, and more. He is the 2009 Recipient of the Kentucky Governor’s Award for The Arts In Education, a four-time-winner of the LEO Reader’s Choice Award for Best Jazz Musician, and Artist-In-Residence for the Kentucky Governor’s School For the Arts. A Kentucky Educational Television documentary about Harry, In The Garden of Music, recently received a regional Emmy Award. A 2010 recipient of Leadership Louisville’s “Connector” designation signifying trusted community leadership, he currently serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for New Initiatives at the University of Louisville.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
“Social Connections: The Sweet and the Bitter,” Nathan DeWall, 9 to 10 a.m.
Most people crave social acceptance. Like a sweet snack, social acceptance is pleasant, rewarding, and, in moderate amounts, associated with good health. Social rejection, in contrast, thwarts the fundamental need for positive and lasting relationships, which strikes at the core of well-being. Thus, social connections can be both a sweet blessing when others accept us and a bitter curse when others reject us. This talk discusses why social acceptance is sweet, why social rejection is bitter, and how people can cope with the pain of rejection—making lemonade out of lemons.
Dr. C. Nathan DeWall, PhD University of Kentucky, social psychologist featured on NPR in the New York Times
“Social Media and Trends” Carolyn Brown, 10 to 10:25 a.m.
As social media expands in an ever widening sphere of influence, its trends and patterns become critical to understand.
Music and Break, 11:45 a.m.
Ibash Chertmanov and Chris Pate-Piano/trumpet duet: Summertime by George Gershwin
“Patterns and Cycles: Metaphysics” Jubin Shah, 10:45 to 11:05 a.m.
What is luck? How does it work? What does a lottery winner have to do with metaphysics?
“Cutting Edge in the Environment” Nikita Perumal and Eileen Guan, 11:05 to 11:40 a.m.
In a world plagued with large-scale environmental issues, creative and purposeful changes must be undertaken. The concept of adopting a “green” way of living should be approached as not only feasible and impactful, but also innovative and forward-thinking. Likewise, more expansive and cutting-edge innovations for the environment should be regarded as some of the most crucial and exciting trends in business.
“Spinal Cord Injury and Regeneration: Why Don’t Nerves Grow Back to Where They Were After an Injury?” Diane Snow, 11:45 to 12:40 p.m.
The functional organization of the adult nervous system depends upon connections formed during development. Dr. Snow’s research focuses on a class of extracellular matrix molecules that become upregulated after an injury and inhibits regeneration. Research in the Snow lab is focused on identifying the basic cellular mechanisms of inhibition, which may ultimately lead to new and creative strategies for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
Dr. Diane Snow, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center; and Anatomy and Neurobiology; Director, Office of Undergraduate Research, University of Kentucky.
Lunch and music, 12:40-1:20 p.m.
Victoria Medley—classical guitar
“Branding . . . . and How It Can Get You Into the Principal’s Office” Pip Pullen-Swope, 1:20-2:10 p.m.
A brand is the expressed essence of a product or service, or, in simpler terms, what makes something special. Understanding and communicating a brand is the way we give things their shared or common value: We all know and appreciate what Coke is or what an iPad is, and we’re willing to pay more for things with stronger brands. Both understanding and communicating brands are difficult, but when you do it properly, you can create a great deal of interest and excitement in your message. With luck, you’ll do just enough to get into trouble; but with the right level of skill, you’ll do it in a way that makes you the school hero.
Mr. Pip Pullen-Swope, Director of Account Planning for Red7e
He has served in roles as executive creative director and director of marketing. His talents include marketing strategy development, project management, team leadership, Web design and production, graphic design, and illustration.
“The State of the World” Roundtable with Jake Sims, Emily Meffert, Allison Traylor, and Julian Wright, 2:10-3:00 p.m.
Conversation on Democracy and the State of the World.
Terry Boyd has seven years experience as a business/finance journalist, and eight years a military reporter with European Stars and Stripes. As a banking and finance reporter at Business First, Boyd dealt directly with the most influential executives and financiers in Louisville.
