PROVO, Utah — An underwater volcano in Tonga erupted so violently in 2022 that it moved air and water around the world. The sound waves lapped the globe four times.

BYU acoustics professor Kent Gee noticed the effects in a campus weather report and collaborated on an article published in the prestigious academic journal Science.

Gee’s dynamic teaching style and his work on the acoustics of rockets, airplane toilets, sports crowd noise and the high-pitched, staccato crackle of jet fighters earned him BYU’s latest Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award.

I’ve already had a number of people tell me they are looking forward to June 3, when Gee will deliver the annual distinguished faculty lecture.

It’s sure to be one of the highlights of the spring/summer devotional and forum schedule at the five colleges and universities sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The schedule begins May 6 with the presidents of BYU–Hawaii and Ensign College giving devotionals at their schools and BYU’s first chief of staff speaking in Provo.

The summer schedule will be capped off by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles giving the keynote address at BYU’s Education Week on Aug. 19.

Here’s a complete list, to date, of the speakers:

May

6 —

• BYU: Hal Boyd, chief of staff to university President Shane Reese and executive editor of Deseret Magazine.
• BYU–Idaho: Cindy Goodwill, director of worldwide online curriculum and instruction.
• BYU–Hawaii: President John Kauwe III and Sister Monica Kauwe.
• Ensign College: President Bruce Kusch and Sister Alynda Kusch.

9 —

• BYU-Pathway Worldwide: Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, President Camille N. Johnson.

13 —

• BYU: Salani Pita, Budget Office analyst and member of the university Belonging Committee.
• BYU–Idaho: Elder Kevin G. Brown, General Authority Seventy.
• BYU–Hawaii: Kona Hawaii Stake President Stanton Imua Loo.
• Ensign College: Elder Jed Jensen, student success advisor and senior missionary, Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission.

16 —

• BYU-PW: President Brian Ashton and Sister Melinda Ashton.

20 —

• BYU: Sarah Clark, dean of BYU’s McKay School of Education.
• BYU–Idaho: Elder David P. Homer, General Authority Seventy.
• BYU–Hawaii: Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor, Primary General Presidency.
• Ensign College: Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor, Relief Society General Presidency.

27 —

• BYU: none
• BYU–Idaho: Jim Lawrence, mechanical engineering, dean of Academic Success & Interdisciplinary Studies.
• BYU–Hawaii: Makakilo Hawaii Stake President Brennen Lopaka Chosei Owan.
• Ensign College: Richard Elms, Institute faculty.

June

3 —

• BYU (Forum): Kent Gee, Distinguished Faculty Lecture.
• BYU–Idaho: Jenifer Craner, human resources coordinator.
• BYU–Hawaii: Monique Saenz, university photographer.
• Ensign College: Josh Burt, manager, human resources information systems.

5 —

• BYU–Idaho (Forum): Laura Paulsen Howe, art curator, Church History Museum.

6 —

• BYU-Pathway Worldwide: Elder Patrick Kearon (subject to change)

10 —

• BYU: Richard Houseman, dean of Continuing Education.
• BYU–Idaho: Elder I. Raymond Egbo, General Authority Seventy.
• BYU–Hawaii: William Tuifua, Laie Hawaii YSA 1st Stake President.
• Ensign College: Joseph Sybrowsky, director, Logistical Support.

17 —

• BYU: none.
• BYU–Idaho: Alicia Willis, Workday governance officer.
• BYU-Hawaiii: Michael P. Tejada, administrative vice president.
• Ensign College: Student panel Q&A with President and Sister Kusch.

24 —

• BYU: William Clayton, associate dean, BYU Law.
• BYU–Idaho: Casey Puzey, Student Honor administrator.
• Ensign College: none.

July

1 —

• BYU: Dawan Coombs, associate professor of English.
• BYU–Idaho: Brian Christensen, professor of marketing.
• Ensign College: none.

4 —

• BYU-Pathway Worldwide: Blaine R. Maxfield, director of Welfare and Self-Reliance.

8 —

• BYU: Brennan Platt, professor of economics.
• BYU–Idaho: Jodi Robison, course assessment manager.
• Ensign College: David Paulsen, Chief Information Officer.

15 —

• BYU: Sherami Jara, assistant dean, College of Humanities (JSB Auditorium).
• BYU–Idaho: Jared Boyter, IT portfolio manager.
• Ensign College: Daniel Rogers, curriculum director.

22 —

• Ensign College: Eric Karl, vice president of curriculum, BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

24 —

• BYU–Idaho Spring Commencement: Brother Chad H. Webb, first counselor, Sunday School General Presidency and administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.

29 —

• BYU (Forum): Paul Lambert, religion initiative director, Wheatley Institute (JSB Auditorium).
• BYU: Amy Jex, associate chair, Department of Dance.

August

1 —

• BYU-Pathway Worldwide: Elder Takashi Wada, General Authority Seventy (subject to change).

5 —

• BYU: Amy Jex, associate chair, Department of Dance.
• Ensign College: Rory Bigelow, associate administrator, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.

19 —

• BYU (Education Week): Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

BYU devotionals and forums begin at 11:05 a.m. and are held in the Marriott Center, unless otherwise noted. Most will be broadcast live on BYUtv, BYUtv.org and BYUradio and archived at BYUtv.org and speeches.byu.edu.

BYU-Idaho devotionals and forums begin at 11:30 a.m. in the I Center and are broadcast live on www.byui.edu/devotionals, the BYU-Idaho Speeches YouTube channel and BYU-Idaho Radio.

BYU–Hawaii devotional will be held at 11 a.m. in the David O. McKay Auditorium with overflow in the Aloha Center Ballroom and can be watched live online and archived on the BYU–Hawaii Speeches website.

Ensign College devotionals are held at 11:15 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room and available online at www.ensign.edu/devotionals and www.youtube.com/@EnsignCollege.

BYU-Pathway Worldwide devotionals are held on Fridays at 10 a.m. (MDT/UTC-6) and typically last 7–10 minutes. They are broadcast on the BYU-Pathway Facebook page and archived on the BYU-Pathway speeches page.