Thursday, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:40 AM:
The Podcast Revolution: From Basement Mic to Business Empire
Description:
How podcasting has turned into a viable career and changed the media landscape.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:
Marco Messina
Gavriella Schuster
Pushpamala N
Kyla Scanlon
The Demise of the Free Press
Description:
In these unprecedented times, how do we protect the freedom of press as the crucial fourth pillar of a stable democracy?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:
Joshua A. Levy
Carine Hajjar
Aboubakr Jamai Berraoui
Lorraine Voles
Beyond Digital Isolationism: Reclaiming Human Connection
Description:
How do we make better interpersonal connections in a world run by social media?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:
Ty Tashiro
Cynthia James
Dr. Kerry Magro
Sheila Warren
11:00 AM - 12:10 PM:
If Not Roe then Joe: Control, Accountability and Equity in Reproductive Policy
Description:
Can regulation of men's bodies yield better outcomes in sex, health and safety, and reproductive freedom?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:
Lisa Graves
Kate Schatz
Parker Hamilton Poling
Satang Nabaneh
Is Anyone Out There: Are Non-Profits Facing Extinction?
Description:
Roundtable: When the government retreats and the community falters, can the nonprofit safety net catch us?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:
Alexa Mohsenzadeh
Devon Gray
Dr. Kerry Magro
Lynn Warshafsky
Luvuyo Rani
ART(ificial Intelligence)
Description:
The Artist in the age of AI—a discussion about what it means to create in today's world.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Speakers:
Ken Liu
Seth Shafer
Nathalie Latham
The World's Last Group Project: Are Intergovernmental Organizations Still Relevant?
Description:
Exploring the ways power politics are reshaping international interactions in the 21st century.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
10:45 AM - 11:55 AM
AI: The Price of Progress
Description:
This panel will focus on AI's potential to drive growth and solve problems along with its potential to cause harm.
Location: Boulder High School
Speakers:
Sofia Romansky
Major General (Ret) Bob Latiff
Laura I Harder
Charlotte Clymer
12:30 PM - 1:40 PM:
The Midterms and Beyond: Will they be Free and Fair?
Description:
The current administration is running a multi-pronged attack on voting rights, our most sacred democratic institution. What can Americans do?
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:
Ellen Weintraub
Parker Hamilton Poling
Devon Gray
Dr. Natasha Lindstaedt
2:00 PM - 3:10 PM:
Pretty, Palatable or Political?
Description:
An exploration of how aesthetics and appearance shape perceptions of feminism within contemporary visual culture.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 3
Humanity and Innovation: Navigating Life in the Age of AI
Description:
What it means to be human in a world where AI increasingly dominates how we engage socially, environmentally and professionally.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:
Gavriella Schuster
Satang Nabaneh
Ken Liu
Buying Up the Board: Are We in a Game of Monopoly?
Description:
From Big Tech to major mergers, how does rising market concentration shape competition, consumer choice and the rules of the economy?
Location: Leeds S125
Speakers:
Diana Moss
Kyla Scanlon
Carl Quintanilla
Ellen Weintraub
2:45 PM - 3:55 PM:
Shifting World Order: Geopolitics in a New Era
Description:
This panel will address how international relations and alliances are being redefined in a time of rapid change and global conflict.
Location: Boulder High School
Speakers:
Professor Patrick J. Deneen
Natasha Lindstaedt
Aboubakr Jamai Berraoui
Paul Bierman
3:30 PM - 4:40 PM:
People Before Papers: Embracing the Stories of Migration
Description:
A conversation exploring how creativity, advocacy and lived experience can humanize immigrant stories.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 1
Speakers:
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Elena Gaby
Hadar Harris
Jaisal Noor
Science Under Siege: A Crisis of Trust and Credibility
Description:
Exploring why science is under attack and how knowledge survives in a polarized, media-driven world.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 2
Speakers:
Laura Lindenfeld
Dr. Michael Mann
Ernesto Araújo
Nalini Nadkarni
New Venture Challenge: NVC Documentary Premiere and Audience Choice Award
Description:
See the top teams of the New Venture Challenge pitch and vote for who gets the audience choice award.
Location: Limelight Flatiron 4
Speakers:
Coming soon!