By Tasha Sotomayor
Honors students at BYU are getting more creative next weekend at the Honors Student Advisory Council Symposium.
The symposium will explore the innovation of creativity and the creative processes among students through a performance by the Faculty Jazz Quintet and a panel discussion featuring writers Dean T. Hughes and Louise Plummer, painter Al Rounds, director/screenwriter Richard Dutcher and BYU professor Kerry Soper.
Nathaniel Gaskin, 22, a junior from Mount Airy, Md., majoring in computer engineering, is one of the organizers for the HSAC Symposium and said he is excited to discuss how people come up with the things they do.
Each speaker on the panel will take five to 10 minutes discussing his or her own thoughts on the creative processes, and then the panel will open up for questions.
“The panel will be the highlight of the symposium,” said Chris Rees, 23, a junior double majoring in economics and political science. “The speakers will discuss how they applied secular learning with religion and whether or not it inhibited or enhanced learning.”
The panel will also address how students can apply spiritual aspects of learning into any academic pursuit, Rees said.
The symposium will take place Feb. 7 and 8. Small breakout sessions featuring additional speakers and a Thesis Fair showcasing the innovations of graduating honors students will also add to the exploration of creativity.
Heather Jacques, 19, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in international studies, is the committee chair for HSAC and in charge of the annual event.
“We”re focusing on a specific part of creativity,” Jacques said. “There is a difference between innovation and inspiration, and we”re trying to find the line between them.”
The symposium is a great opportunity for honors students to learn in addition to their coursework, Jacques said.
“Expanding your horizon is something that we (HSAC) do to increase student”s understanding of different aspects of life,” Jacques said. “It supports life long learning and building the honors community.”
The symposium will accommodate 400 committed honors students and is free of charge. However, the sessions are open for everyone.
In order to attend the symposium, honors students must RSVP at http://saugus.byu.edu/honors/hsac/rsvp.html no later than midnight on Feb. 4.
