AU Discovery Talks are back with “Be a Catalyst”

Augusta University is working to bring innovators and leaders in the arts and sciences together through Discovery Talks, a component of the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) Talks.

LASER Talks are a way for communities and universities to bring innovators and leaders in the arts and sciences together for the benefit of all parties, and this year’s event is in collaboration with the Georgia Cancer Cancer, the Office of Research and the Department of Art and Design in the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

The event will run from 12-1 p.m. Friday, March 1, in EC-1210 of the Health Sciences Building. All are invited, and the first 50 in attendance will receive a free boxed lunch.

As associate vice president for Interdisciplinary Research, Scott Thorp, who is also chair of the Department of Art and Design, is working to bring disciplines together to form a larger collaborative community of creative people.

“Art and Design is a LASER affiliate,” said Thorp. “And by me being the chair of Art and Design, it folds in.”

The theme for the March 1, 2019, Discovery Talk is “Be a Catalyst,” and it came about after a conversation between Thorp and Georgia Cancer Center’s Chief of Staff Al Dallas and Dr. Lisa Middleton.

“There’s a large population of creative people at this institution who are eager to share ideas and to collaborate,” said Thorp. “Plus, it’s great to see the office of research, the Georgia Cancer Center and the Department of Art and Design collaborating as units to program events — it shows that collaboration exists between units of the university, not just individuals.”

“Be a Catalyst” features three guest speakers, including Karl Smart, a board-certified family psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner with experience in coordinating care with other primary care and mental health providers in integrative care models.

Also speaking are Drs. Lucy Marion, dean of Nursing, and Hasan Korkaya, assistant professor at the Medical College of Georgia.

For more information about LASER Talks, visit the official Leonardo website. For more information about Discovery Talks held at Augusta University, contact Scott Thorp.