“So, There We Were…” – Celebrating the Untold Stories Behind the Discoveries

To celebrate another year of profound discoveries, uplifting unheard voices, and opening up the world for the next generation of students, the Academic Senate is planning a year-end celebratory event on Wednesday, May 27, 5-7:30 pm (week 9), at the Haybarn. But lest you think this is yet one more end-of-year academic event with mind-numbing presentations and hard-to-read powerpoint slides, think again. This Scholarly Event is an excuse for us to do what we never get to do: come together to share the real stories behind our work and, most of all, HAVE FUN! In this spirit we are launching a celebratory event to feature the true but unknown, the odd, the awkward, and just plain unbelievable stories behind our research:

“So, There We Were…”
Celebrating the Untold Stories Behind the Discoveries 

These might be the adventures, misadventures, revelations, miscues, or simply the “you would never believe it all worked out” moments that we have all experienced but rarely talk about (at least not in public). These are the stories that our friends, neighbors, and students want to hear, but never would make it into scholarly publications or presentations. These are the stories we swap with our colleagues over drinks. While this event is intended primarily for faculty, the campus community and community members will be welcome to attend (in other words, feel free to bring your kids, your partner, your neighbors).

We are therefore soliciting applications (or nominations if you know someone—including yourself—who really needs to share that story) to regale your colleagues with details about “that time that…(fill in the blank),” while showing how those hidden moments shaped what finally came out of that research. This is meant to be a lighthearted and fun event, so while having the audience learn something about what you do and why it is SO COOL is very good, our focus will remain on humor, fun, and engaging tales. As the Ig Nobel Awards put it: “First make them laugh…then make them think!”

Presenters will give a ~10 min TED style talk. Talks must begin with the phrase “So, there we were” (or “So, there I was” ) and they should feature the adventurous, the bizarre, and ideally the humorous in your research. Absolutely no tedious powerpoints, jargon, or literature background review will be allowed. 

A reception will follow. Or it may precede, or even take place during, the event. But rest assured, we will be celebrating in style.

NB: There may well be prizes. But we have not gotten quite that far yet.