WSU Extension will showcase three speakers Wednesday in a symposium titled, “Relentless Pursuit of a Healthier World.” The symposium will be held at the CUB auditorium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will also be broadcast to WSU urban campuses and extension centers in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Puyallup, Wenatchee and Mount Vernon.

“This is a way of providing some stipulation of thought processes for the faculty and providing some world-class speakers for the citizens of Washington,” said Jim Lindstrom, director of professional development for WSU Extension and conference co-chairman.

Many people have preregistered for the symposium. The all-extension conference gives many people the chance to view the speakers and ask questions, Lindstrom said.

“When you think of WSU as a land-grant university, it is in every community of the state of Washington,” Lindstrom said. “By broadcasting this to multiple sites, we’re reaching out to a broad swath of community.” Cheryl Scott, David Brewster and Paul Roberts will speak at the symposium. Scott is the senior adviser in the Global Health program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and works to provide access to vaccines for people in need.

Brewster is the founder of Seattle Weekly and Crosscut.com. He will speak about how people make decisions from the information they receive.

Kevin Wright, extension manager of WSU Puyallup, said he looks forward to seeing Brewster speak about new media. This knowledge is helpful to Wright because he works with children in 4-H who text, Twitter and use other forms of media.

“I’m excited to learn more about modern technology because we’re trying to stay relevant with the youth we’re working with,” he said.

The last speaker, Roberts, is the author of “The End of Oil,” and “The End of Food.” He will discuss how food production should keep up with the changing world.

Roberts spoke about “The End of Oil” in a previous WSU Extension symposium. Todd Murray, WSU Extension county director for Skamania County, was influenced by Roberts’ lessons at the symposium.

“In extensions, we are always looking for certain community issues,” Murray said. “He helped us think about different types of education to delivery. It might inspire me or give me direction on some of the things I should be teaching.” More than 100 people have registered for the symposium at the WSU Puyallup Resource and Extension Center.

“I think folks are seeing this as an opportunity when their budgets are tight to get good information from quality speakers,” Wright said. “It’s also a good way we’re using our technology.” In previous years, WSU Extension has hosted a biannual, week-long conference in Pullman. This year, the symposium was changed to a one-day event to save money. The symposium has not been broadcast to branch campuses before.

“It makes it a little different, but it also allows us to open up to the public,” Wright said. “I think it’s a good change that we’re able to educate the public as well as our faculty and staff.” Murray encourages faculty, staff, students and community to attend. He said he believes they will walk away from the symposium with a changed perspective.

“All these speakers have spent a lot of time preparing and thinking about their topics,” he said. “They will prepare their audiences to look at things in a different light.”