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‘Jeopardy!’ Record-Holder Jennings to Speak at UCF

Ken Jennings, holder of the longest winning streak on the TV game show Jeopardy!, will speak at a UCF public forum at 3 p.m. Sept. 3 [1] in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The author of the book “Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks” will speak about “Mapping Our Place in the World.”

Jennings won $2.52 million during his 74-game streak. Beyond his enthusiasm for trivia, Jennings’ fascination with geography is charted in “Maphead.”

The event is organized by the UCF Global Perspectives Office [2], which strives to sharpen UCF’s international focus. Jennings challenges people to visualize their place in the ecology, geology and history that maps can depict, which exemplifies Global Perspectives’ 2013-2014 program theme, “What is Global is Local.”

Jennings is a best-selling author who has written “Brainiac,” “Ken Jennings’ Trivia Almanac,” and “Because I Said So! The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids.” Jennings has also worked with GSN Live, where he hosted TV shows “Stump the Master” and “Clued In.”

In addition to Global Perspectives, the sponsors and partners of the event include the UCF Diplomacy Program, UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, UCF China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program, UCF Global Peace and Security Studies Program, UCF Isle of Man Small Countries Program, UCF Political Science Department, UCF LIFE, the Chastang Charitable Foundation, UCF Book Festival 2014 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.

Global Perspectives was designed to help develop UCF’s international resources, capabilities and connections. In addition to organizing events, such as this one, Global Perspectives houses multiple programs and offers several internships and fellowships that help to connect UCF and the Central Florida community to the world. For more information, visit http://ucfglobalperspectives.org/ [2].