Wednesday 2026 Schedule
9:00 AM - 10:10 AM:
Flags, Borders and Belonging: The Politics of Nationalism
Ìý
Description:Ìý
How are countries protecting their national identity in an increasingly globalized world?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Ruth Alminas
Ernesto Araújo
Joe Cirincione
Natasha LindstaedtÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Luca Vincenzo Scuriatti
Art in the Open: A Catalyst for Community
Ìý
Description:Ìý
How public art can foster connection and spark dialogue.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Seth ShaferÌý
Lynn WarshafskyÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Melissa Fathman
Africa: Opportunity in the World's Richest Continent
Ìý
Description:Ìý
How is the the world of international business reshaping the African continent?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Aboubakr JamaiÌýBerraoui
Azadeh Khalili
Luvuyo RaniÌý
Lizzy Shackelford
150th: From Cadet Corps to Space Force: CU Boulder’s 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 4
Speakers:Ìý
Captain Stewart Eliott
Captain JorgeÌýCervantes
General David S.ÌýNahom
Maj DanielÌýVancil III
Cadet Nicole Schmoll
Moderator:
Carlos Fernandez
11:15 AM - 12:25 PM:
AI Wild West – Who is in Charge?
Ìý
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 1
Speakers:Ìý
Asher Jay
Sofia RomanskyÌý
Sheila WarrenÌý
Ling XinÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Kayleigh Bishop
Population Decline: Crisis or Cure?
Ìý
Description:Ìý
How will plummeting birth rates impact the future of human society?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Kevin Kuruc
Hadley Manning
Nalini Nadkarni
Dr. Leslie Root
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 2
Speakers:Ìý
Charlotte Clymer
Major General (Ret) BobÌýLatiffÌý
Dr. NatashaÌýLindstaedt
Benjamin R.ÌýTeitelbaum
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 4
Speakers:Ìý
Hadar Harris
Cynthia JamesÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Soledad Diaz
1:00 PM - 2:10 PM:
Why We Need to Preserve Independent Cinema
Ìý
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
Maya S. Cade
Sandra SchulbergÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Dr. Andy Uhrich
New World, New Arsenal
Ìý
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
Joe Cirincione
Major General (Ret) BobÌýLatiffÌý
Ken Liu
Sofia Romansky
2:30 PM - 3:40 PM:
Buy Now, Pay Forever: The Financial Traps Facing Young People
Ìý
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
Diana Moss
Kyla Scanlon
Diane AmyÌýHirschhorn
Moderator:Ìý
Dennis Paul
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
Devon Gray
Hadar Harris
Jaisal NoorÌý
Ellen WeintraubÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Jan Burton
From Rubble to Reconstruction: What Comes Next?
Ìý
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
Laura I Harder
John HeffernanÌý
Luvuyo RaniÌý
Rewriting the Historical Narrative with Artifacts in Art
Ìý
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
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Pushpamala NÌý
Moderator:Ìý
Nancy J. Stevens
4:00 PM - 5:10 PM:
Risk-y Business: The Strategic Game of Geopolitical Conquests
Ìý
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
Ernesto Araújo
Paul Bierman
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Ìý
Young, Wild & Free: How to Find your Niche and Build your Career
Ìý
Description:Ìý
How younger generations can create new opportunities for themselves and make a difference in the world.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:Ìý
Devon Gray
Asher Jay
Alexa MohsenzadehÌý
Dr. ScottÌýSherman
Moderator:Ìý
Jessi Follet
From Headlines to Hashtags: Who gets to be a Journalist?
Ìý
Description:Ìý
In an age when everyone can have a platform, how can audiences separate fact from viral spectacle?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:Ìý
Charlotte Clymer
Carine Hajjar
Jaisal NoorÌý
Kyla Scanlon
150th: Shaping a Sustainable World: How Buffs Have Enabled Global Impact
Ìý
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
Sean Benjamin
Will Toor
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Sundance is coming to Colorado. Now what?
Ìý
Description:Ìý
Join host Ryan Warner (Colorado Public Radio) for a conversation on the future of film and independent storytelling. Featuring producer and Sundance Institute board member Gigi Pritzker, filmmaker LuLu Wang, and CU Boulder Cinema Studies.
Followed byÌý at the International Series at Muenzinger Auditorium!
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:Ìý
Gigi Pritzker
Lulu Wang
Ryan Warner
Kate Yezze