WKU News

Registration has opened for the eighth annual IdeaFestival Bowling Green, to be held online from 9 a.m. to noon CST Feb. 17. Hosted by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU, this year’s celebration of ideas is open to middle and high school groups, individual students, members of the WKU community and the general public.

With a theme of “Re-start, Re-think, Re-imagine,” this half-day of interactive talks and minds-on, hands-on activities will provide insider access to the places where ideas come alive and will inspire the next generation of creators, thinkers and innovators. To register for the event, visit wku.edu/gifted/ideafestivalbg. Tickets are $8.

IFBG 2021 will be livestreamed by Vid Monster Productions. Talks and activities will emphasize interactive, real-time participation as the audience shares questions, comments, photos and videos with presenters during the festival. Participants will also virtually visit labs, studios and workspaces, and some participants will even appear onscreen during the activity segments.

Speakers this year are fashion designer and Louisville native Frankie Lewis, founder of Frankielew and a participant on season 17 of Project Runway; Amy Samples, director of Community Outreach and Peoples Programs for Eastern Kentucky agricultural technology startup AppHarvest; and Bowling Green resident Janessa Unseld, a student at The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and a finalist in the 2020 Breakthrough Junior Challenge.

Activities will include design, engineering, biology, geology and visual art.

Major sponsor for the festival is AT&T. Contributing sponsors are Vid Monster Productions and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky.

Created in agreement with IdeaFestival^®, IdeaFestival Bowling Green’s motto is “Just Imagine,” and its mission is to inspire the next generation of creators, thinkers, and innovators in our region.

More information can be found at wku.edu/gifted/ideafestivalbg or by contacting Erika Solberg at erika.solberg@wku.edu.