The Center for Slavic and East European Studies (CSEES) and the Midwest Slavic Association was pleased to host the 2017 Midwest Slavic Conference on Friday, April 7 to Sunday, April 9. The Conference began with an opening reception and a keynote address given by author and former NPR correspondent Anne Garrels, who discussed her latest book Putin Country: A Journey into the Real Russia. A recording of her address can be found here. 

There were 26 conference panels that ran on Saturday and Sunday. Over 65 undergraduates, graduate students, idependent scholars and faculty presented their research at the Conference, ranging in disciplines from linguistics to social science to the humanities, and covered the regions of the Baltics, Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia. Panelists from across the country and abroad attended the Conference to present their original research.

A lunchtime lecture was given in honor of Dr. Charles Gribble, former professor of Slavic linguistics at the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures at Ohio State for 35 years, who passed away on June 3, 2016. The Resource Center for Medieval Slavic Studies sponsored the lecture, which commemorated the life and work of Dr. Gribble. It included a discussion with Dr. Ljiljana Duraskovic (University of Pittsburgh), Dr. Daniel Collins (Ohio State University) and was moderated by Dr. David Patton, Executive Vice President of the American Councils. 

The annual K-12 teacher training workshop was also held at the Conference. Thirteen teachers from across the state of Ohio attended the workshop, "When Borders are Sealed: Refugees, Smugglers, and Humanitarian Aid along the Closed Balkan Route," where they learned about the closing of borders in Southeastern and Central Europe and the implications of closed borders for asylum seekers who are trying to enter the Schengen zone. The workshop concluded with a screeing of Dancing on a Razor's Edge a documentary about the Hungarian border fence. 

The Conference weekend was an intellectaully stimulating two days that provided attendees with a chance to present and discuss their research and network with other scholars in the field. Thank you to all those who presented, chaired panels, attended and volunteered at the Conference.