Winter Happening returns

SHOWCASE OF FACULTY RESEARCH — This upcoming event features six faculty presentations followed by a luncheon and musical entertainment. (Hope College)

Cuisine, Catholicism, biology and sports headline exciting events

Multiple general-interest seminars led by members of the Hope College faculty will be among the highlights of the college’s annual Winter Happening on Saturday, Jan. 28.

Presented in two blocks in the morning, the seminars will explore the 2016 election’s implications for the Supreme Court, a new way to check the structural safety of bridges and buildings, how to reconcile Christian faith and athletic rivalry, how infections affect memory, the historical impact of four foods and what it means to be Catholic. Other highlights during the day will include a luncheon with musical entertainment, two art exhibitions, home men’s and women’s swimming and diving, home men’s and women’s basketball games and a faculty-and-staff music trio. Open to the general public, the event is sponsored by the college’s Division of Public Affairs and Marketing.

Admission to the seminars, exhibitions, swimming competition and recital is free. There is an admission charge for the luncheon and the basketball games.

The morning will feature six seminars, three at 9:30 a.m. and three at 11 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. seminars are “Structural Control of Civil Infrastructure: A Bio-Inspired Approach,” “Potatoes, Sugar, Curry and Corn: A Global History Since 1500 in Four Foods” and “The (Christian?) Rivalry: Hope-Calvin Basketball and the Relationship between Sport and Christianity.” The 11 a.m. seminars are “Unusual Suspects: Conspicuous Culprits in Cognitive Decline,” “The Court in the Crosshairs” and “What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?”

“Structural Control of Civil Infrastructure: A Bio-Inspired Approach” will consider a new control system to help bridges and buildings better withstand events such as high winds or earthquakes. The presentation will be by Dr. Courtney Peckens, assistant professor of engineering.

“Potatoes, Sugar, Curry and Corn: A Global History Since 1500 in Four Foods” will explore how potatoes, sugar, curry and corn have affected history and provide examples of how the world has become increasingly interconnected across the past 500 years. The presentation will be by Dr. Lauren Janes, assistant professor of history.

“The (Christian?) Rivalry: Hope-Calvin Basketball and the Relationship between Sport and Christianity” will explore how sporting rivalries can exist in ways compatible with the Christian faith, with a focus on the long-running Hope-Calvin basketball rivalry. The presentation will be by Dr. Chad Carlson, assistant professor of kinesiology and junior varsity men’s basketball coach.

“Unusual Suspects: Conspicuous Culprits in Cognitive Decline” will examine research highlighting the roles of infectious agents in decreasing mental function. The presentation will be by Dr. Gerald Griffin, assistant professor of psychology and biology.

“What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?” will provide an overview of several core tenets of the Catholic Church. The presentation will be by Dr. Jack Mulder, associate professor of philosophy and department chair, who grew up in the Reformed tradition but converted to Catholicism and has written a book informed by the sorts of questions he asked during his own spiritual journey.

The luncheon begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center ballroom, and costs $13 per person. The event will feature entertainment by a student musical ensemble.

Also on Winter Happening Saturday, the De Pree Art Center and Gallery is featuring the exhibition “Between the Shadow and Light,” which is running from Monday, Jan. 9, through Thursday, Feb. 9. The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

The Kruizenga Art Museum is featuring the exhibition “Gospel Stories: Otto Dix and Sadao Watanabe,” which is running from Tuesday, Jan. 10, through Saturday, May 20. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Men’s and women’s swimming and diving will host Alma College on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 1 p.m. at the Dow Center. Admission is free. Women’s Basketball will host Alma College on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for those 18 and under.

Men’s Basketball will host Albion College on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating, $7 for adults in general bleacher seating and $5 for those 18 and under in general bleacher seating.

The Trio Sospiro faculty and staff trio, which consists of flutist Gabe Southard, oboist Sarah Southard and pianist Sarah Bast, will perform on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the John and Dede Howard Recital Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. Admission is free.

In addition to being required for the luncheon, advance registration is recommended for the seminars. Registration may be done online at hope.edu/winterhappening or through the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.

Registration during the morning of the event will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center, located facing College Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets.

Students are encouraged to get involved with the upcoming events on campus.