After the difficult news that the 72nd CU Boulder Conference on World Affairs would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 mitigation efforts, our program committee (comprised of community and student volunteers) worked to produce five CWA sessions addressing these challenging times. CWA will host free, daily virtual CWA sessions April 6-10, 2020.
We're grateful to the 2020 CWA speakers and CU faculty experts who have volunteered their time to participate in these panel discussions, all of which will be held online via Zoom. Attendees do not need to have installed Zoom on their device to participate in these sessions; anyone can access the sessions via a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Attendees can submit questions for the moderator via Zoom or YouTube.
All sessions will also be livestreamed to the CWA YouTube channel and available for viewing afterward.
The virtual CWA week lineup is as follows:
Historical Pandemics • Monday, April 6 @ 2 p.m. MDT
- Dan Carlin, host of award-winning Hardcore History podcast, CU alum, and 2020 CU Boulder commencement speaker
- Elizabeth Fenn, Pulitzer Prize Winner and Distinguished Professor of Western American History at the University of Colorado Boulder studying the early American West, author of Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82
- Susan Kent, University of Colorado Boulder Arts & Sciences Professor of Distinction, author of The Global Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919
- Moderator: Tom Zeiler, Professor of History and Director of the Program in International Affairs, and former Chair of the Department of History, at the University of Colorado Boulder
The Economic Impacts of COVID-19 • Tuesday, April 7 @ 2 p.m. MDT
- Rebecca A. Fannin, expert on global innovation and one of the first American journalists to write about China’s entrepreneurial boom, reporting from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
- Jon Haveman, Executive Director, The National Economic Education Delegation. Widely considered to be one of California’s leading experts on the economics of seaports, goods movement and international trade policy.
- Trine Tsouderos, Director at PwC’s Health Research Institute, where she develops national thought leadership on the healthcare industry's new entrants and innovators.
- Richard Wobbekind, Executive Director of the Business Research Division, Associate Dean, and Senior Economist at University of Colorado Leeds School of Business
- Moderator: Martin Boileau, Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado Boulder
Listen to the Scientists • Wednesday, April 8 @ 2:00 p.m. MDT
- Beth Bartel, Science Communication Specialist at UNAVCO, geoscientist, speaker, and science communication trainer
- Eliot Peper, Strategist and novelist whose speculative thrillers explore the intersection of technology and culture
- Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute and host of radio show/podcast Big Picture Science
- Ty Tashiro, Social Scientist and author of AWKWARD: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward & Why That's Awesome
- Moderator: Dr. Max Boykoff, Director, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research
Humor in Hard Times • Thursday, April 9 @ 2:00 p.m. MDT
- Lisa Graves, President of the new watchdog group True North Research, researcher, writer and speaker. Former chief counsel for nominations on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and deputy assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy.
- Mike Reiss, Emmy Award-Winning Writer & Producer, The Simpsons
- Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and host of radio show/podcast Big Picture Science
- Michael Spencer, Professor of Theater and Performance Design, Central Saint Martins
- Mark P. Stewart, Multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, and instrument designer
- Moderator: Jennifer Fluri, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Geography, CU Boulder
Our Health Post-Coronavirus: A New Frontier • Friday, April 10 @ 2:00 p.m. MDT
- Margaret Pabst Battin, Distinguished professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of internal medicine, Division of Medical Ethics, University of Utah
- Shelly L. Miller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Irina Petrache, Pulmonologist at National Jewish Health, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Professor in the Department of Medicine at National Jewish Health and University of Colorado Denver
- Margot Witvliet, Social epidemiologist and Assistant Professor, Lamar University
- Moderator: Dr. Richard Krugman, Distinguished Professor at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado School of Medicine
The Conference on World Affairs is made possible in part due to the generous support of our partners and sponsors. See the full list and show your support on our 2020 CWA partners page.
All sessions are free of charge, but your support of the Conference on World Affairs is appreciated. To make a gift follow the link below.
Donate to the Conference on World Affairs
Have questions? Email cwa@colorado.edu.