AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen College’s 17^th annual Academic Festival, a campus-wide celebration of academic and creative achievements, will showcase a variety of presentations, performances, and other activities at the event scheduled for April 12. Activities will begin at 9 a.m. in the college’s Lumsden Gymnasium.

The festival will kick off with a keynote lecture by author Paulette Cooper Noble, best known for her activism against the Church of Scientology, at 7 p.m. April 11. Her lecture, “The Hidden Child Who Took on Scientology,” will take place in the Wick Campus Center Alumni Lounge.

The award-winning author is widely known for her book “The Scandal of Scientology,” a critical exposé about the Church of Scientology that subsequently led to years of harassment by Scientologists.

On April 12, television producer Paul Noble will present his lecture, “Television and How It Changed Our World,” at 11 a.m. in Daemen’s Research and Information Commons Room 120.

During his nearly 45 years in television, he produced shows with such notables as Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and has worked with President John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, Matt Lauer, and others. He is former vice president at Lifetime TV and previously worked at Fox TV and Metromedia Television.

Daemen’s Academic Festival on April 12 will feature student poster sessions and presentations that will cover a wide range of unique topics, including preventing bullying in early childhood, effect of concussions on memory, substance abuse in sports, impact of war on businesses, hate crimes in area Muslim populations, balance differences between adolescent male and female ice hockey players, and saving the lowland gorilla.

Among the many activities planned for the day include:

• 15^th annual Daemen Pre-Law Student Association’s Mock Trial Simulation from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• “Human Trafficking in Thailand: Conditions and Solutions” presentation from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by students who participated in Daemen’s international service learning course in Thailand. As part of the course, students traveled to Thailand to learn about the country’s human trafficking issue, and assisted with prevention and protection efforts overseen by the Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities Center in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
• The ever-popular Festival Musicale from 11 a.m. to noon will feature the music talents of students, faculty, and staff.
• “Art Club: Photographic Response to the George Eastman Museum” from noon to 2 p.m. will include a student exhibit on the history of photography as based on inspiration from the club’s trip to the museum.
• U.N. Security Council Simulation from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. will focus on the militarization of the Arctic and solutions to the emerging crisis.
• At “The Trial of Henry V” from 4 to 5 p.m., students will draw from Shakespeare’s play to hold a mock trial of Henry V for war crimes.

Sponsored by the Daemen Office of Academic Affairs, all Academic Festival activities are free and open to the public. Additional information is available by calling 839-8527 or in the festival program.