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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine |
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Director’s Message
Improving the Lives of Our Members
One of the benefits to OLLI’s being on a university campus is engagement with the talent of multigenerational students. Through graduate students, we have the opportunity to bring some of the most current thinking to issues that matter to us—such as aging in our community.
This summer, we were fortunate in being able to work with USM Ph.D. candidate Lisa Luken, who agreed to explore fundamental questions related to aging in cold climates. As Mainers we have chosen to settle in this beautiful place, which is not without certain challenges, particularly in the winter season. Her task was to explore various questions OLLI posed related to well-being, which has become the focus of our OLLI’s strategic framework. These were the questions she investigated:
- What are elderly individuals’ experiences living in rural, cold places?
- What keeps elderly individuals living in rural, cold places?
- What are the social capital experiences of elderly individuals? How do they engage with others in their communities, and how does that contribute to well-being?
- What do other rural, cold communities offer to elderly individuals to engage in intellectual development and lifelong learning?
- What are the intergenerational family and community dynamics in similar communities, and how do these dynamics contribute to individual well-being?
- What drives elderly individuals to pursue well-being? How does their self-leadership influence their pursuit of well-being?
Here at OLLI, we are committed to improving the lives of our members, and insights into our contemporaries in Greenland, the UK, and Norway provide interesting ideas and resources that will be useful in our planning and activities in the future. Of course, the most intriguing part of our exploration of well-being at OLLI will rest in how we craft intellectual and social opportunities that bring meaning and value to members in this place. As the Advisory Board and staff continue our work in this area, we will continue to share ideas and plans.
As always, you can call the OLLI office if you have any questions (207-780-4406) or email olliatusm@maine.edu for answers.
—Donna Anderson, Director
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In this edition . . .
- Director's Message (above)
- Update from the OLLI Advisory Board Chair (below)
- New Crossing and Traffic Patterns
- SAGE in October
- SIG News--New Knitting SIG
- Arts & Craft SIG News
- October Trivia Column
- Rescheduled Workshop: "How to Eat Like a Maine Native," October 21
- October PopUps
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Reflections is on Its Way
- October Trivia Answers
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New Crossings and Traffic Patterns
With the opening of the new parking garage and the shift in entrances and exits, students and visitors can be confused when driving on campus.
USM is conducting a 6-month observation study to find and determine remedies for potential problem areas.
In the meantime, please keep these safety suggestions in mind:
- Please wait for traffic to come to a stop before venturing into a crosswalk.
- Please use crosswalks to cross any road on campus.
- Please be alert as you move across the crosswalk, in case the driver does not see you. Look both left and right to ensure that you are aware of vehicles coming from both directions.
Thank you for your patience and for using extra vigilance when crossing streets on campus.
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SAGE this October
Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 A.M.
Hybrid: In-person or via your laptop or alternative device
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October 3: Shankar Narayan, Attorney & Advocate for Community-Centric Technology; Board Member, CETI (Creative Emergent Agency)
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Its History, Data, Algorithms & Accountability
NOTE: This speaker will participate via Zoom.
Shankar will tell how artificial Intelligence (AI) influences our daily lives from healthcare to credit, and housing to policing. He will trace the history of AI systems, which are becoming harder to detect and challenge, as AI algorithms, such as ChatGPT, become more embedded in our society. As an independent consultant for tech equity, he will speak about how we can bring fairness, transparency, and accountability to surveillance and AI technologies, and how we can empower the leadership of impacted communities, including people of color, immigrants, and religious and gender minorities. An immigrant himself, Shankar is a graduate of Bates College, Yale Law School and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He has taught law, technology, and ethics at Seattle University School of Law.
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October 10: Dan Koloski, Professor, Professional Studies at Northeastern University
The Roux Institute: Shaping tech talent and innovation in Maine
Dan Koloski’s responsibilities are in “Blending entrepreneurship with academics to build experiential and innovative learning experiences” for the Roux Institute. He is head of the learning programs in the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University’s Roux Institute. He is not only in charge of learning programs, but head of the Roux partnerships’ team in their developing and teaching customized courses to the Institute’s business partners. A graduate of Yale, and holding a MBA from Harvard Business School, Dan has twenty years of IT experience, which he uses in teaching and applying analytics for the Roux’s business partners. Join us as Dan tells how the Roux Institute will reshape entrepreneurship in Maine.
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October 17: Greg Marley, LCSW. Founder: Mushrooms for Health
Edible and Medicinal Wild Mushrooms; Explore the Benefits, Avoid the Risks
Greg Marley has been collecting, studying, eating, growing and teaching about mushrooms for over 45 years. He is a mushroom identification consultant to the New England Poison Control Center and owner of Mushrooms for Health, a company that provides education and consultation about mushrooms. He is a translator of the complex world of fungi. Beyond talking how we use mushrooms, Greg will enlighten us about how the very health of our forests depends upon the ongoing dynamic relationships with resident fungi. Greg Marley is the author of Mushrooms for Health: Medicinal Secrets of Northeastern Fungi, and the award winning, Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares: The Love, Lore and Mystic of Mushrooms. Learn with us as Greg delves into the benefits of mushrooms for both ourselves and our environment.
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October 24: Caroline Croft Estay, Co-founder of Vertical Harvest
Vertical Harvest: Maine’s first large urban indoor farm to grow produce year-round
Vertical Harvest is a community-oriented urban farming company headquartered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It has started construction on its four-story, 52,000 sq. ft. building, its second location, in Westbrook, Maine, which is due to open in 2024. This state-of-the-art vertical greenhouse’s growing season will be year-round and not affected by seasonality, severe storms or droughts, which are getting worse due to climate change. In Caroline Croft Estay's presentation, you will hear how vertical farming works using hydroponic technology (no soil, no fertilizer, no pesticides.) You will also learn about their unique Grow Well Employment Program developed for people with disabilities. She will further discuss Vertical Harvest’s goal of helping cities find solutions to critical issues like sustainability, economic inclusion, food insecurity, access to nutritious food, and climate resiliency. Vertical Harvest has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, PBS, The Today Show, Matter of Fact, Inc.Magazine and has a documentary, Hearts of Glass.
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October 31: Rob Stevenson, Author, Adventurer, and Shipwreck Explorer
Diving to the SS Andrea Doria: The Mount Everest of Shipwrecks
Rob Stevenson is a true explorer who lives right here in our midst! He has led a life of an outdoor adventurer as a rock climber, fly casting instructor, saltwater fisherman and deep cold water explorer. Among the shipwrecks he has explored is the famous Italian luxury liner, the Andrea Doria, the Mount Everest of shipwrecks given it is one of the most challenging to explore. Rob’s presentation will detail the hazards divers encounter as well as the many interesting and valuable artifacts recovered. He will show many dramatic photographs of the wreck, as well as have on display china, silver and currency he has salvaged. Rob published two books and has been featured in People Magazine, on NPR, and has been interviewed on news and morning talk shows.
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Our SAGE Series of hybrid offerings on Tuesday mornings means we can attend a presentation in-person at Wishcamper 102 or we may attend via Zoom from wherever we may be, in Maine or elsewhere. All presentations are recorded and available to those of us who have signed up for the SAGE Series or registered ahead of time for individual offerings. The SAGE Series can be purchased on the OLLI website in the same manner as an OLLI class. However, single SAGE lectures cost $10 each and are open to the general public. One does not need to be an OLLI member to attend a single lecture. Thus, you can invite a non-OLLI member to join you for a single program in-person or when purchasing a single lecture for online viewing. For online viewing contact the OLLI office at 207-780-4406 no later than the Thursday prior to the lecture.
You can register by using this link: https://usm.maine.edu/osher-lifelong-learning-institute/registration/
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SIG News Flash!
. . . Louise says, "Let's Knit!"
If you are a knitter and enjoy meeting and chatting with other knitters, sign on as a member of OLLI’s new Special Interest Group. The Knitting Club will hold its first meeting on Monday, October 2nd, from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m., in the Library of the Wishcamper Building. A basic level of knitting skill is desirable. You will meet each week and chat with fellow knitting enthusiasts during the fall, winter, and spring terms at OLLI.
All SIG groups are FREE for OLLI Members, but you must register online under the “Special Interest Groups” section in the online registration system. Here are the registration instructions:
How to Register: Go to our registration portal by clicking the “Register Online” button. Sign in at the top of the page first. After signing into the registration portal:
Make sure you are a 2023–2024 member or add it to your cart
Select Special Interest Groups on the left
Click on the date of the desired event
Scroll down for the ADD TO CART button
Continue shopping lf you want to add more events or checkout
MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION RIGHT UP TO THE END WHEN IT SAYS “THANK YOU.” If you don’t see “thank you,” you are not registered, and you probably didn’t go far enough in the registration process.
Your SIG facilitator and fellow knitter is Louise Sullivan. For more information, you may contact Louise via email at lrsullivan72@gmail.com.
Happy knitting,
Paula Johnson, Board SIG Coordinator
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OLLI Arts and Crafts Special Interest Group
OLLI members join us on Tuesday October 17 at 3:15 in Wishcamper Room 103 to learn how to paint with coffee. Linda Werner will teach us to use instant coffee and water to create various hues of brown. Dissolving the instant coffee in varying amounts of water makes an amazing assortment of shades of color from beige to a deep, dark brown. Using watercolor paper for maximum absorption of water provides the artist with a great canvas to create beautiful paintings and abstract designs.
Attendees only need to bring a few different sizes of round paint brushes, a pencil and a paper plate to use as a palette. Everything else will be provided.
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By Faye Gmeiner
Welcome to the new OLLI year. Our Trivia group meets twice a month on Monday evenings, and we invite you to join us. There is no cost for OLLI members who have paid their 2023-2024 membership fee. You can sign up on the OLLI Registration Page; choose the link to Pop-ups.
Here are our choices for the best Trivia Night questions from late summer. You can find the answers later in this newsletter.
1. Who was the only United States President to earn a Ph.D.?
2. Which of the seven dwarfs was the only one to wear glasses? Can you name all seven of the dwarfs?
3. What is the official name for Maine’s first-ever state butterfly?
4. What think tank’s name was coined from the term “research and development?”
5. What TV show’s final episode on August 29,1967 had the highest all-time viewer share until November 21, 1980?
6. Which state was the first to outlaw the sale of alcohol?
7. What gemstone is most expensive on a per-carat basis?
8. One more presidential question as a bookend for this month: How old was Woodrow Wilson when he learned to read?
Answers to the trivia questions can be found below.
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Postponed Workshop Now Rescheduled
New Opportunity to Sign Up
How to Eat Like a Maine Native
This much-touted and fully enrolled workshop, scheduled in September, had to be postponed and is now rescheduled for Saturday, October 21, at 9:30 in room 211 of Wishcamper.
Penobscot nation chef Joe Robbins has been researching the foods and cooking of Maine’s historic tribes and will share his findings and his own experiences cooking what his ancestors ate. Did you know wild rice grows all over Maine and gets harvested by canoe? Do you know the secret of burying smoked fish in seaside pits to save for the coming year, or why steaming meat in pits is so good? Why is cooking bison different from cooking beef? Joe is bringing foods to sample. This is an in-person workshop.
Those who had previously registered and are able to join on this new date have been given priority seating. However, there are 13 spaces left, providing another chance for those who were not able to register before.
Online registration is the same as for any other course or workshop: go to the OLLI website; click on the yellow SIGN IN button at the top and enter your password. Then press the INSTRUCTOR line in the left column, scroll down to SANDY GARSON, click on this workshop, and continue to fill in the registration form.
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October PopUps
Pictionary Oct. 12th & 26th at 3:30pm
Trivia Oct. 16th & 30th at 7pm
Podcast Chats:
1. October: 11 , 7 pm
Host: Star Pelsue
Revolutionizing Social Science: Facebook's Data Diversity and Speed
Discover the future of social science with Facebook. Overcome criticisms of small, homogenous samples and witness the excitement of scientists like Dacher Keltner at UC-Berkeley as they embrace diverse data and lightning-fast experimentation. Explore the transformative potential at the intersection of data and speed in social science research.
2. October: 18, 7 pm
Host: Star Pelsue
What Happens When the Colorado River Dries Up?
What happens when one of the nation's largest rivers dries up? Photojournalist Pete McBride tells us about the consequences of a prolonged drought in the Colorado River, which provides drinking water and electricity to millions of Americans, and shares his experience walking the river from end to end. What can we learn from the landscape revealed by the historically low water levels, and will they become the new normal?
Aging group
October 26, 7pm
"Aging with Resilience: Stories of Triumph and Transformation"
Host : Elizabeth Housewright
Join us for the Aging Series, where participants will share the stories of how we have used our inner strength and resilience to navigate the challenges of aging. In this gathering, fellow OLLI members are encouraged to share the triumphs and transformations, highlighting the successes and strategies of those who have embraced the aging process with resilience and grace. Discover their secrets to living a fulfilling life as we celebrate the resilience that lies within us all. We hope to see you at this empowering conversation on aging with resilience.
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Reflections Is on Its Way!
This year’s edition is presently in the works and will be ready for distribution at our Celebratory Launch on Monday, October 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (between classes) in the Wishcamper Forum (the large open area in the back, facing the new parking garage). We will have readings by authors and viewings with comments by visual artists and photographers on that day. Snacks will be provided, and our handsome new magazine will be available. Please come join in the fun and good company!
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Reminder: Interested in joining the next Trivia Po-Up? You can sign up on the OLLI website under Special Events.
1. Who was the only United States President to earn a Ph.D.?
Answer: Woodrow Wilson. Wilson earned his degree in Political Science at Johns Hopkins. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Princeton, and then attended the Law School of the University of Virgina. He entered Johns Hopkins in 1883 and completed his doctoral degree in the field of Political Science in three years. In 1919, he earned the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Prize website includes this statement in its biographical summary:
In 1885 he published Congressional Government, a splendid piece of scholarship which analyzes the difficulties arising from the separation of the legislative and executive powers in the American Constitution.
2. Which of the seven dwarfs was the only one to wear glasses? Can you name all seven of the dwarfs?
Answer: Doc. In the 1937 Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Doc is the leader of the dwarfs, wears glasses, and often mixes up his words. Did you know that the seven dwarfs (Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey) first appeared over 100 years earlier (1812) in the fairy tale of Snow White?
3. What is the official name for Maine’s first-ever state butterfly?
Answer: Pink-edged Sulphur Colias. Two Loranger Middle School students initiated the process by writing to their Representative to ask why Maine did not have a state butterfly. The bill was signed into law in May 2023; the students had participated in the full legislative process, including dressing up and testifying in favor of the bill. The Pink-edged Suphur Colias is found in fields, woods, and bogs throughout Maine. It has a two-inch wingspan, and its wings are yellow with pink rims. It prefers to lay its eggs on our state fruit’s (blueberry) plants.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/05/29/maine-has-a-state-butterfly-thanks-to-two-inquisitive-fifth-graders
4. What think tank’s name was coined from the term “research and development?”
Answer: RAND Corporation. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the RAND Corporation as a “nonpartisan think tank whose original focus was national security. It grew out of a research-and-development project (its name RAND is a contraction of “research and development”) by Douglas Aircraft Co. for the Army Air Force in 1945.”
5. What TV show’s final episode on August 29,1967, had the highest all-time viewer share until November 21, 1980?
Answer: The Fugitive. 72% of viewers, approximately 78 million people, watched “The Judgment: Part II.” That was more viewers than had watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show three years earlier! The episode was unusual because it provided closure for the plot in a way that resolved the issues/provided justice for Kimball and began a trend. Other TV series began writing final episodes to tie up loose ends. It was the 120th episode in the series (1963-1967) and remained the most watched until America learned who killed JR on Dallas in 1980.
6. Which state was the first to outlaw the sale of alcohol?
Answer: Maine. Maine passed a prohibition law in 1846 and then passed a stricter law in 1851, due in large degree to the efforts of Neal Dow, the Quaker mayor of Portland and local temperance movement leader. The law prohibited the sale of alcohol, except for industrial and medical purposes. The United States didn’t pass its prohibition law (The Volstead Act) until October 1919. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the law, but his veto was overridden by both the House and Senate. The United States went “dry” in January 1920.
7. What gemstone is most expensive on a per-carat basis?
Answer: The ruby. Rubies are gem quality corundum. Their red color comes from chromium. Rubies are rarer than diamonds or sapphires. It is difficult to distinguish modern-era synthesized rubies from natural rubies. People have been developing ways to synthesize the gems since the late 1800s.
8. One more presidential question as a bookend for this month: How old was Woodrow Wilson when he learned to read?
Answer: Twelve years old. A number of writers have described him as having had a specific learning disability. Fascinating and impressive—from SLD (undiagnosed I’m sure) to PhD and Nobel Prize winner!
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Are you considering submitting an article to the OLLI Newsletter? Get in contact with us! | |
Email ollinews@maine.edu
to submit your piece.
Phone:207-780-4406
Tim Baehr, Editor
Don King, Editor Emeritus
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Deadline for the next issue is October15. |
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Maine Senior College Network | | |
OLLI National Resource Center | | |
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Non-discrimination Notice
The University of Maine, including USM, is an EEO/AA employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
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