The Jefferson Educational Society’s Global Summit conference began Monday and will continue through Nov. 6 with eight lectures being presented by nine different speakers.
The Global Summit is just one of the many initiatives of the Jefferson Educational Society. Other initiatives of the organization include the Erie County Civic Leadership Program, various educational programming and the publishing of books and essays.
Global Summit lecture topics range from Bas Lansdorp’s lecture on the possibility of humans visiting Mars to the discussion of the Declaration of Independence with Danielle Allen.
According to Global Summit Chair Steve Scully, the society’s Global Summit conference is unique to the Erie area.
“Our mid-sized metro belongs on the list with those big cities where great, influential minds gather to discuss vital topics that shape and inform our understanding of the world at large,” Scully said.
“The Society’s Global Summit continues to be one of the most unique conferences throughout the nation.”
Ben Speggen, program developer at the society, believes that Gannon University students should take full advantage of all of the Global Summit speakers.
“That’s the beauty of the Global Summit: It provides a diverse lineup of speakers,” Speggen said.
“From linguists to physicians, from entrepreneurs to philosophers, we really try to offer a cornucopia of educational opportunity, much in the way Thomas Jefferson appreciated learning.”
Freshman pre-pharmacy major Lexus Frazier said that a lot of the lecture series titles sparked her interest.
“A couple of the medical-centered lectures look like they could be really interesting,” she said. “I’d definitely like to attend if I can make it.”
The next lecture of the conference will be given by Darrell West, Ph.D., at 7:30 p.m. Friday and will explore Velocity Network’s recent decision to bring high-speed residential fiber optic service to our region.
People who are interested in learning more about The Jefferson Educational Society and the Global Summit are encouraged to visit www.jeserie.org.
OLIVIA BURGER
