Theme: Purpose and Potential

Ideas will explore the interconnectedness of purpose and potential. What is purpose without potential? What is potential when lacking a purpose. Our speakers and artists changing the world through a combination of both.

Ford Center for the Performing Arts
351 University Address
University, Mississippi, 38677
United States

Amy Schumacher-Rutherford

Instructor of Speech Communication

Amy Schumacher-Rutherford is an Instructor of Speech Communication in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi. She earned an M.A. in Communications Studies from Marshall University. Her research interests include political communication and using AI to achieve student learning outcomes. She has presented her work using AI at both academic conferences and private workshops.

Eden Tanner

Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Dr. Eden E. L. Tanner, is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Mississippi. She holds an Advanced Science degree from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and a doctorate in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Oxford. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard, where she worked with Samir Mitragotri. Tanner's lab at the University of Mississippi is developing nanoparticle drug delivery processes.

Harrison Lee

Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion

Harrison Lee, PhD, is a visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Mississippi. He completed his PhD in 2024 at Baylor University. Lee’s research focuses on normative and applied ethics with an emphasis on biomedical ethics. His talk will explore a new and controversial method of organ donation.

Kylie Wright

CEO & Founder of Mosse Medical, LLC

Kylie Wright is the CEO & Founder of Moose Medical, LLC, a University of Mississippi alum, and current graduate student at Baylor College of Medicine. She is in residence at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington, working in orthotics and prosthetics.

Muftiat Adeyi

Instructor and Writing Consultant

Muftiat Oyindamola Adeyi is a Doctoral Candidate in the English at the University of Mississippi, Graduate Instructor, and Writing Consultant. Muftiat’s work emphasizes the nuanced narratives of womanhood within African and African Diasporic texts, bringing visibility to Africana voices in global literature.

Shonna Tillman

Public Policy Expert

Shonna Tillman is a dedicated academic and public policy expert with a strong background in rural government, community and economic development, and women's representation in political positions. She holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University; Shonna's research focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and politics, particularly the motivations and challenges faced by Black women in political leadership roles.