A.I., Everest, nuclear energy, climate change and two Chautauqua presentations of Audubon and Darwin are some of the highlights of the Fall Fort Lewis College Life-long Learning series. Offered by a mix of FLC faculty members and community experts, the free presentations begin Thursday in 130 Noble Hall. Parking is plentiful and easy. Two walk-in entrances accommodate attendees: a staircase off the parking lot or a ramped sidewalk to the left for easier access.
“We are fully back on campus for live presentations again,” said Gary Rottman, program leader. “This fall marks the completion of 23 years of free programs for the community. And once again, we are welcoming a Chautauqua, living history scholar. Brian ‘Fox’ Ellis will appear as John James Audubon on Thursday, Sept. 28, in our series, and we are co-sponsoring his appearance at The Powerhouse Science Center as Charles Darwin on Friday, Sept. 29. With the support of Colorado Humanities, we’ve been able to offer these popular programs for over a decade.”
If you go
WHAT: Fort Lewis College Fall Life Long-learning Lecture Series.
WHEN: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 7 to Dec. 7.
WHERE: 130 Noble Hall, FLC, 1000 Rim Drive.
TICKETS: Free.
MORE INFRMATION: Visit www.fortlewis/edu/LLL. or contact Gary Rottman, www.gsorcer@hotmail.com.
Since January 2000, the FLC Professional Associates, a volunteer organization of college supporters have co-sponsored the series with the Office of the President. The has been to present a variety of relevant topics by faculty and community members. Here’s a list of upcoming presentations.
- Sept. 7: First Ladies of San Juan County by Gay Kiene and Susan Jones. Join of the Animas Museum President and Curator of Collections as they profile six women who were “firsts” in their field in the history of the Durango/Silverton area.
- Sept. 14: “Treason in the Text Books” – Harold Rugg by Cory Pillen. Hear the director of Center of Southwest Studies discuss American author and educator Harold Rugg and his controversial social studies text books titled “Man and His Changing Society.”
- Sept. 21: Removing the Hood: White Supremacy in America’s Past by Paul Kuenker. FLC History professor Kuenker will explore various ways Americans have remembered, misremembered and willfully distorted our nation’s shared history with white supremacy and racial violence.
- Sept. 28: Adventures with John James Audubon, by Brian “Fox” Ellis. *Sept. 29: Charles Darwin and his Revolutionary Idea by Brian “Fox” Ellis, the Powerhouse Science Center Spend one or two evenings with storyteller, historian and author Brian Ellis as he portrays Audubon, an ornithologist and artist, and the affable, young Charles Darwin telling tales of his adventure sailing around the world.
- Oct. 5: Climate Change: What to Expect? by Guinn Unger. Join Unger to explore the long-term effects of climate change which vary greatly depending on how we address the challenge of containing global warming.
- Oct. 12: Ansel Hall, Visionary Leader of the National Park Service by Nik Kendziorski. Using primary documents from Center of Southwest Studies, Archive Manager Kendziorski will examine Hall’s role in the 1925 establishment of the National Park Services’ education division and various expeditions.
- Oct. 19: Chaos in 14 Lines by Candace Nadon. FLC English professor Nadon will explore the changeable, evolving, adaptable form of the sonnet, from Shakespeare, Donne, Keats, Frost, Millay, Hayes and Seuss – and invite attendees to create their own sonnets.
- Oct. 26: A Trail of Life that Led to Everest by Philip Henderson. Last year, Henderson led the first all-Black expedition team to summit Mount Everest. He has climbed Everest, Denali and Kilimanjaro. He will explore the outdoor industry in this presentation and encourage audience members to “get outside.”
- Nov. 2: Lessons from Sufis: Music, Trance and Healing by Tamara D. Turner. Psychological anthropologist and ethno-musicologist, Turner will discuss a spectrum of Sufi practices. Sufism is generally known as a mystical branch of Islam that uses music and dance to heal complex inter-generational trauma.
- Nov. 9: A.I. Technologies and Ethical Challenges by George Widmeyer. Widmeyer, a retired professor of information technology, will discuss research into “intelligence demonstrated by devices that you might be using every day.” He will explore various technologies, focusing on ethical issues and challenges.
- Nov. 16: New Prospects for Alternative Cancer Treatments by Shere Byrd. Byrd, professor of biology at FLC, will examine how plant-based molecules alter cancer cell function when used in combination with traditional cancer medications.
- Nov. 23: No presentation, Thanksgiving break.
- Nov. 30: Maximizing Mental Health by Teaching Mindfulness by Amoneeta Beckstein. FLC assistant professor of Psychology Amoneeta Beckstein will explore why the practice of mindfulness should be taught in educational settings from an early age.
- Dec. 7: Nuclear Energy: Fission, Fusion, and Fort Lewis College by Billy Nollet. Chairman of the FLC Physics Department, Nollet will discuss how energy is extracted from the atomic nucleus and comment on misconceptions and inherent risks.
*Powerhouse Science Center, 7 p.m. Sept. 29.
