This October, the Black Student Union welcomed Dr. Eric Luster to speak to the College and members of the greater community. A decorated Army veteran who specialized in nuclear biological chemistry and tactical satellite communications, Dr. Luster went on to earn a PhD and invent groundbreaking wearable technology.

Dr. Luster grew up in Alton, Illinois and as a child spent many afternoons and weekends on the Principia College campus with mentor (and Black Student Union advisor) Becky Coles.

The College maximized the opportunity to involve Dr. Luster by inviting him to attend the Idea Bounce Fall 2023, where pre-registered entrepreneurship  students came to pitch business ideas and get feedback from professors and entrepreneurial leaders. Luster’s wife, LeCheris Luster, EMSL, also gave a presentation entitled Financial Literacy 101: Empowering Financial Futures: Building Your Financial Foundation.

The speech also provided an opportunity for outreach, as Lewis and Clark College sent a delegation of roughly two dozen people to attend the on-campus talk.