BUMBLE BEE BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION NEEDS

Wednesday, April 1
10:00 a.m. at SML
Program #18169

Fee: $3

Dr. Bryan is a post-doctoral research scientist in the entomology department at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
He is an insect behavioral ecologist who employs multiple research methods to address questions about the conservation of bumble bees and other wild bee species.

Program: Are bumble bees disappearing?  If so, why?  Learn about the importance of their habitats and what we can do to ensure their futures.

GREAT DECISIONS

Thursday, April 2
10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. at GCC
Program #18241

Facilitator: Tom Lee

Please refer to March 12

HOW DOGS EXPERIENCE THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR SENSES

Tuesday, April 7
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18240

Fee: $3

Presenter: Lauren Price, VMD, MS

Dr. Price is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School. She is the owner of Clinton Veterinary Hospital, providing medical care primarily for cats and dogs as well as other animals. Beyond treating the four-legged friends of residents, Dr. Price donates her time to care for the working dogs of the Clinton Police Department. She is also involved with several rescue operations including Murphy’s Paw and Passion for Paws.

Program: Did you know that dogs possess highly developed senses, especially smell and hearing, allowing them to perceive the world far beyond human capacity?

SPACE EXPLORATION

Wednesday, April 8
10:00 a.m. at EW
Program #18241

Fee: $3

Presenter: Mike Turk, Senior Engineer

Mr. Turk has a degree in mechanical engineering as well as an MBA. He was the Senior Engineer at the Hamilton Standard division of United Technologies where he worked on several elements of the Apollo astronauts’ life support systems.

Program: Learn about the beginnings of our space programs, the International Space Station, the Web telescope, and the latest space suit design for moon landings.

GREAT DECISIONS

Thursday, April 9
10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. at GCC

Facilitator: Tom Lee

Please refer to March 12

THE KELP INDUSTRY IN CONNECTICUT

Tuesday, April 14
10:00 a.m. GCC
Program #18242

Fee: $3

Presenter: Zachary Gordon, Connecticut Seagrant

Mr. Gordon holds a BS in Environmental Science from Skidmore College and a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Ocean Food Systems from the University of New England. He is part of a state and university partnership focused on seaweed aquaculture, developing seaweed food safety guidance and overseeing the seaweed mobile laboratory.

Program: What does kelp farming look like today? Hear about the kelp industry, its growth and challenges, and see kelp samples and products available for purchase.

TRIP: MARK TWAIN HOUSE AND HARRIET BEECHER STOWE HOUSE

Wednesday, April 15
9:00 a.m. at SGC
Program #18243

Fee: $38

Join us for a docent-led tour of these historic homes.

Note: These homes are not accessible for those with mobility difficulties.

Lunch on your own on site.

PASSION, POWER, AND REVENGE: THE RISE OF VERISMO OPERA

Thursday, April 16
11:00 a.m. at GFL
Program #18244

Fee: $3

Presenter: Alan Mann is the Artistic Director of the 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 will trace the development of Verismo opera with slides and musical examples from its origins to the pinnacle of its popularity. He will highlight examples from Cavalleria Rusticana, I Pagliacci, and Tosca.

MY UNEXPECTED CAREER IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Tuesday, April 21
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18245

Fee: $3

Presenter: Jane O’Connor, Editor and Author

Jane O’Connor spent fifty years in children’s book publishing both as an editor and an author.  She has written more than one hundred books for readers of all ages, including eighty books in the New York Times best-selling Fancy Nancy series.

Program: The author of Fancy Nancy will discuss her unexpected journey from working in a children’s book department to her career in editing and writing her own manuscripts, including the Fancy Nancy series, now twenty years old. She will describe how the business of children’s books has changed over the years and how she approaches both editing and writing a manuscript.

TRIP: THE BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY

Thursday, April 23
9:00 a.m. at SGC
Program #18246

Fee: $10

Join a docent-led tour of this world-renowned library, famous for its unique architecture and vast collection.

BOOK DISCUSSION: THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE BY JAMES MCBRIDE

Monday, April 27
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18247

Fee:  $3

Facilitator: Joanna Baymiller

Joanna Baymiller is a writer who has been publishing her critical and creative work in newspapers and magazines for four decades.

The novel blends historical fiction, literary fiction, and mystery, and centers on the interconnected black and Jewish communities in the impoverished Chicken Hill neighborhood of Pottstown, PA during the 1920’s and 1930’s.  It’s a story of community, friendship and survival.

BELLE EPOQUE: TURN OF THE CENTURY FRANCE

Tuesday, April 28
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18248

Fee: $3

Presenter: Meg Weisberg, Ph.D.

Meg Weisberg received her BA from UCONN and her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Yale University. She is fluent in five languages and lived in France for many years. A former professor at Wesleyan University, she works as a communications coach and consultant with various graduate divisions and fellowship cohorts at Yale. She is also a writer, artist, and passionate traveler. 

Program: France, at the turn of the 20th century, was home to an explosion of creative energy and production. We’ll peek into this staggeringly dynamic time and its artistic movements.

HEARTS, MINDS, AND MONKEY BUSINESS: ENGAGING WITH A VISUAL, SOCIAL, AND STRESSFUL WORLD

Thursday, April 30
10:00 a.m. at SML
Program #18249

Fee: $3

Presenters: Jonathan Pertile, Lihao Yan, Nisarg Shah, Stephanie Reis, Yale Science in the News

Program: How do we process all the things going on around us? Learn how we can adapt to stress from our monkey counterparts?