THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF STAINED GLASS: HOW IT’S DONE

Tuesday, April 1
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18169

Fee: $3

Presenter: Valerie Gilson, Stained Glass Artist

Valerie Gilson is a stained glass artist who has been working with art glass for over 35 years. She is the lead instructor of the stained glass studio at Spark Makerspace in New London.  She teaches both introductory level classes and advanced innovative techniques.  Her creative style spans both traditional leaded panels to contemporary three dimensional pieces.

Program: A demonstration and lecture on various methods of working with stained glass including Copper Foil and the Tiffany methods. Several samples will be available for participants to handle and inspect.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

Thursday, April 3
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18240

Fee: $3

Presenter: Will Rogers, Yale Peabody Museum Speakers Bureau 

Program: This talk will focus on the speaker’s research with wild African buffalo and the  parasite threats that influence their behavior.  Through the study of the buffalo, we as humans can learn how we can better respond to our own disease threats.

SWAMP FORESTS OF BORNEO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AND WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS

Tuesday, April 8
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18241

Fee: $3

Presenter: Katherine Meier, Primatologist

The speaker is a doctoral candidate in Yale’s combined Anthropology/Environmental Studies Ph.D. program. Her interests include great ape field research, tropical forest conservation, wetland forest ecology, and environmental anthropology. She studied lemurs in northwest Madagascar and orangutans in Indonesia. These experiences shaped the research she is now undertaking for her doctoral degree.

Program: Listen to our returning speaker, Katherine Meier, talk about the threats faced by swamp forests in remote areas of the world and learn about the broader wetland ecosystems that surround us all.

​ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN: THE GOLDEN AGE OF MUSIC THEATER

Thursday, April 10
11:00 a.m. at GFL
Program #18242

Fee: $3

Presenter: Alan Mann, Artistic Director, Opera Theater of Connecticut

Alan Mann’s work in professional theater and opera has taken him around the world.  His directing assignments span traditional opera, contemporary opera, comic opera, musical theater, and classic and modern theater. He is also a renowned guest speaker, known for his opera talks.

Program: Alan Mann’s talk, accompanied by slides and songs, will lead us through the individual development, successes, and failures of these two powerful Broadway personalities.

OSTEOPOROSIS, BONE FRACTURES, ARTHRITIS AND MORE

Friday, April 11
11:00 a.m. at EW (Evergreen Woods)
Program #18243

Fee: $3

Presenters: Erin Stockwell, MD, Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon, Yale, Philip Ratnasamy, MD/MBA Candidate, Yale, Gwyneth Maloy, MD Candidate, Yale

Program: A deeper dive into these conditions and how understanding them can help older adults be more confident and proactive in their own healthcare.
( See March 28th)

ALL ABOUT COFFEE

Tuesday, April 15
10:00 a.m. GCC
Program #18244

Fee: $3

Presenter: Barry Levine, co-founder and owner, Willoughby’s Coffee and Tea 

Barry Levine directs all coffee sourcing, roasting, and operational aspects of Willoughby’s, now in its fortieth year as Connecticut’s premier specialty coffee roaster.

Program: Enjoying your morning coffee?  Learn about the history of coffee, where it’s grown, coffee varieties, how coffee is processed, roast variations and best practices for consumers.

​WHAT OUR DNA REVEALS ABOUT OUR ANCESTORS

Wednesdays, April 16
10:00 a.m. at SML
Program #18245

Fee: $3

Presenters: Samantha Miller, Yale Peabody Museum Speakers Bureau 

Program: When our human ancestors began their journey out of Africa, they encountered and reproduced with species known as Archaic humans. The result helped our ancestors adapt to new environments and shaped human biology in ways that continue to impact us today.

GREAT DECISIONS

Thursday, April 17, Thursday May 1, Thursday May 8 and Thursday May 15  
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18246

Class Fee: $5.00 for all four sessions plus $35 for the 2025 book
Total Fee: $40.00

Facilitator: Tom Lee

Tom Lee has degrees in Physics, Math, and Engineering. He spent his career designing solid state power equipment.  He has been a member of the Great Decisions Discussion Group for the last five years, having moderated several of the programs.

Program: Great Decisions is a world affairs discussion program produced by the Foreign Policy Association. We will discuss the first four topics from the 2025 Briefing Book.  Topics: 4/17, American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads, 5/1, U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy, 5/8, U.S.–China Relations, I5/15, India: Between China, the West, and the Global South.

Required 2025 Briefing Book Purchase: $35.00. This book covers all eight topics for Spring and Fall semesters.

THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN THE WORLD OF SCAMS AND SAFETY

Tuesday, April 22
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18247

Fee: $3

Presenter: Lieutenant Martina Jacober, Guilford Police Department

Lieutenant Jacober has been a member of the Guilford Police Department since 2003. Her promotion to the rank of Lieutenant last year marked a milestone as she became the first female Lieutenant in the department’s 121-year history. In her role as Lieutenant her responsibilities include overseeing accreditation, training, community engagement, recruitment, internal affairs investigations, grant writing and special projects.

Program: As the crime wave is evolving in technology, keeping up with the trends in scams will be our best bet in reducing our fraud and scam victims.

​BUILDING BLOCKS: FROM ATOMS TO ANATOMY

Thursday, April 24
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18248

Fee: $3

Presenters: Miranda Margulis-Ohnuma, Shashank Dattathri, Aurora Miranda, Yale Science in the News

Program: A “How It’s Made” approach to the things we encounter in our daily lives from the chemistry of our drinks to the anatomy of our bodies.

THE ADULT DISABILITY COMMUNITY IN CT: ADVOCACY, RESOURCES AND LEGISLATION

Friday, April 25
10:00 a.m. at SML
Program #18249

Fee:  $3

Presenters: Lynn Arezzini, Karl Arezzini, Heather LaTorra

Lynn Arezzini is a retired Elementary School music teacher who taught in Greenwich for over 35 years. Currently, Lynn is a political advocate for the disabled and the Chair of the Southern DDS Regional Advisory Committee. Karl Arezzini is a 34-year-old adult with autism. He is a fine cellist and singer and performs regularly throughout the tri state region. Karl has been featured in a Tribeca award-winning film, an award-winning PBS documentary and has sung at Carnegie Hall.

Since 2014 Heather LaTorra has been the President and CEO of Marrakech, a New Haven based program that supports people with disabilities.

Program: Join this critically important conversation about how a partnership with parents, agencies and legislators bring positive outcomes for this challenged and often ignored community.

THE ART OF VINCENT VAN GOGH: FROM PARIS TO ARLES TO ETERNITY

Tuesday, April 29
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18250

Fee: $3

Presenter: Bob Potter, Art Historian and Docent

The speaker is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts.  He was an art director and marketing executive for leading media companies, created arts therapy programs, and was a corporate development officer for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He later launched a career development program for art majors at the Lyme Academy of Art and is currently a docent at the Yale Center for British Art.

Program: Explore the variety and intensity of Van Gogh’s paintings, his vivid use of color and dramatic composition combined with the intensity of his spirit and singular vision.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: GENES, BRAINS, AND BEHAVIOR

Wednesday, April 30
10:00 a.m. at SML
Program #18251

Fee: $3

Presenter: April Pruitt, Yale Peabody Museum Speakers Bureau 

Program: How can understanding the genetics of autism spectrum disorder open new possibilities for personalized therapies and early interventions?