UCALL
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Exploring Our Solar System
Tuesdays, January 6, 13, 20
1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Zoom Webinar
$40
This three-week series explores different aspects of our solar system.
Week 1: Studying our Solar System with the James Webb Space Telescope
Over the last few years, the James Webb Space Telescope has successfully photographed Mars and all four gas giant planets. With its unique infrared capabilities, astronomers are able to study the dynamics of planetary ring systems, seasonal changes in gas giant planet atmospheres, and even detect water geysers on distant moons! In this talk, we’ll explore the latest JWST images of planets, moons, and other objects in the solar system and see how this space telescope is transforming our understanding of our local neighborhood.
Presenter: Valerie Rapson, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy, SUNY Oneonta.
Week 2: Journey to the Sun
The Sun brings us light, heat, and we would not be here without it. What do you know about our Star? Do you have any idea of how it produces its light and heat; will it get hotter or cooler; how did it begin and how long it will last; why eclipses and auroras happen; and where did all of the elements (O, C, Fe, etc.) in the universe come from? In this talk we will explain all of this and much more. In addition, have you ever heard about the Parker Solar Probe? It is the first spacecraft to fly into the Sun’s corona (its atmosphere). We will show a video of it flying through one of the massive solar storms at 360,000 mph. It has also determined the source of the solar wind and why the corona temperature is over 1 million degrees while the Sun’s surface is only 6,000 degrees.
Presenter: Mike Adler, former General Electric scientist, known for his work in semiconductor physics.
Week 3: The Moon's Spectacular Origin Revealed from Analysis of Apollo Samples
Chemical and isotopic analyses of lunar samples have yielded a broad scientific consensus among researchers on the Moon's origin. While there are always more details to be learned, the broad story is now known with confidence. The process explains disparate observations such as the tilt of the Earth's axis, the 30-million-year difference in the age of the Earth and Moon, the depletion of the Moon in volatiles, and other features.
Presenter: John Delano, geochemist, retired SUNY Albany Distinguished Teaching Professor, Associate Dean and NASA Astrobiology Institute Associate Director.
Coordinator: Mike Collins
Psychology and Film
Thursdays, January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5
1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
College Park Hall, room M102a (in-person only)
Enrollment is limited to 35
$65
Film provides a powerful art medium for exploring topics in psychology. This course examines several films from a psychological perspective. Films have a tremendous impact on our society in countless ways, including entertaining, inspiring and teaching. These films reflect multiple psychological themes including lifespan, trauma, psychological disorders, grief and resilience. The class will discuss the psychology of the viewer’s experience, filmmaker/production, depictions of psychology and psychologists/healthcare, and psychological issues/treatment. Students need to watch each film before class so they can participate in the discussion. These films are available for rental online at a nominal cost and may also be available through a subscription service.
Films we will discuss:
Week 1: “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993 – Robin Williams).
Week 2: “The King’s Speech” (2010 – Colin Firth).
Week 3: “Castaway” (2000 – Tom Hanks).
Week 4: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008 – Brad Pitt).
Week 5: “The Holdovers” (2023 – Paul Giamatti).
Presenter: Denise Morett is a licensed psychologist and author with interest in exploring the relationship between expressive arts and the human condition.
Coordinator: Mike Collins
Winter Lecture Series
Wednesdays, January 28, February 4, 11, 18
1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Zoom Webinar
$50
This 4-week series features a different topic each week.
Week 1: The Cuban Missile Crisis: What We Know Now and Why It Matters
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a six-day public confrontation in October 1962 -- between the United States and the Soviet Union -- over the presence of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, some 90 miles from the southernmost tip of the United States. It is one of the most studied and thoroughly documented events of all time. This presentation will focus on what we know now after decades of scholarship; on how the story of the crisis has changed over the years; and on the significance of the crisis more than sixty years later.
Presenter: Pete Kakel, research historian and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Advanced Academic Programs.
Week 2: The Baltic Singing Revolution
This lecture will examine how the tradition of Song and Dance Festivals in the Baltic countries led to the Baltic Singing Revolution between 1989 and 1991. For almost the entire century, these nations had embraced singing as a means of collective storytelling and history building. Through choral singing, folk songs, and popular music, these nations were brought together to preserve their culture, identity, and most importantly, their freedom. This lecture will conclude with the Baltic Singing Revolution, through which the Baltic countries claimed independence from the Soviet Union without using one bullet in 1991.
Presenter: Shou-Ping Liu, assistant professor of music, Connecticut College.
Week 3: Just Enough Electronics to Impress Your Friends and Family!
Even if you're a nontechnical person, you’ll want to hear this fast-paced introduction to every aspect of modern electronics. Don’t worry about math or graphs or charts; just sit back for a whirlwind tour covering everything you may have wondered about. By the end, you’ll know the basics and perhaps be a little more confident in dealing with these technologies. The topics covered will include: Electricity – What is it? Linear Devices, Electricity as Sound, Nonlinear Devices, Transmission Lines, Digital Logic, Semiconductor Technology, Memory Devices, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Programmable Devices (ROMs, PALs, CPLDs, FPGAs), Traditional Computer Architecture, AI Computer Architecture, 5G and the Internet of Things, and Quantum Computers.
Presenter: Bob Zeidman is the creator of software forensics, a patented expert witness in high-stakes intellectual property cases, and author.
Week 4: Putin, Ukraine, and the World
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been described as a “Crime Against Peace” and “Europe’s Darkest Hour” since World War II. It has now been four years since its inception. Join us to hear the latest perceptions about Vladimir Putin and Ukraine.
Presenter: Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, Union College.
Coordinators: Cathy Lewis, Bob Saltzman, Mike Collins
For additional course details and speaker bios, please visit our online registration page.