2024 Speaker Highlights

We are Still In Kansas!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to celebrate The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's children's fantasy novel later produced on stage and then by the movie industry beginning with silent films. Chris Glasgow, Curator at the Oz Museum, in Wamego, Kan., helps us learn about the author, the series of books, the 1939 MGM film, and its stars, and how the classic fairy tale still impacts our lives today.

Eye in the Sky

Allison Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of physics & astronomy, lets you look through NASA's James Webb Telescope to see the first luminous glows after the Big Bang and the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. Iconic discoveries include the detection of what could be some of the earliest galaxies ever seen, that existed just 200 million years after the Big Bang.

The Einstein Effect

Albert Einstein's legacy underpins the search for aliens, the rescue of refugees, the invention of time machines, and the debunking of fake news. Author and editor Benyamin Cohen, the actual first-person voice of Einstein for the Einstein Institute, explains how the world's favorite genius got into our cars, our bathrooms, and our minds.

Open Sesame (Street)

What happens when you combine a social worker and a Sesame Street puppeteer? Join the co-founders of Simple Mischief Studio for a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to actually live and work on Sesame Street, puppetry, and world-building. They’ll speak on the creative process and puppetry techniques, give some creative prompts, and discuss crafting stories for a living.

Space Pilot

Join Astronaut Steven Hawley as he travels back on his five Space Shuttle missions, three of which were devoted to deploying or maintaining the NASA telescopes that have dramatically changed our understanding of the universe. He tells the story of America’s space program during his 30 years at NASA, and will introduce you to the Space Shuttle Generation, who dedicated their careers – and in some cases, their lives — to furthering America’s future in space.

Dearly Departed

Modern Spiritualism seems to weave itself through all of the major parts of American history. Spiritualism found a natural home in Kansas, known in the 19th century as a “hotbed for radical individuals.” Katie Keckeisen of the Kansas Historical Society lifts the veil on the history of Spiritualism.

444 Days A Hostage

Former U.S. diplomat in Tehran Barry Rosen recounts his 444 days imprisoned, physically and mentally tortured, beaten, and kept bound in isolation as one of 52 Americans described by the Iranians as "Guests of the Ayatollah." He examines the causes and legacy of the Iran Hostage Crisis, America’s first confrontation with militant Islam.