Institute for Mature Learning
900 N Benton Ave
Springfield, MO 65802
Office: (417) 873-6952
iml@drury.edu
Course Schedule for September 7 - December 7, 2010
1st Tue each Month - Meet at 12:30 for lunch at Findlay Student Center
Sep 7 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin LibraryMy Experiences with Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean & others Dick Meyer will continue his discussions about celebrities he has actually worked with in New York City. His previous talks generated a great deal of interest and he is coming back to tell us more.
Sep 14 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Reap the Whirlwind: Guerrillas and the Civil War in Missouri Dr. Bill Piston, History Professor at MSU, will make this presentation. Only Virginia and Tennessee saw more battles during the Civil War than Missouri, but in Missouri a large portion of the struggle took the form of guerrilla warfare. He will address the nature and conduct of the guerrilla war, how it impacted civilians, the identity of the guerrillas and how the Union government combated guerillas.
Sep 21 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Freedom’s Champions: Missouri’s African Americans in the Civil War Dr. Piston continues his discussion of the Civil War in Missouri. Although the Civil War ended slavery in America, the story involved much more than Lincoln’s famous Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. This presentation places the service of Missouri’s 8,000 black Civil War soldiers and sailors in the context of the larger war.
Sep 28 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Iron Afloat: Missourians and the Civil War on the Western Rivers Dr. Piston continues his discussion of the Civil War in Missouri. The role Missourians played in famous battles is well chronicled, but the contributions of Missourians who fought on the Mississippi River and its tributaries have been largely overlooked. This presentation examines the crucial role Missourians played in building, manning and sustaining the Union ironclad flotilla that opened the Mississippi River and doomed the Confederacy.
Oct 5 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
How to know what Foods to Choose Paul Trout, Certified Executive Chef from OTC will make this presentation about choosing foods. He will advise us where to look for real food and what choices are the best decisions when shopping. He will be providing a list of local produce, meat and dairy providers in the local area as well as how to read a label.
Oct 12 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Is Organic Sustainable? Paul Trout will continue his presentation. Choosing to ship organic foods from other countries or across the U.S. to claim sustainable for marketing purposes … is this the right choice for consumers? What is Holistic farming and how can we get to know what is responsible when making food choices.
Oct 19 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Lessons from Sinkholes – Living with our Landscape Dr. Doug Gouzie, MSU Geology Professor will discuss recent sinkhole openings, from the house swallowed in 2006 in Nixa to the large hole that destroyed an entire apartment building in Guatemala in May 2010 have reminded us that we live in a very active landscape. A review of local sinkhole events and information and an overview of ongoing research at Missouri State University with interesting photographs and the latest news on things you can look for around your own property that may indicate a risk for sinkhole.
Oct 26 – Meet at 2:00 PM at Missouri Institute for Natural Science
Missouri is “The Cave State” Matt Forir, Executive Director of Missouri Institute for Natural Science, will present information about caves in general. He will also tell us why Missouri is “The Cave State” and it’s not because we have the most caves. He is a very interesting repeat presenter and we will go to his location where we heard him last time.
Nov 2 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Springfield’s Premier Green campus: the Elementary Years Dr. Wendy Anderson, Director of Campus Sustainability and Drury U. Associate Professor of Biology will talk about how Drury has fully embraced its commitment to the environment in 2005 with the 2005-6 Convocation Series on Sustainability. Drury is like a first-grader, full of energy, enthusiasm and the desire to learn and do. Come hear what Drury has done so far, what they plan to do soon and what their long-term goals are. In the process, think about our own personal journal of living sustainably.
Nov 9 – Meet at 2:00 PM in the Trustee Science Center Auditorium
How physicists view the world–thinking about objects and their interactions Dr. Brant Hinrichs, Drury Associate Professor of Physics will make this presentation. What is reality? What is physics? Answers will reveal how physicists view physical phenomena in the world around us. We will develop some physics views about electricity and magnetism. Are electricity and magnetism the same thing or different? Come prepared to be actively involved!!
Nov 16 – Meet at 2:00 PM in in the Trustee Science Center Auditorium
What’s that thing out there in space, glinting in the sun? Dr. Gregory W. Ojakangas, Drury Associate Professor of Physics will discuss distant orbiting objects which pose a potentially catastrophic threat to both manned and unmanned space missions, and can be observed by telescope as points of light that grow brighter and dimmer as they rotate in the sun while orbiting the earth. The goal is to be able to look at a piece of orbiting debris, far too distant to resolve directly, and be able to tell its size, shape and probably composition just by the way it reflects light. As NASA prepares to return to the moon and mars, getting astronauts and spacecraft safely beyond our own orbiting junkyard is a prerequisite.
Nov 23 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Missouri Trial Judge, Prosecutor and Defense Attorney Views of the Sentencing Assessment Report Process Dr. Karl Kunkel, Professor of Criminology and Head of the Department of Sociology at MSU, will make this presentation. The goal of this controversial sentencing reform was to save money by decreasing the prison population. This discussion examines how opinions vary on the value of the new Sentencing Assessment Report.
Nov 30 – Meet at 2:00 PM in Olin Room of Olin Library
Going Green Cara Shaefer, Director-Energy Management and Conservation for City Utilities, will discuss various aspects of energy and water efficiency. There is a lot of talk about “going green” today. Most people think that means installing renewable energy sources, while efficiency is overlooked. Making your home or business more efficient is the first step to “going green.” Learn low-cost and no-cost ways to take that first step, and where to go from there.
Dec 7 – Meet at 12:00 PM at Recreation Room in Cooper Estates
Annual Christmas Party This will be our annual Christmas party which will be held at Cooper Estates. The entrance is located off of Eastgate Drive just south of Division.
