Wonderlust Wonderings

“These programs have been great! Thank you for the opportunity. "  -Online Course Participant, Montana Faces and Places

Fall 2020 Registration Opens August 24th MSU Wonderlust is thrilled to offer another engaging and thought-provoking full lineup of courses and Side Trip Lectures this semester! Programming will be offered live online, as well as recordings to be viewed at your leisure.  Online registration will be available August 24th. You will soon notice that our catalog looks a bit different this semester. In light of our abrupt program cancellations last semester, and the many uncertainties this semester, we have created an abridged cost-effective mailer that includes program listings. You can read full program descriptions and instructor biographies on the Wonderlust website at www.montana.edu/wonderlust/offerings. Announcements and updates will be posted in this e-newsletter publication and on the website. Online or mail-in registration is strongly encouraged. Our presenters and instructors look forward to engaging in lively discussions with you this Fall!

Fall Course Highlights Chemistry in the Kitchen: From Reactions to Recipe. Instructor: Bill McLaughlin.  Calling BS! From Fake News to Questionable Science: How do we believe responsibly? Instructor: Kristen Intemann.  Montana Art: Context and Culture. Instructor: Michele Corriel.   World Mythologies: The Stories That Shape Humanity. Instructor: Marvin Lansverk.  The Living Art of Bonsai. Instructor: Ron Davis.  What We Can Learn from the Fall of Rome. Instructor: Bruce McNab.  The Five Senses. Instructor: Frank Marchak.  Taking Care of You While Taking Care of Your Loved One. Instructor: Lynn Paul.  Reading: Why it’s Hard and Why it Matters. Instructor: Sarah Bernall, Sarah Alexander.  Religion and U.S. Presidents: A Century of Intrigue. Instructor: Bruce Gourley.  Measuring the Pulse of Yellowstone - The Untold Stories. Instructor: Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network staff.

Side Trip Lecture Series Highlights Chronic Wasting Disease in Montana. Instructor: Emily Almberg. Flying to New York in One Hour: the Perils of Supersonic Flight. Instructor: Anthony (Tony) Demetriades. Light and Color in Nature. Instructor: Joseph Shaw The Cultural Geography of Medicine Wheel Country. Instructor: Shane Doyle. Attention and Cognitive Control of Behavior. Instructor: Keith A. Hutchison. Fascination and Fear of Our Eight-Legged Friends. Instructor: Laurie Kerzicnik. The Power of Things. Instructor: Tim LeCain. Design Relationships: Light, Color and the Built Environment. Instructor: Teresa Slye. Friday Forum Public Lands in the New West Past and Present: Entitlement, Conflict, and Conspiracy with Betsy Gaines Quammen, Friday, September 11, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. How It's Made and Preludes and Performances These programs will be announced in this MSU Wonderlust e-newsletter and on the MSU Wonderlust website as they become available.

Book Discussion Groups  These special interest groups are free for MSU Wonderlust members. Book Groups offer lively and engaging facilitated discussions for all readers and interests. Check our website on or after August 24th for meeting day/times/links and book lists. Log-in and call-in information will be shared upon registration.

MSU Wonderlust Book Group, August 31, “Tender is the Night” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published 1934.

Mystery Book Discussion Group, September 17 “In the Woods” by Tana French (Ireland).

Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group, September 21, "Lafayette in the Somewhat United States” by Sarah Vowell.

MSU Events of Interest...On Campus and Online

Biden and Trump: Policy and Economics in the 2020 Presidential Election Wednesdays, August 26 through November 4, 12:10 to 1:00 p.m. This timely MSU course is open to students and the public alike. The program will examine and analyze the presidential candidates’ positions on major policy issues from an economic perspective. The course will be organized by Vincent Smith, professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics (DAEE), with discussions on specific policy issues lead by faculty from the DAEE with policy-related expertise in those areas, as well as by distinguished guest speakers. Visitors from within the university and the broader community are welcome to listen to individual presentations that address topics in which they are particularly interested via Webex. The schedule of lectures, weekly Webex link, recordings and a link to speaker bios can be found HERE.  Spillover: Understanding the Origins of Pandemics A community Webex event featuring David Quammen and Raina Plowright. Wednesday, August 26, 6:00 p.m. The Initiative for Science, Technology, Ethics and Society (STES) at MSU will be hosting a virtual Community Forum Series on Webex related to the science and ethics of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The series begins with Bozeman-based author and reporter David Quammen and Raina Plowright, associate professor in the MSU Department of Microbiology and Immunology.    No registration is necessary. Connect to the Webex event from the STES website HERE.

2020 Convocation Thursday, August 27 7:30 p.m. Online MSU will host a live-streamed 2020 Convocation featuring bestselling author and alumna Sarah Vowell. Students, staff, faculty and the public can watch the traditional annual event, which serves as the university’s formal welcome to its incoming class, at montana.edu/convocation.

COVID-19 Updates and Resources MSU-related updates on MSU COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Know the facts about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): Read more about IHME and the daily COVID-19 projection updates.

MSU Wonderlust, a program of MSU Academic Technology and Outreach, provides intellectually stimulating and enjoyable programs that foster lifelong learning and community engagement for individuals 50 and greater. There are no tests, no grades and no papers. MSU Wonderlust offers learning opportunities for the pure joy of learning. Become a member or consider teaching for us.

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