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OLLI Outlook
The Monthly Newsletter of OLLI @Berkeley
February 2014
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OLLI Staff
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Director
Susan Hoffman
Program Coordinator
Nicole Magnuson
Communications Coordinator
Satya Levine
Classroom and Events
Gerard Alcantara
Program Assistant
Talia Walsmith
Research Assistant
Chelsea Crown
Communications Assistant Julie Leung
Research Intern Jason Gant
Student Staff
Nika Allahverdi Mahnoor Baker Allawala Stephen Frianeza
Lucy Hong Tang Tammy Huynh
Hansen Ling David Lu
BriAnne Lynn Sarah Powell
Kelsey Hannah Rich
Jessica Wang Valeria Yermakova
OLLI @ Berkeley
University of California 1925 Walnut St #1570 Berkeley, CA94720-1570 tel. 510.942.9934 fax. 510.642.2202 berkeley_olli@berkeley.edu http://olli.berkeley.edu |
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| Spring Registration Coming Soon! | | | The spring lineup will be released shortly and registration will begin February 14. Look for an email announcing the start of registration. We recommend registering early, as many classes will fill. |
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New Email Forum: OLLI Berkeley Connections
| | OLLI Berkeley Connections Launches Next Week
OLLI Members and associates will be invited this week to join an Email Forum designed for OLLI members to connect with each other for social activities and to share useful information. The forum is called the OLLI Berkeley Connections, also known as OLLIBConnect and OBC.
Participation in OLLIBConnect is voluntary. You will not become a OLLIBConnect member unless you accept the invitation to join. Those who join the group will receive an email whenever a group member sends a message to the email address of OLLIBConnect. We hope you will try it out. Look for an invitation to join in your email inbox soon.
More about OBC |
| Fourth Age Salon | | |
Monday, February 10, 3:15-4:45 p.m.
University Hall Room 41B
Guest speaker: Joaquin Anguera, from the Gazzaley Lab at UCSF
Joaquin Anguera is the first author of a famous study from the Gazzaley Lab on how video game training enhances cognitive control control in older adults. Anguera's study was recently featured in Nature magazine.
Joaquin will discuss the Nature article, the success of their video game design, what the results really mean, and what to expect next not only from the Gazzaley Lab but from the field in general. It may be possible for attendees to try out some of the current games.
Please email chelseacrown@berkeley.edu if you would like a copy of the Nature article.
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| Travel Programs | | Berlin: Two Pasts, One Present
May 16-May 24, 2014
In collaboration with Road Scholar
In the Golden Twenties, Berlin commanded center stage as Europe's most prodigious capital of art, music and science. Following the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, the city is once again at the cultural and architectural center of Europe. Experience the political life and mentality of modern Germany in expert-led lectures, field trips, and meetings with contemporary witnesses and German politicians.
Berlin Info Session:
Tues., Feb. 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
University Hall Room 41B
2199 Addison St., Berkeley
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
July 17-21, 2014
In collaboration with A.C.T
Join us for a thrilling trip to one of the most beloved theater destinations in the country! Meet actors, rub shoulders with A.C.T. artistic staff, and play a part in an extraordinary and unique insider's experience alongside fellow theater enthusiasts.
Registration for both travel programs will open on February 14. |
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Winter 2014 Speaker Series: Science
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Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
2020 Addison St, Berkeley
Free to OLLI members, UCB faculty, staff, and students (with ID)
$10 general admission
More info | RSVP online
February 12
Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate
Michael Wehner, Staff Scientist in Computational Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
February 19
Harnessing the Plasticity of the Older Brain
Adam Gazzaley, Associate Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry, and Director of UCSF Neuroscience Imaging Center
February 26 Nutritional Inadequacy and Age-Related Diseases
Bruce N. Ames, Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley and Director, Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute March 5
Learning and Longevity: Applying the Insights of Neuroscience
Susan Hoffman, Director, OLLI@Berkeley
NEW: March 12 (Location: University Hall Room 150)
The "Broken Finance Model" in Public Higher Education in the United States
Jane Wellman, Researcher and consultant in higher education policy
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Faculty Profile: Russell Merritt
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by Hilary Kaiser, OLLI member
 Born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Connecticut, Russell Merritt grew up going to the movies. "It was the thing to do," he says. He became seriously interested in film in high school and college; it became a gateway to the other arts, particularly literature, history, and painting. By the time he entered graduate school, he was specializing in Renaissance literature, and then seized the opportunity to apply what he learned in other disciplines to the world of film. His first academic article was on Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad."
Russell's Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard University was on D.W. Griffith, "the father of film," whom he discovered in high school watching "Birth of a Nation." Centering his study on the 485 short- to full-length films Griffith made between 1908 and 1913, he spent hours at the Library of Congress viewing them. His interest in Griffith led to a more general fascination with silent film and with various film styles and genres-from animation to national cinema (French, Italian, Japanese, and German), to the films of the 50s, to name just a few. When asked which film he thought had the most influential impact on him, Russell thinks for a moment and then replies: "La Règle du Jeu" ("Rules of the Game", made by Jean Renoir in 1939).
After teaching for 20 years as a tenured professor at the University of Wisconsin, Russell moved to California in 1986 to join his friend and classmate from graduate school, Bill Nestrick, founder of UC Berkeley's film program. In addition to teaching film at Berkeley, he has also taught at the University of Southern California, Stanford, and San Francisco State University.
Wearing another hat, Russell is also producer and director of "The Great Nickelodeon Show," a 90-minute recreation of a turn-of-the-century film exhibition with live acts and illustrated lectures. This original program has been performed at film festivals throughout the country and abroad. "It recreates what it was like going to the movies back then," he says.
Russell and his wife Karen, who is retired from the President's Office at UC Berkeley, are avid San Francisco opera and symphony goers and staunch supporters of the Berkeley Art Museum. Eclectic in his musical tastes, Merritt also loves American pop music from the 50s and 60s. He and Karen have traveled extensively abroad. As part of the commemoration of the First World War, Russell will attend a film conference in Macedonia to lecture on how film was used to interpret and "sell" the war to Americans.
Russell is very much looking forward to giving his first class at OLLI. "I've had some students from OLLI in my classes at the Pacific Archive mixed in with undergraduates. It's going to be fun teaching exclusively to people my own age and getting their input," he says. Russell will be concentrating on hidden themes of the 50s and illustrating his lectures with a wide variety of film clips, slides, and animation shorts. As for the feature films, they will be determined by what films are available for students to see outside of class, but they will include the classics such as On the Waterfront, exploitation films such as [The Incredible Shrinking Man] and the one-of-a-kinds, like Sweet Smell of Success and Shadows. "The course will be all about a decade you only thought you knew."
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| Volunteer Profile: Sue Boyle | | |
 I moved from Illinois to California to go to Stanford. Professionally, I worked as a statistician and computer systems analyst in aerospace and biomedicine and later as an environmental planner, mostly for the US Forest Service and US Coast Guard. I've lived and worked in California, Montana, Alaska, and Nevada, and worked briefly in Argentina. I've been a camper, backpacker, boater, naturalist, and gardener.
After working as statistician and computer systems analyst, I moved to Berkeley to study landscape architecture and environmental planning. I joined OLLI about 5 or 6 years ago after looking for places that offered classes on interesting subjects. I was not interested in getting another degree and I did not want to be required to do homework.
As an OLLI volunteer, I've been a class assistant and am currently active on the Member Services Committee. Most recently, I signed up to be the first moderator for OLLI's new email forum for members: OLLIBConnect.
Outside of OLLI, I also volunteer at the Cal Academy of Sciences and the Paramount Theater in Oakland. I have been retired for almost 10 years and in my free time, I hike, do modern dance, travel, and am a passionate museum-goer. I've also been bitten by the Photoshop bug and am interested in computer graphics. I love to read, cook, travel, and hang out with friends. I am interested in Chinese medicine, nutrition, and I practice qigong every day to get back on track for better health in the next stage of my life.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact the Member Services Committee. There are volunteer opportunities for every level of interest. Assistance and new ideas are always welcome.
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| Annual Fund Update | | We are proud to announce that after year-end donations and responses to our annual appeal, we have received over $47,000 for the Annual Fund, with $11,000 further in pledges. This brings us to 77% of this year's goal! Our sincere thanks to all who have contributed. View list of donors
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| The Lunch Bunch | | |
by Lucille Poskanzer, OLLI member
Paris Baguette
2150 Shattuck Ave., near the main entrance to Downtown Berkeley BART
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-0404
This new place is a branch of a Korean chain, and it is a delightful and popular addition to downtown Berkeley. It is open from early in the morning until fairly late at night. Paris Baguette features beautiful sweet and savory pastries, fantastically decorated cakes, hot and cold drinks, and a small number of sandwiches, both ready made and made to order. Grab a tray and tongs when you enter, and fill the tray with whatever you desire. It will be totaled up at the register, along with your drink or sandwich order. The setting is bright, clean, and modern, with lots of seating, or you can get everything to go. Prices are very moderate.
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| Fee Assistance Program | | |
We hope you know that OLLI offers fee assistance for those who cannot otherwise afford the membership or course fees. Spread the word if you know someone who could benefit!
To apply, send a letter explaining your circumstances to OLLI F.A.P., 1925 Walnut St. #1570, Berkeley, CA 94720-1570 or apply by email to berkeley_olli@berkeley.edu.
For Spring 2014, the application deadline is Friday, March 14 at 5 p.m. (Please note, fee assistance is offered only for courses that have spaces open. See the website for currently available offerings.) More info at http://olli.berkeley.edu/lib/FAQs/FAQs-FeeAssistanceProgram.pdf
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| Faculty News | | |
Roger Housden is leading his Literary Pilgrimage to the Soul of England, June 1-8, 2014. Groups are limited to 10 participants. Learn more.
Instructor Kathryn Roszak is the recipient of a new grant from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation supporting her company, Danse Lumiere. A modern "Schubertiade," created by Danse Lumiere with pianists Michael Orland and Karen Rosenak, and sponsored by Goethe-Institut, will be presented on April 4 at 8 p.m., at Salle Pianos, 1632 Market St., San Francisco. Ticket at Goethe-Institut: 415-263-8760. More information at www.dlkdance.com.
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| Academic Adventure in Oxford | |
The Oxford Berkeley Program is accepting enrollments for next summer: July 21-August 9, 2014. Now in its 45th year, the Program is designed for an intellectually curious audience: independent adults who wish to widen their horizons through traveling and discovering the world through the lens of an academic discipline. Program "scholars" live and study at University of Oxford's Merton College and immerse themselves in the daily rhythms of life at college. For more information or to enroll, visit: http://extension.berkeley.edu/static/oxford, or call 510-642-3824.
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OLLI's Idea Box
| | Have a great idea for an OLLI course? Have you heard someone speak who would be an interesting instructor? Do you know an organization who would provide a discount to OLLI members? Please share your ideas using this link and we will forward to the appropriate staff or committee for consideration.
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| Member Benefits | | |
Berkeley Symphony: 10% Discount
Berkeley Symphony is offering a 10% discount on single tickets to OLLI members for the 2013-14 Season at Zellerbach Hall. Call the box office and identify yourself as an OLLI member when you order your tickets.
Berkeley Arts and Letters: 50% Discount
Berkeley Arts and Letters offers a 50% student discount to OLLI members on advance tickets purchased through their website. Their next program begins in February 2014. Visit http://berkeleyarts.org for more information. Jazz Caffe: 10% Discount
Show your OLLI student card and get 10% off on food and non-alcoholic beverages (when ordered with food). The Jazz Caffe is located at 2087 Addison Street, just across the street from Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse. You can order ahead by stopping in on your way to class or over the phone at 510.883.0231. Check out their menu: http://www.jazzcaffe.biz/caffe.htm. |
| OLLI Academic Calendar | | SPRING 2014
Berkeley Open House: March 11
Lafayette Info Session: March 13
Term: March 31- May 9
SUMMER 2014
Term: June 2-27
FALL 2014
Berkeley Open House: September 9
Term: September 29 - November 7
WINTER 2015
Berkeley Open House: January 6
Term: January 26 - March 9
Term dates through the 2014-15 academic year are available at http://olli.berkeley.edu/calendar/academicCalendar.html. |
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