Theme: Imitation

“Imitation” is the act of existing characteristics taking a different form to produce something new. It is behavior, art, invention, and culture that strives to appear as the original once did. Imitation invites us to examine how the people, environments, and behaviors we interact with reveal or induce shared identity and beliefs. Whether imitation takes the form of parody, distorted mirroring, or uncanny similarities, it depends on the power of perception.

Price Center Theater
3135 Matthews Lane
La Jolla, California, California, 92093
United States

Chris Villain

Director - Actor - Singer - Writer - Producer

Chris Villain is an Award winning Entertainment Jack of all Trades that has directed, written, produced, acted in, and collaborated on projects with Disney, Disney Channel, Comedy Central, Geico, Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures and more! You can also find Chris online, where his social media presence has grabbed the attention of entertainment hubs across the country such as The Huffington Post, Logo TV, Broadway World, along with others! His viral singing and nerd culture videos have raked in millions of views; now boasting well over 500,000 followers across his social media platforms! Chris has also had the privilege to perform in National Touring productions like Mamma Mia and Dora the Explorer Live! Having done commercials for leading names in the industry such as Google, McDonalds, Warner Brothers, Chevrolet, Toyota, and the NBA, Chris still gets the most joy out of making people smile through his content and imagination!

Jeannine Coulter

Podcaster, Speaker & Fitness Professional

Jeannine Coulter is a podcaster, public speaker, content creator and fitness professional. Jeannine was an active drug addict and alcoholic for 15 years – her using led to multiple arrests, homelessness, and the loss of absolutely everything – which she considers to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Sober since January 15, 2015, Jeannine is committed to sharing her story in the hopes that it may help guide and inspire others seeking a path of recovery and healing. After selling her fitness studio in 2022, Jeannine continues to teach her favorite fitness modality, indoor cycling, weaving her personal story into her classes as motivation for her clients. She currently resides in San Diego with her husband, Scuyler, and their pug, Tank.

John Wixted

Professor

John Wixted is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at UC San Diego. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Emory University in 1987 and has been a professor at UC San Diego ever since. His research addresses fundamental mechanisms of human memory, both in the lab and in the real world. In recent years, his work has focused on signal-detection models of recognition memory, the neuroscience of memory and amnesia, and eyewitness identification. Professionally, he has served as editor-in-chief of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (1998-2002), and he later edited the 5-volume 4th edition of the venerable Stevens' Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (2018). In 2011, he was the recipient of the Howard Crosby Warren Medal for distinction in contemporary research in experimental psychology, and in 2019 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Julie McNutt

Scientist & Education Researcher

Julie received her PhD in chemistry at the University of British Columbia where she studied hormones involved in the growth of breast cancer. During her PhD, she developed an interest in science education. This led to her current role as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California San Diego. In this position, Julie uses her chemistry knowledge and research methods from social sciences to study teaching and learning. Presently, she is researching how STEM instructors interpret data about their teaching and how this impacts their teaching practices. Julie is also passionate about science communication and how it can be improved within and outside of academia. Previously, she was an organizer and advisory board member of the organization ComSciConCAN which trains graduate students to become effective science communicators. Ultimately, Julie is interested in how the skills of an effective STEM educator may be used to improve the communication of scientific ideas to the public.