Third I-cubed lecture topics announced

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Ohio Wesleyan professors are prepared to introduce, explain and educate the campus community in three minutes with the third installment of the I-cubed lecture series.

The I-cubed lecture series has been a big part in showing what the OWU learning environment is like since its inception in spring 2016. The event focuses on 10 current professors who choose specific topics in their area of study.

“The purpose of it is to give prospective students a little snapshot of what life is like in the academic classroom at Ohio Wesleyan,” said Alice Simon, professor of economics.

According to OWU’s website, “Students select 10 of their favorite professors to deliver lectures with ideas, insight and imagination in only three minutes. The event is a showcase of great teaching and the breadth of expertise on the OWU campus.”

“It is an honor to be asked,” Simon said. “Here I am being asked to represent the school. I love this place and it’s an easy thing for me to do.”

The challenge for the professors who are presenting is to talk about a concept they teach within three minutes. Simon said that there have been professors that have referred to past videos of lectures to understand the format.

Simon’s lecture is “Why Can’t the Best Decisions Always Be Fair?” which is a concept in economics that shows how scarcity affects decision-making. Her main goal, she said, is to offer students the opportunity to take an economics course. Her style of teaching doesn’t involve PowerPoint presentations or computers, she said. She feels that even without the bells and whistles, her style of teaching is effective.

The material that gets covered can range from actual lecture material, talking about an important issue, or simply discussing past experiences all while still focusing on learning and education.

Last year, Keith Mann, professor of geology, gave a lecture discussing his battle with cancer while focusing on the topic of learning. Students can view his lecture on OWU’s YouTube page.

The third installment of the I-cubed lectures will be Oct. 17 at noon-1 p.m. in the Benes Rooms in the Hamilton-Williams Center. The school will also stream the lectures online and publish the event on YouTube.

The event is filmed and published on online. Students can go and view past lectures by searching OhioWesleyanU on YouTube.

The 2017 I-cubed lineup features Barbara Andereck, professor of physics and astronomy; Ellen Arnold, associate professor of history; Ashley Biser, associate professor of politics and government; Michael Flamm, professor of history; Shala Hankison, associate professor of zoology; Ed Kahn, professor of theatre and dance; Sean McCulloch, professor of mathematics and computer science; Judylyn Ryan, associate professor of English; Alice Simon, professor of economics; and Kyle Smith, associate professor of psychology.