WKU News

Bowling Green, KY — The ninth annual IdeaFestival Bowling Green will be held in the Van Meter Auditorium and Downing Student Union at Western Kentucky University on February 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CST. Hosted by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU, this year’s festival will draw more than 650 middle and high school students from 18 school districts in Kentucky. The morning speaker sessions and afternoon minds-on, hands-on activities will focus on the theme of “Destination Unknown.” Limited space is still available to school groups, but WKU students, faculty, and staff are also invited to attend the morning speaker sessions at a reduced ticket price of $5. Media are also invited to cover the event.

The morning speaker sessions will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in Van Meter Auditorium. The audience will listen to talks by innovators in a wide range of fields and have a chance to ask questions.

This year’s slate of speakers includes: Dr. J’Tia Hart, nuclear engineer, Idaho National Labs; Dr. Tyler Jury, co-founder of Clayton & Crume; Robbie Lynn Hunsinger, composer and visual artist; Dr. Urooj Yazdani, child and adolescent psychiatrist and documentary film director; and Zane Meyer-Thornton, WKU photojournalism and sociology student.

The festival also includes an afternoon of minds-on, hands-on activities at the Downing Student Union from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Participants will have the chance to chat with the festival’s speakers one-on-one while also engaging in activities provided by the WKU Small Business Accelerator, the Warren County Public Library Idea Lab, The Kentucky Science Center, and the American Printing House for the Blind. Many other creators, artists, and entrepreneurs will also be present. A full list of activities can be found on the IdeaFestival Bowling Green website.

Vid Monster returns this year as a Major Sponsor. The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce provides Supporting Sponsorship while The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky returns as Contributing Sponsor.

Created in agreement with IdeaFestival^®, IdeaFestival Bowling Green’s motto is “Just Imagine,” and its mission is to inspire the next generation of creators, thinkers, and innovators in our region.

More information can be found at wku.edu/gifted/ideafestivalbg or by contacting Dr. Tyler Clark at thomas.clark@wku.edu or (270) 745-3101.