Knowledge on Tap: Big Ideas on Tap at Junkyard Brewing

Posted: 2026-07-31 11:12:05   Expiration: 2026-12-09 11:12:05

Spend a fall evening at Junkyard Brewing in West Fargo hearing NDSU's top scholars talk through big ideas over food and drinks. Register individually or get a series pass for all four conversations.

Knowledge on Tap is a new public conversation series from The Study, formerly Humanities North Dakota, in partnership with North Dakota State University. It brings NDSU's top researchers off campus for an hour of relaxed conversation at Junkyard Brewing in West Fargo. Guests settle in with food and a drink while a leading scholar digs into a big topic and takes questions from the room.

This fall’s conversations dig into questions that touch everyday life: how what we eat shapes aging and brain health, how the soil beneath the region's farms and oil fields is connected, how a good idea becomes a real product, and how the way we talk about the head and the heart shapes how we think and feel.

Each session features an NDSU University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor the university gives its faculty, so guests get to spend an evening with someone at the top of their field and ask the questions they have always wondered about.

Guests can register once with a series pass that covers all four programs, or sign up for each event individually. Advance registration is required, and tickets will not be available at the door. Purchase a series pass,or register for individual events using the links below.

Each conversation runs from 6 to 7 p.m. CT, and guests are welcome to arrive early to buy food and drinks before the program begins.

NDSU Provost Shari Veil will moderate most conversations in the series. NDSU Interim Vice President for Research Heidi Grunwald will moderate the Nov. 10 conversation.

Events

• Tuesday, Sept. 8: “Soil and Oil Are Related in More Ways Than Their Spelling!” University Distinguished Professor Thomas DeSutter will explore connections between soil, agriculture, energy extraction, and reclamation. 
• Tuesday, Oct. 13: “Food Is Medicine: Nutrition, Aging, and Chronic Disease Prevention.” University Distinguished Professor Yeong Rhee will discuss how nutrition affects aging, brain health, and the prevention of chronic disease. 
• Tuesday, Nov. 10: “Tales of Bringing Innovation to Market.” University Distinguished Professor Chad Ulven will examine innovation, entrepreneurship, and the challenges of moving new ideas and technologies into real-world use. 
• Tuesday, Dec. 8: “Metaphor and the Body: Explorations of Head-Heart Dualism.” University Distinguished Professor Michael Robinson will consider how metaphors of the head and heart shape the way people think, feel, and interact with the world. 

Knowledge on Tap is a partnership between The Study, formerly Humanities North Dakota, and NDSU, presented with NDSU's University Distinguished Professors and sponsored by Junkyard Brewing West Fargo.

-- Academic Affairs: Haley Hamel