Lamoille fall lecture series hosts Wednesday speakers in Sept.-Oct.
August 31, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout The Lamoille Valley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosts its fall lecture series on Wednesdays, Sept. 6-Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. at the Stowe Cinema Triplex on the Mountain Road in Stowe.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is affiliated with the University of Vermont. The endowed program provides non-credit courses and programs for Vermonters age 50 and over across the state. Courses are taught by active and retired UVM faculty or other area college faculty and experts.
The fall series dates, speakers and topics are:
"Canopy Meg" Lowman built her career studying tropical forest canopies around the world. Photo by Carlton Ward Jr.
Sept. 6: The Arbornaut: A Life Exploring the 8th Continent in the Treetops Above Us - “Canopy Meg” Lowman, PhD, a National Geographic explorer and TREE Foundation director will share stories as the world's first global “arbornaut” or treetop explorer.
Sept. 13: Mental Health, Substance Use, and Why You Need to Know About It - Lila Bennett, executive director of the Journey to Recovery Community Center and author of two self-help books, will discuss addiction and how it often starts, what it looks like in daily life for the addict, family members, and for the community.
Sept. 20: Endurance through Music in the Holocaust - Lois Price, educator and musician, will share examples of music that emerged in Nazi Germany where music was banned yet many incarcerated in ghettos and concentration camps found music to be a solace and a way to express despair, sorrow, and fear, as well as their endurance, resistance, and hope.
Sept. 27: The Robinson Family and Anti-Slavery Advocacy in Vermont - Lindsay Varner, PhD, executive director of the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, will share Rokeby's abolitionist history and the stories of the Freedom Seekers who sought self-emancipation on the Underground Railroad.
Oct. 4: How to Recognize Dis- and Misinformation and Why It Matters - Cheryl Casey, PhD, Champlain College professor of Communication and Media, will cover the rampant scourge of dis- and misinformation transformed in scope and impact by computer networks and algorithmic code.
Oct. 11: Why Don’t Americans “Get” Science? - How is it that the United States, arguably the most science-and-technology-centered country in the world, routinely lags behind many other countries in the acceptance and understanding of science? Bennington College Professor of Biology Emerita Elizabeth Sherman, PhD, offers some answers.
Laura Rice. Courtesy photo
Oct. 18: “Oh the Places You’ll Go”: Literacy Creates Bright Futures for All - Laura Rice, executive director of the Children's Literacy Foundation in Waterbury, believes that early literacy skills are a key predictor of future success in life and learning and that all children deserve to experience the power and the joy that reading and writing deliver.
Oct. 25: Stowe Mountain Rescue: A Day in the Life of a Mountain Rescue Technician - Stowe Mountain Rescue Team Chief Jon Wehse shares lively descriptions and a photo montage of the team, its training, and some mission reviews.
Membership in the Lamoille Valley Osher Lifelong Learning entitles members to attend all Osher events statewide. Attendees must pre-register to attend. The single lecture fee is $8; sign up for all eight presentations for $45. Find more information online on the series website or call 802-656-5817.