Summer Spark Week Schedule

Breakfast and Registration for New Participants

Welcome Message

Featured Speaker: Meg Grady

Meg Grady is the Associate Director of Academic Partnerships, Online Education and Educational Technology.

• Can a Chatbot Know You? AI, Companionship, Connection, and Controversy | A chatbot remembers your dog’s name, asks about your day, and seems to know exactly what to say. What does it mean to feel understood by something that doesn’t experience feelings? Through demonstrations and fictional scenarios involving AI confidants, coaches, and companions, we’ll discuss what people might gain from these interactions, where concerns arise, and what it means to know—and be known.

Morning Session Options

• Folklore for All! | Explore folklore—from myths and legends to slang, jokes, and personal stories—as everyday culture shared person-to-person, then engage in a project documenting family traditions, workplace or hobby culture, or folklore in creative writing. 
• The Foundations of Living Well: Six Pillars, One Life | Part of the larger Art and Science of Living Well series, learn about lifestyle as medicine: nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, and more. 
• Behind the Scenes at the HRC | Explore Butler’s Health and Recreation Center with Dr. Craig Gosnell, Associate Director of Programs.

Lunch and Conversation

First Afternoon Session Options

• Beads of Intention: Create a 27-Bead Reflection Strand | Make your own strand of beads and learn how to use them to count prayers, create moments of reflection, and focus attention for religious, spiritual, and secular practices.
• Ancestral Wayfinding: Finding Roots and Routes in Kinship Genealogy | Follow the genealogical traditions of indigenous Pacific cultures to map your own family line and reflect on the sacred relationships between people and place.
• Presidential Secrets, Scandals & Surprises: The Stories Behind the Oval Office | From extraordinary accomplishments and unforgettable controversies to fascinating personal stories and little-known trivia, take a fun journey through the lives of America’s presidents.
• A Peek Inside Butler Archives | In this behind-the-scenes tour, learn more about Butler’s founder, famous alumni, and Butler’s impact. Q&A session to follow.

Second Afternoon Session Options

• Healthy Hosting – From Game Day to Game Night | This cooking class by Bon Appetit teaches you how to make a variety of healthy or low-calorie snacks for Sunday afternoon football or well into poker night.
• The Research of Illness Narratives: How the Stories of Illness Can Help Us Understand Ourselves and Medicine | Learn about typology of illness narratives, the therapeutic benefits to writing through illness, and how the stories of illness can help us understand ourselves and medicine.
• Privilege: Let’s Talk About It | Many of us get tense or defensive when we hear the word “privilege,” and this session unpacks the origin and meaning of the word in the context of modern discourse.
• A Peek Inside Butler Archives | In this behind-the-scenes tour, learn more about Butler’s founder, famous alumni, and Butler’s impact. Q&A session to follow.

Optional Evening Activity

• Sleight of Hand Magic for Beginners | Join Dr. Craig Gosnell to learn simple yet clever magic tricks alongside your Summer Spark Week classmates.

Optional Wellness Activity: Yoga for All Levels

Breakfast and Registration for New Participants

First Morning Session Options

• Music As Health | Explore how music can boost physical, mental, and social health, promote calm or energy, and improve quality of life for older adults and caregivers—then, learn how to create a playlist for your well-being.
• Operation Paperclip: World War II, the Space Race, and Walt Disney, Too | This lecture will look at the story behind the Saturn rocket program and the role Walt Disney played in making it possible for the United States to get to the moon. 
• From Clutter to Cash: The Art of Online Reselling | Learn the ins and outs of online reselling on popular platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and eBay—maximizing your profit while avoiding common pitfalls. 
• Control Room to the Boiler Room | A behind the scenes tour of the campus central chilled water plant and utility substation, including a demonstration of the cooling tower, chilled water plant, and the software that controls the system. 

Second Morning Session Options

• Picture Perfect: Using Your Phone to Take Great Photos | Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, discover how to turn your smartphone into a powerful camera in a fun, hands-on workshop covering features such as zoom, crop, background blur, and more. 
• Behind the Scenes at the Observatory | Enjoy a student-run tour of the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium.

Lunch and Conversation

Featured Speaker: President James Danko

James Danko is the 21st President of Butler University.

Afternoon Session Options

• How Can I Show Support for the Disability Community? | This lesson and conversation explores how we talk about and support disabled friends, family, and members of the community using concepts such as Universal Design and inclusive language. 
• Secrets from the Inside: Home Wireless, Smart TVs, and More | In this hands-on course, you’ll learn how to build a reliable home network that eliminates dead zones and keeps all your devices running smoothly, as well as tips for troubleshooting everyday devices.
• Strong, Steady, and Independent: Movement and Fall Prevention | Part of the larger Art and Science of Living Well series, participants will discover practical strategies for staying strong and preventing falls. 
• Exploring the Ancient Mediterranean | Handle replicas of ancient artifacts, examine similarities and contrasts between modern cultures and ancient mediterranean cultures, and think about this rich history in the Ancient Mediterranean Cultures and Archaeology Lab.

Breakfast and Registration for New Participants

Morning Session Options

• Police Interrogations & False Confessions | In this lecture, we will analyze the legal and psychological factors of the interrogation room that might increase the likelihood that an innocent person might confess to a crime they did not commit.
• Living Longer, Living Well: Prevention and the Balance of Modern Medicine | Participants will leave this lecture with practical insights into healthy aging, avoiding overprescribing, and partnering with their healthcare team to make informed, personalized decisions. 
• Using AI to Hack Your Life | In this interactive session, we’ll explore how to use it to plan meals, organize projects, understand confusing information, and finally get started on tasks you’ve been avoiding—no technical experience required.
• The Basics of Drawing | Together, learn the basics of drawing in a fun and relaxed environment with no prior experience needed.

Lunch and Conversation

First Afternoon Session Options

• Nature, Art, and the Everyday Science of Well-Being | Part of the larger Art and Science of Living Well series, participants will learn how connecting with nature and art enriches life and health in tangible ways.
• An Exploration of Black Joy through Children’s Literature | Join us for an exploration of Black joy through children’s literature—you’ll leave with a few recommended titles and strategies for reading with the little book lovers in your life.
• Back to Baby School: A Grandparent’s Guide to Today | In this warm, practical workshop, maternal health educator and doula TaKiesha Smith will walk participants through topics such as safe sleep, feedings, and ways to be the best grandparent you can be without overstepping. 

Second Afternoon Session Options

• Living Well with Alzheimer’s– Our Story and Sharing Strategies, in partnership with the  Alzheimer’s Association | Join Alzheimer’s advocates Pat and Rafik Bashira, featured on Good Morning America, as they share their story and practical strategies for living well with Alzheimer’s disease, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association.
• The Art of a Good Life: Ancient Stoicism Meets Modern Positive Psychology | The focus of this session centers on how ancient wisdom and modern science can help us become happier, more resilient, and more intentional in the way we live and lead, even in the face of hardship.
• Organizing Your Personal or Family Archive | Participants are invited to bring a small quantity of personal or family materials such as photos, scrapbooks, or documents to learn best practices for preserving, organizing, and sharing a personal or family archive.

Optional Wellness Activity

Breakfast and Registration for New Participants

Morning Session Options

• The Intersection of Butler History and the Crossroads of America | Learn more about Butler’s history and how it intersects with the history of Indianapolis and beyond, and leave with your own summer reading list that features connections to Butler’s people and places.
• Be Your Own Best Advocate: Navigating Healthcare for Yourself and Others: An Open Conversation About Living Well | Part of the larger Art and Science of Living Well series, participants will learn how to communicate more effectively with healthcare providers to advocate for themselves and the people they care for.
• The Captivating Life of Esmé Beringer | Dr. Andrés X. López will share his new research directly from London about a late 19th century British actress who helped usher in modern stage combat.
• Beginner Contemporary Dance | If you love Dancing with the Stars, you’ll love this entry-level dance class led by renowned Professor of Dance Cynthia Pratt. 

Featured Speaker and Brunch