This Cooper Conversation will explore the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues 2025-26 theme, “Belonging: Finding Connection in a Lonely World,” through the lens of food, events, and communal experiences. The conversation will examine how meals, gatherings, and shared experiences can intentionally foster human connection and how food and social events can be powerful tools to combat loneliness.
As social disconnection continues to rise, shared meals and community events increasingly function as informal spaces where people gather, form relationships, and experience a sense of belonging. This event invites students to consider how the spaces we create around food - restaurants, pop-up events, markets, or communal dinners - can shape the social fabric of our communities. This event is hosted in collaboration with HRTM 289: Intro to the Event Industry taught by Dr. Vernetta Kosalka.
This conversation will feature:
- Kate Aufdenkamp, Owner, Bin 105 Quality Wines
- Brenda Kasaty, Founder, Rose Cat Coffee Company
- Keenan Serrano, Here for the Food Festival organizer
- Jake Thiessen, Owner and Executive Chef, Hub Café
- Matthew Wegener, Turbine Flats Crawfish Boil organizer
Our guests will share their insights in a panel format and then continue the conversation through Q&A with attendees. Open to all students!
Wednesday, March 11
3:30-4:30 pm
HRTM Academic Space, The Scarlet Hotel
Light refreshments will be served
Please RSVP below
Questions? Please contact Liah Haines at lhaines3@huskers.unl.edu or Rebecca Baskerville at rlbaskerville@unl.edu.