Pecha Kucha Night (Theme: HIV)

The Pecha Kucha night showcases—in a compelling format—the best collaborative, interdisciplinary work on HIV/AIDS from an advanced undergraduate course (History/Microbiology 3704). The goals of the evening are threefold: sharing research findings with the broader community; fostering conversation between students, academics and stakeholders; and demonstrating the value of combining scientific and arts/humanities approaches to complex issues. In 2015, Drs. Kwiek, a virologist, and McDow, a historian, created an interdisciplinary course, History/ Microbiology 3704, HIV: From Microbiology to Macrohistory. The team-taught class’s goal is to put the sciences and humanities in conversation about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the estimated 37 million people around the world who are living with it. As a culminating project, students create a Pecha Kucha that explores a transformative, controversial, or an unknown/under-appreciated aspect of the history of HIV and elucidate the moment. The presenters must consider their specific HIV topic from a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing from the sciences and humanities. The Pecha Kucha format — 20 slides that advance automatically every 20 seconds — creates succinct narratives (6:40 total!) complemented by strong visuals. The event is both a celebration of the student’s scholarship and a chance for a wider conversation, and the STEAM Factory venue is ideal to host a diverse group in a congenial setting rather than simply meeting in a lecture hall on campus. We provide light hors d’oeuvres and (non-alcoholic) drinks to create a convivial gathering distinct from an academic setting. The event is open to OSU affiliates, and we typically invite History/Microbiology 3704 students, STEAM factory members, and select members of the OSU administration. To promote community involvement, each year we also invite the HIV-infected and affected community, and we co-host the event with Equitas Health, Ohio Department of Health, and Columbus Public Health.