Students were treated to music and free food while mingling with mountain climbers, scuba divers and NASA astronauts on the Parade Ground on Sunday afternoon. The event signaled the beginning of a three-day symposium titled “Risk and Exploration: Earth as a Classroom,” consisting of eight sessions held between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the symposium program, the conference seeks to provide “a forum for the discussion of various risk-taking philosophies.” Students composed the bulk of about 500 attendees who filtered in and out of the two-hour event. Held on the southeast corner of the Parade Ground, covered tables stretched under two white tents facing a temporary stage. LSU Dining provided burgers and baked treats next to three large Chartwells tubs filled with soda and Tiger Water. Chancellor Sean O’Keefe spoke in front of the crowd before brief introductions by some of the conference participants. “What is it that motivates an explorer to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? That’s what this conference is about,” O’Keefe said. Of the nearly 40 symposium participants, some are familiar to the University, including O’Keefe, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden and LSUPD Chief Ricky Adams. Others are less affiliated with the University, like CNN correspondent Miles O’Brien or NBC correspondent and Wild Kingdom host Jim Fowler. Also participating are astronauts, explorers, scientists and executives. Jan Herrington, founder of Positive Results, a Baton Rouge public relations firm, helped coordinate the symposium. She said the symposium is a great opportunity for students to learn from and network with the professionals invited to speak at the events. “They’re human like us, and they have this curiosity,” Herrington said. “That is what’s so awesome – the human connection.” Michael Thomas, a student at Catholic High who attended the event, won free scuba diving lessons and a trip to Florida from Underwater Adventures as part of a raffle at the event. He said he was excited about the prize and thought the event was fun. The symposium was put together through a collaboration between the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of Public Affairs and Student Government and is sponsored by Northrop Grumman and Aerojet.
—-Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]