Informative and Entertaining Speakers

Posted by Michael Blackwell

on Mar 10, 2014

The past three weeks have brought a diversity of topics, from helping the young minds in need, through innovation in technology and business, to helping the terminally ill die in peace and comfort.

Former OSU Basketball and NBA star Lawrence Funderburke presented on his Youth Organization. Raised by a single mother in Columbus's Hilltop area, Funderburke knows what it means to grow up without advantages. With single-minded determination to create a better life, first for himself and then for his family, he has earned an advanced degree in addition to his OSU undergrad degree; he's a Certified Financial Planner, but his passion is helping young people succeed by taking advantage of education, especially through attention to finance. His story and his dedication are an inspiration. In this video, he discusses his organization's focus:

Bret Bordner, the Vice-President of Laser Reproductions ("a leading provider of rapid prototyping, manufacturing and product development services" in Columbus), spoke on 3D printing. Using spools of what look like fishing line, 3D printers are able to work directly from documents to create prototypes and even finished products, greatly simplifying, speeding up, and in some ways even revolutionizing the design and manufacturing process. Bret is shown here with some of the products produced by a 3D printer.

Steve Wishart of VITAS Healthcare spoke on the misconceptions and facts of hospice care. In this video (the darkness of which I apologize for), Steve discusses the hospice health benefit: when hospice care usually begins for patients, how the decision to begin hospice care is made, the importance of having directives for health care to ensure that one's wishes are followed in the event of health crises, and what VITAS does in the Dublin community.