Summer Spark Week Schedule
Summer Spark week is designed to offer a customizable learning experience. Each day, you’ll select from diverse topics that “spark” your interest as you move from session to session. You may register for select days or the full week at a discounted rate.
Select the dropdown menus below to view the daily schedule, or register using the button.
Registration is now open!
Daily Sessions
Below are the daily class offerings for 2026 Spark Week. Sessions and times are subject to change. New sessions will be added as Summer Spark Week approaches.
Registration and Opening Activities
Morning Session Options
- Lessons Learned from My Life as a Crime Lab DNA Analyst | Ken Eilert, a former crime lab DNA analyst, shares real-world insights from years of working at the intersection of science and justice.
- Interfaith Neighboring: Holidays, Etiquette, and Hospitality | Participants will gain insight into major faith-based holidays, learning practical etiquette and hospitality for engaging neighbors of a variety of backgrounds.
- Nightmare Bacteria | Explore the emergence, spread, and public health response to bacteria that carry genes conferring resistance to antibiotics, including the recent appearance of pathogens that are completely untreatable.
Lunch and Conversation
Featured Speaker: Dr. Jason Lantzer
What We Are Fighting Against: Eisenhower and the Holocaust with Book Signing | Join historian, History Channel contributor and author Dr. Jason Lantzer as he explores Dwight D. Eisenhower’s role in confronting the atrocities of the Holocaust. Dr. Lantzer reveals how Eisenhower’s visit to the liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp compelled him to ensure the atrocities were documented, publicized, and never forgotten. Book signing to follow.
Afternoon Session Options
- Traveling to Italy: The Veneto | Journey through Italy’s Veneto region—home to Venice, Verona, and the Dolomites—and explore its rich history, art, and cuisine, complete with travel tips.
- Symphony in Your Pocket! | Uncover the composers of cell phone ringtones and what your ringtone choice might say about you, mixing music history with a dash of psychology.
- Pickleball for Beginners | Learn the basics of pickleball and the equipment, and play a game with fellow beginners.
Optional Evening Activity
Trivia | Test your knowledge and enjoy some friendly competition. Form a team, meet fellow participants, and see who takes home the bragging rights.
Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Canal Walk
Check-In for New Participants
Featured Speaker: Graham Honaker
The Cinderella Strategy: The Game Plan Behind University’s Rise to Prominence with Book Signing | Author and longtime Butler supporter and advocate, Graham Honaker, details how Butler forged a synergy between a big-time athletic program and a serious academic institution. Analyze how the University’s decision-makers delved into the brilliant marketing of Butler’s live mascot program, the authentic branding of The Butler Way, and the critical move to the Big East Conference. Discussion and book signing to follow.
Morning Session Options
- The Disney Dream: How Two Brothers and a Mouse Changed the World | Step into the stories behind Walt and Roy Disney’s big dreams, the creation of Mickey, and how their vision grew into a global cultural phenomenon that still enchants the world today.
- Lessons Learned From My Life in the NFL | Learn what it takes to make it to the NFL and what happens after the final whistle as former Indianapolis Colts player Chad Spann discusses the pressures and setbacks he overcame in professional athletics.
- Black Hole X-Ray Binary Jets and Other Out-of-This-World Research | Go inside Holcomb Observatory to see how researchers study celestial events, how their instruments capture invisible X-rays, and what mysteries they are still trying to solve.
Lunch and Conversation
Afternoon Session 1 Options
- Watercolor Postcards | Learn simple techniques for color, texture, and composition while making art you can mail or keep as keepsakes.
- Tech for All: Rethinking Ability Through Technology | Investigate how assistive technology is transforming lives and redefining what’s possible for independence, accessibility, and inclusion.
- Behind the Scenes at Clowes | Step into the spotlight and experience the magic of Clowes Memorial Hall through an exclusive tour of Butler University’s iconic performing arts venue.
Afternoon Session 2 Options
- Yoga and Meditation | This class, designed for all skill levels, combines gentle yoga postures with guided meditation to help you release tension, build balance, and cultivate inner calm.
- Holcomb Gardens Tour – Past, Present, and Future | Stroll through Butler’s beautiful Holcomb Gardens while learning about its history and the native plant emphasis of the grounds.
- Solving the Unsolvable: How Forensic Genealogy Cracks Cold Cases | Explore how forensic genealogy combines DNA analysis and family tree research to solve decades-old cold cases such as the Golden State Killer and Indiana’s April Tinsley case.
- Financial Session | Whether you’re reassessing long-term plans or simply curious about financial strategies others are considering, this conversation offers a space to reflect and learn.
Optional Evening Activity
Crown Hill Cemetery Tour | Thoughtful, surprising, and rich with local lore, this tour reveals Crown Hill not just as a cemetery, but as a living history and an open-air museum.
Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Ecotherapy Trail Walk and Guided Meditation
Daily Registration
Morning Session Options
- The Healing Power of Connection | Dr. Brandie Oliver discusses how nurturing relationships across generations has tangible effects on health and well-being.
- True Crime in the Hoosier State: Famous Cases and How They Were Cracked | Explore some of Indiana’s most compelling true-crime stories—and the science and detective work that brought justice.
- The Science of Chocolate | Learn about the flavors, process, and science behind DeBrand’s delicious chocolates—and yes, tasting is involved!
Featured Session: Annie Zaleski
A History of Women in Music | From Dolly to Cher to Beyonce to Taylor, learn about the hidden stories of song and the women behind the music, as told by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Annie Zaleski. Her work has appeared in a variety of leading publications and has made radio appearances on NPR, the CBC, and Sirius XM Canada commenting on music and pop culture.
Lunch and Group Photo
Afternoon Session 1 Options
- Paper Riot: An Introductory Zine Making Workshop | Learn the basics of layout, collage, illustration, and storytelling to craft a mini magazine you can share, trade, or keep as a unique expression of your ideas.
- Transformation Lab Tour | Get ready to transform what you think about academics as you learn about Butler’s unique research and design hub and its future-forward projects.
- Bon Appétit Cooking Class | Enjoy a truly delicious, hands-on cooking class experience with Bon Appétit’s culinary experts.
Afternoon Session 2 Options
- Cashing In on Fame: College Athletics and NIL | Discover how new name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights are reshaping college sports as you explore their impact on student-athlete opportunities, recruiting, sponsorships, and the future of amateur athletics on and off the field.
- From Standard to Arranged: The Evolution of Stage Combat in 19th-Century England | Dueling blades, daring moves, and the thrill of the fight: this lecture dives into the 19th-century transformation of stage combat in England.
- Prairie Pathways: A Guided Tour of Butler’s Native Landscape | This guided tour invites you to discover the beauty and biodiversity of Indiana’s native landscape, learn how prairies support pollinators and wildlife, and find out why a “burn” is important to the ecological landscape.
Optional Afternoon Activity
Sip and Sketch | Guided by an instructor, you’ll experiment with simple sketching techniques while enjoying a beverage and connecting with fellow learners. No prior art experience is necessary—just bring your curiosity.
Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Limited Mobility Nature Meditation
Morning Session Options
- Reigniting Your Spark | Grow and feel more fulfilled in your personal or professional life by assessing where you are and strategizing about what could be next.
- The French Connection: Culture, Contrasts, and Contexts | Examine how the French live, eat, work, interact, and see the world around them in comparison to American cultures and explore the similarities and differences.
- Artificial Intelligence: Hints, Tips, and Pitfalls! | Find out what today’s AI tools can do, where they’re surprisingly helpful, and where they still get things hilariously (or alarmingly) wrong as you learn practical tips for using AI in your everyday life—no technical background required.
Featured Session and Brunch: Khalilah Marbury and Kyle Stearns
History of Sigma Gamma Rho | Explore the rich history and enduring legacy of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in this engaging session led by Khalilah Marbury, Butler’s Vice President for DEI & Student Affairs, and Kyle Stearns, University Archivist. Gain insight into the traditions, values, and cultural significance of this historic organization.
Closing and Connections
Questions? Email bllc@butler.edu.
COST*
Full Week: $550
Individual Days: $160 each
*Discounts available for Butler alumni and previous Summer Spark Week participants. Register for details.
