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- Astronomy SIG In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 25
Members of the OLLI Astronomy SIG will work together to plan meeting topics, skill-building workshops, speakers and topics, field trips, observing sessions, and calendar of events. They will help each other learn how to use their cell phones and telescopes to view and photograph the night sky. Participants will learn how to utilize astronomy apps to determine what objects are visible each week and where they are located. Practice opportunities to use cell phone editing tools to improve their photos to reveal additional stars, planets, constellations, satellites, and space oddities.
Sept. 16, 30, Oct. 14, 28 and Nov. 11
Class meets every other Wednesday
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- Cruising the Solar System (Zoom) Zoom Only
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Maximum Enrollment: 50
Don't settle for a Caribbean cruise! Cruise our Solar System instead from the comfort of your own home. This course will take you to the amazingly diverse surfaces of planets and satellites of the Solar System. Robotic space probes have returned a rich body of images and other information about these alien worlds. It's almost like going there yourself! Except you don't need a spacesuit and an air tank to stay alive!
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- Dinosaurs In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 35
Examines dinosaurs’ interactions with their environment, their indirect influence on mammals, and implications for humankind. Traces the history of dinosaurs to their extinction, and surveys the evolutionary, paleogeographic, environmental, and possible extraterrestrial causes for their rise to dominance and sudden fall.
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- Forget Me Not: Understanding Cognitive Aging and Dementia In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 35
This course will give participants information related to the most common diseases that cause dementia (Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body/Parkinson’s Disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and LATE). We will describe brain changes that occur in normal aging and contrast these with disease changes. We’ll discuss some early symptoms of each disease that other people might observe and describe the diagnostic process and current treatment options. We will discuss the importance of maintaining social connections for people with dementia and provide tips on communication and dealing with behavior issues. Information about resources for caregivers will be included.
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- Gettin' Old Sux! (or does it??) In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 35
We are all in the process of “getting older” (no matter how old we are). This course will begin by talking about our attitudes related to aging. Then we’ll discuss the biological basis of the normal changes that occur with age, ways we can adapt to these changes, and when to be concerned that they are outside the norm. We’ll definitely take time to talk (and laugh!) with each other about our experiences. (We even have a class song . . .) Are you old enough to participate?
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- Keep Calm and Enrich On: History of Atomic Bomb Development
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THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
This class will discuss the history of atomic bomb development from the discoveries of the 1930s to the dawn of the nuclear arms race. (There will be an emphasis on the work done at Oak Ridge, Tn., since OLLI might be doing a trip to Oak Ridge in the fall). We’ll briefly explain how atomic bombs work and discuss the Manhattan project in light of the pressures of WWII, followed by the post-war decisions related to future development of nuclear weapons. Then we’ll transition to today, and discuss what’s being called “Manhattan Project 2.0” – the resurgence of nuclear energy-related activity to help supply power-hungry data centers. We’ll emphasize the effects of this on Kentucky, where two companies have announced billion-dollar investments to resume uranium enrichment at the Paducah Department of Energy site. We’ll also discuss the activities of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority which seeks to develop nuclear energy-related projects in the Commonwealth.
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- Science Matters (Zoom) Zoom Only
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Maximum Enrollment: 50
To expand students' view of science in all its glory. To understand how science plays an important part in our lives. To be fascinated with all the variety of ways the cosmos affects us.
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- The Near-Death Experience: Examining What is Known In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 25
Since Raymond Moody's book, Life After Life (1976), was published many other books and hundreds of professional journal articles have appeared in print on the topic of near-death experiences. Scientists, physicians, and others have explained the phenomenon in terms of anoxia, the influence of medications, or a maneuver of dying brains to distract us from a rapid approaching death. On the other hand, clergy, other professionals, and common people have related remarkable stories about their near-death episodes. This course will explore the phenomenon in terms of examining historic and current research with PowerPoint presentations, lectures, and discussion.
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- The Purposes of Plants? Reading Zoe Schlanger's "The Light Eaters" SIG
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THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
The last decade has seen the publication of a number of books examining the prospect of plant cognition and behavior. Zoe Schlanger's recent contribution, "The Light Eaters: How The Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers A New Understanding of Life on Earth", comes to us beautifully written, scientifically responsible, and intellectually provocative. That last trait shows itself in how she frames the wild territory of plant cognition research, claiming that "how to get our minds around all of that complexity is the shared professional problem of science and philosophy, but also of every person who has stopped to wonder." Reading this book with each other should encourage all of us to "stop to wonder”.
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- The Unique Biology of the Hawaiian Islands In Person
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Maximum Enrollment: 25
Aloha! In this course we will visit the Hawaiian Islands (at least through PowerPoint slides) and discover its unique biology. The extreme isolation of the islands and the diversity of habitats from dry grasslands and tropical rain forests to alpine environments with snow (yes, snow) has resulted in the creation of a variety of unique ecosystems. Prior to the arrival of humans, 90% of native land species and 25% of native marine species were found no place else in the world. The arrival of Polynesians and, even more so, other ethnic groups to follow has had a major impact on the Hawaiian environment. Let's travel through the history of the Hawaiian Islands from the volcanic eruptions that created them to the present characteristics of our 50th state.
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