FREE Summer 2007 Lecture Series, May 24-Aug. 9

The campus community is invited to attend a free summer lecture series offered by the Summer Session office in collaboration with a variety of departments and committees across campus.

The lunchtime series will be held May 24 through Aug. 9 on select Thursdays in the William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003. Bring a lunch and take part in a cultural dialogue as scholars and community leaders discuss issues of diversity, communication, health and wellness, and more.

For more information, call the Summer Session office at (775) 784-4652, or click here.

Presentations include:

Am I Ready for a Longer Life?

Thursday, May 24, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

The concept of “old” keeps changing as life expectancies grow. Centuries ago, it was rare for humans to live to be as old as 30 or 40. As the numbers of 80-, 90- and 100-year-olds in the United States continues to increase, many people in their 40s and 50s find themselves wondering, “If I live that long, will I have the resources to live comfortably?

And what would it be like being retired for 30 years?” Larry Weiss, director of the Sanford Center for Aging and a past delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, looks at the demographics of a graying America and predicts how the vast number of baby boomers entering their 60s will affect society in terms of health, workforce, lifestyle, insurance and other considerations. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

Taming Your Gremlin: A Unique Approach to Getting Out of Your Own Way

Thursday, June 7, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

Jennifer Mahon, assistant professor in the College of Education, presents an engaging approach to destroying the “gremlin” in the human mind that creates seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieving success.

This presentation will explore strategies for freeing oneself from frustrating inertia, and focuses on personal and professional intercultural conflict. Based on Rick Carson’s book, Taming Your Gremlin (2003), this lecture features the Gremlin Taming Process® and is made possible through special permission from Carson and the Gremlin Taming Institute. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

Fitness: Inside and Out

Thursday, June 14, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

Bill Oberding, chair of the University’s Staff Employees’ Council, director of the Human Patient Simulator program with the University’s Savitt Medical Library, and host of the local television show, “Bill’s Total Fitness,” will discuss the importance of incorporating mind, body and spirit in a total fitness package.

He will offer suggestions to prepare mentally for exercise using mind relaxation techniques, and will reinforce the importance of aerobic exercise to stimulate the most important muscle in the body, the heart. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

How African Americans Saved Western Civilization: Jazz in Paris after World War I

Thursday, June 28, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

World War I traumatized Europeans. Many concluded that this destructive and meaningless war underscored the bankruptcy of liberal values — and of Western Civilization itself. One of the most revealing expressions of this idea was the wild enthusiasm that Parisians displayed toward all things African and African American, what many French enthusiasts regarded as the antithesis of those “bourgeois” values that produced the Great War.

Dennis Dworkin, associate professor and chair of the Department of History, will explore this remarkable occurrence in African-American and European history, highlighting the experiences of African-American musicians in interwar Paris and the jazz craze they ignited. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

My Dad (or Mom) Has That – Will I?

Thursday, July 12, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

Do you or a loved one have arthritis, diabetes or asthma? Are you, or is someone close to you, dealing with the after-effects of a heart attack or stroke? Learn how to help them – or help yourself – manage these chronic conditions and live well. Discover how the lifestyle choices we make while young affect our chances of developing the same conditions our parents or grandparents had. It isn’t all hereditary.

Sue Harris, Nevada Care Connection project director, and LuAnne Steininger, wellness coordinator, both with the Sanford Center for Aging, will answer your questions and describe a program developed at Stanford University that teaches people how to manage their chronic conditions. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

Banshees I have Known: Celtic Folklore from Places of Magic to Great Stories

Thursday, July 19, 12:10-1 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer Ron James will discuss Celtic folklore, focusing on themes, imagery and genres encompassing everything from supernatural beings to folktales.

James has written several books on Nevada history and holds degrees in folklore and history from the University where he serves as adjunct faculty. He has studied folklore at the National Archives of Ireland as the recipient of an ITT Fellowship, and his work in Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall ranges from the study of classic epics to the examination of Cornish mining spirits relative to his historical analyses of Nevada mines. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

Is What You’re Taking Making You Better or Sicker?

Thursday, Aug. 9, 12:10-1:10 p.m.
William J. Raggio Building, Room 2003

Medication errors harm an estimated 1.5 million Americans each year. In the senior population, 30 percent of hospitalizations have been attributed to drug-related problems. Many adverse drug reactions occur when seniors see multiple physicians, have their medications filled at several pharmacies, and are prescribed inappropriate medications.

Typically there isn’t one physician or health-care provider overseeing the patient’s entire medication regimen, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbal supplements. Learn about geriatric pharmacology, the need for medication management, and a program funded by the Nevada Division for Aging Services that provides free medication management reviews for people 60 and older.

Chris Shea, a certified geriatric pharmacist with Diversified Medication Consulting, and Teresa Sacks, a health research analyst with the Sanford Center for Aging, will answer your questions about geriatric pharmacology and describe the Sanford Center for Aging’s medication management program and its findings. FREE (Bring a lunch!)

Andrea Turman, marketing specialist with Extended Studies, can be reached at acturman@unr.edu.

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