Summer Spark Week Schedule

Registration and Opening Activities
Morning Session Options:

• Living Sustainably: Small Changes that Make a Significant Impact | This interactive session discusses practical ideas to integrate sustainability into your daily life.
• Can AI Plan a Better Vacation than You? | Let AI do the heavy lifting and get hands-on experience using AI to plan your next adventure. 
• Blood, Clues, and Breakthroughs: Famous Cases that Forwarded the Field of Forensics | Learn about the unique history of events and scientific developments that led to today’s field of forensics. 

Lunch and Conversation
Afternoon Session 1 Options:

• Quick and Easy Heart Healthy Dinners | This hands-on cooking class will inspire heart healthy (and easy) meals.  
• Behind the Myths: Inside the Archaeology Lab | Tour the unique Ancient Mediterranean Cultures Lab to learn not only about the artifacts, but the stories and research behind them.   
• Reel Talk: How to Be an At-Home Film Critic | Become an at-home Roger Ebert or Pauline Kael in this session focused on analyzing film techniques for onscreen features like lighting and setting.  

Afternoon Session 2 Options:

• College 2025: Fact vs Fiction | Using entertainment as a lens (like Pixar’s Monsters University and #Bama Rush), this offering explores what life is REALLY like for a beginning college student in 2025.   
• Move Better, Live Stronger: Exploring the Kinesiology Lab | Visit Butler’s new Kinesiology Lab, with cutting edge equipment, demonstrations, and an overview of balance, strength, and stability exercises to keep you moving well. 
• Get Jazzed with Duke, Bird and Miles: Jazz Appreciation 101 | Through a basic understanding of melody, harmony, rhythm, and cultural associations, learn to channel the most enjoyment from your listening experiences. Enjoy a live performance after the session.   

Optional Evening Activity: Jazz Trio, Lemonade, and Cookies   

Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Gentle Movement and Strength Training with Your Own Bodyweight

Featured Speaker: Space Commercialization: The New Frontier 

Morning Session Options:

• Dangerous Charisma: The Allure and Peril of Toxic Leaders | Participants will discuss why we are drawn to leaders with toxic or manipulative traits using research, historical and modern examples, as well as the qualities that inspire loyalty despite unethical behavior. 
• Roots, Rhymes, and Revolution: The History and Impact of Hip Hop: Part 1 | Learn about Hip Hop as a powerful cultural phenomenon, and explore the history and foundational elements of the movement. Participants will be invited to craft an abbreviated rap. 

Lunch and Conversation

Afternoon Session 1 Options:

• iPhone Savvy: Tips Tricks, and Hidden Gems | Unlock more potential of your iPhone’s power in this practical, interactive class. 
• The Roots of Generosity: Philanthropy in Early Western Thought, Part 1 | Participants will consider origins, issues, and perspectives of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in both theory and practice. 
• Behind the Curtain: Clowes Memorial Hall | Step into the spotlight and experience the magic of Clowes Memorial Hall through an exclusive tour of Butler University’s iconic performing arts venue. 

Afternoon Session 2 Options:

• Game On! Unleash the Power of the Paddle in Pickleball | This beginner pickleball class will give you skills and technique to start playing in no time.
• Mind Games: Nutrition’s Role in Brain Health | Discover the powerful scientific connections between what you eat and how your brain functions. 
• Down on the Butler Farm: Exploring No-Till Urban Farming, with Helpful Hints for your Home Garden | Learn about the importance of rich soil, companion planting, bees, and composting as you walk through over 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and flowering plants.   

Optional Social Activity: Mocktail Mixology | Join Dr. Jane Gervasio as she shares her favorite recipes with zero proof (but all the punch).

Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Ecotherapy Trail Walk and Guided Meditation

Morning Session Options:

• Butler Architectural Tour | This campus walk will dig into the blueprints and history of Ross Hall, the brutalist Clowes Memorial Hall, the Collegiate Gothic Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall, and the New Formalism of Irwin Library, among many more. 
• The Roots of Generosity: Philanthropy in Early Western Thought, Part 2 | Learn the history of philanthropy in a new way with thought provoking discussions that will center on three of the foundational works that contributed to the concept of philanthropy.  
• Chairished Creations: How to Refurbish Your Furniture | This hands-on session will help you discover simple techniques to restore worn-out pieces, including cleaning, sanding, painting, and finishing, while exploring how to use tools safely and effectively. Please bring a small piece of furniture you would like to beautify.  

Featured Session

Lunch and Group Photo with Blue IV

Afternoon Session 1 Options:

• The Art of Difficult Conversations: Strategies for Peaceful Communication | Learn peaceful and productive strategies around the art around difficult conversations. You will participate in activities and practice the skills discussed in this session. 
• Euchre Essentials: Fun, Friends, and Fresh Skills | Whether you’re new to the game or looking for a refresher, you’ll learn the rules, strategies, and tricks of the trade in a relaxed, social environment. 
• Hoops and Hinkle Magic: The History and Future of Hinkle Fieldhouse | Feel a bit of the “Hinkle Magic” with a unique behind-the-scenes tour of Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

Afternoon Session 2 Options:

• The Influence and Culture of the Divine 9 Sororities | This session will take you through the origins, cultural significance, and lasting impact of the nine Black sororities that have shaped social, political, and educational landscapes in the U.S. 
• Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times: Introduction to Buddhism | Through engaging discussions and reflective exercises, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how Buddhist philosophy can help reduce stress, enhance personal well-being, and foster compassion in daily interactions.
• Drawing Essentials: Unlock Your Creative Potential | Learn the fundamentals of drawing, including shading, perspective, and proportion, while exploring different techniques and materials. 

Optional Evening Activity: Holcomb Observatory Tour and Planetarium Show “The Earth to the Universe”  | This stunning, 30-minute voyage through time and space conveys, through an arresting combination of sights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. 

Optional Morning Wellness Activity: Water Walking in the Lazy River

Morning Session Options:

• A Life Well Told: Capturing Your Family Stories | Learn how to capture your stories, traditions, and memories in a meaningful way—whether through writing, recordings, or video—and begin the process of creating a legacy for future generations. 
• Make Music with GarageBand for Beginners | Unlock your musical creativity in this hands-on course designed for beginners using Apple’s free GarageBand software. 
• The Psychology of Aging in a Rapidly Changing World | Through interactive discussions and case studies, you will gain a deeper understanding of how aging intersects with the complexities of today’s society, and explore strategies for fostering resilience and positive aging. 

Featured Session

Brunch

Closing Connections