Wednesday 2026 Schedule
9:00 AM - 10:10 AM:
Flags, Borders and Belonging: The Politics of Nationalism
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Description:Ìý
How are countries protecting their national identity in an increasingly globalized world?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Ernesto Araújo
Natasha Lindstaedt
Joe Cirincione
Marco Messina
Art in the Open: A Catalyst for Community
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Description:Ìý
How public art can foster connection and spark dialogue.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Lynn Warshafsky
Seth Shafer
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Africa: Opportunity in the World's Richest Continent
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Description:Ìý
How is the the world of international business reshaping the African continent?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:Ìý
Luvuyo Rani
Aboubakr JamaiÌýBerraoui
Azadeh Khalili
Lizzy Shackelford
150th: From Cadet Corps to Space Force: ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Military Legacy
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Description:Ìý
From cadet training to connections with the U.S. Space Force, our military legacy has influenced campus life and generations of Buffs who have served.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Coming soon!Ìý
11:15 AM - 12:25 PM:
AI Wild West – Who is in Charge?
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Description:Ìý
Examine who holds AI responsibility and how policy, institutions and public trust are evolving as the rules continue to take shape.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:Ìý
Sofia Romansky
Sheila Warren
Ling Xin
Asher Jay
Population Decline: Crisis or Cure?
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Description:Ìý
How will plummeting birth rates impact the future of human society?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Kevin Kuruc
Nalini Nadkarni
Lizzy Shackelford
Occupied States of America: Balancing Power and Civil LibertiesÌý
Description:Ìý
When domestic tranquility becomes state-sanctioned chaos. What do para-military and military presence cost the American people?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Charlotte Clymer
Major General (Ret) BobÌýLatiff
Patrick J. Deneen
Dr. NatashaÌýLindstaedt
Trad Wives and the Conservative Movement
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Description:Ìý
Women's perspectives on rising conservatism and how it's shaping feminism.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Cynthia James
Satang Nabaneh
Hadar Harris
1:00 PM - 2:10 PM:
Why We Need to Preserve Independent Cinema
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Description:Ìý
A discussion with leading curators and archivists on the challenges of saving indie films and the social and historical benefits for doing so.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Sandra Schulberg
Maya S. Cade
New World, New Arsenal
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Description:Ìý
How new defense technology is redefining the future of conflict, who holds power and what else is at stake for humanity.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Major General (Ret) BobÌýLatiff
Sofia Romansky
Joe Cirincione
Ken Liu
2:30 PM - 3:40 PM:
Buy Now, Pay Forever: The Financial Traps Facing Young People
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Description:Ìý
From buy-now-pay-later and crypto to sports betting and prediction markets, what is the impact of modern financial traps targeting young people?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Dan Toomey
Diana Moss
Kyla Scanlon
Empowering Citizens: Civic Education, Information and YOU
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Description:Ìý
How do we equip citizens to understand, assert and defend their rights in a divided, anti-intellectual era?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Jaisal Noor
Ellen Weintraub
Devon Gray
Hadar Harris
From Rubble to Reconstruction: What Comes Next?
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Description:Ìý
How societies coming out of a period of violent conflict can recover and rebuild successful governments.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:Ìý
Meghna Guhathakurta
Luvuyo Rani
John Heffernan
Laura I Harder
Rewriting the Historical Narrative with Artifacts in Art
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Description:Ìý
How have artists used and transformed cultural objects from the past and present to tell powerful, visual stories?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Pushpamala N
Guillermo Galena Galindo
4:00 PM - 5:10 PM:
Risk-y Business: The Strategic Game of Geopolitical Conquests
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Description:Ìý
Examine how shifting global power dynamics affect security, economies and everyday life, and why it matters now more than ever.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
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Ernesto Araújo
Paul Bierman
Young, Wild & Free: How to Find your Niche and Build your Career
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Description:Ìý
How younger generations can create new opportunities for themselves and make a difference in the world.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Alexa Mohsenzadeh
Dr. ScottÌýSherman
Dan Toomey
Marco Messina
From Headlines to Hashtags: Who gets to be a Journalist?
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Description:Ìý
In an age when everyone can have a platform, how can audiences separate fact from viral spectacle?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Charlotte Clymer
Jaisal Noor
Carine Hajjar
Kyla Scanlon
150th: Shaping a Sustainable World: How Buffs Have Enabled Global Impact
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Description:Ìý
Buffs have built a strong foundation for a more sustainable future and continue to drive global impact and lead what comes next.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:Ìý
Coming soon!Ìý