Author: ASA Webmaster

Michael M. Brescia, Ph.D., Curator of Ethnohistory, Arizona State Museum Affiliated Professor of History and Law, UA  Monday, September 27, 2021, 2:30-4:30 p.m., an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Much like the heated debates over Civil War monuments and critical race theory,

Steven Renzi, Speaker for Arizona Humanities, writer, and photographer Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* In movies and stories, the conquest of the West is associated primarily with the technology of the six-shooter and the repeating

Dan Angelo, President of ASA; and Gary Fenstermacher, President of ASC Wednesday, September 15, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, Live in the Great Room and an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Note: This program has been specially organized for ASA members who live

Ladd Keith, Assistant Professor, UA School of Landscape Architecture and Planning Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Planet Earth has been experiencing record-breaking temperatures over the past few summers, and this summer is no exception. 

Michael Chriss, Astronomer and Academy Village Resident Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, a Zoom Webinar*   Measuring time:  in pre-history people could keep track of the days by the sun’s rise and setting; the months by the changing of

Dr. Albrecht Classen, University Distinguished Professor of German Studies, University of Arizona Wednesday, August 25, 2021 2:30–3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* In the long history of borders and walls, one stands out in recent human memory: we know it

Carolyn O’Bagy Davis, Writer and Lecturer on Western History  Wednesday, August 18, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, An ASA Zoom Webinar*   Carolyn O’Bagy Davis, western historian, archeology writer and master quilter, is currently writing the biography of a remarkable woman, Kate

Vivian Harte, Writer, former president of Greater Tucson League of Women Voters Wednesday, August 11, 2021, 1:30-2:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*  (Please note: this presentation will not be recorded for rebroadcast.)   Every state has a prescribed protocol for

Kirsten Engel, JD, Arizona State Senator District 10 Wednesday, August 4, 2021, 2:30-3:30pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* (Note: this talk was rescheduled from June 21.)   As you may be aware, the Arizona Senate has been highly active in 2021,

Jim Malusa, Research Scientist with the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, UA Wednesday, July 21, 2021 2:30–3:30 pm An ASA Zoom Webinar*      Fires are distressing:  Over the last thirty years, every mountain range in southeastern Arizona

Carlye Dundon, Owner, Maxfield Creative Consulting Wednesday, July 28, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Carlye Dundon has spoken at ASA many times on various topics and personalities in the world of art.  Her lectures have always been

Gitanjali Gnanadesikan, MA, PhD Candidate, UA Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 2:30 – 3:30 pm, a Zoom Webinar*     One of the challenges of studying animals is that we can’t just ask them what they are thinking; consequently, we have

Jean McLain, Professor, Environmental Sciences, UA Wednesday, July 7, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* As our groundwater is increasingly depleted by pumping and the Colorado River is being exhausted by ever greater agricultural and population demands, what are

Leslie Boyer, Emeritus Professor/Medical Director, VIPER Institute, UA Wednesday, June 30, 2:30 – 3:30 pm, a Zoom Webinar* The Sonoran Desert is a haven for interesting wildlife, including venomous creatures such as scorpions, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, and black widow and

Janice Jarrett, PhD, Musician, Ethnomusicololgist Monday, June 28, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, a Zoom Webinar*   Science teaches us that sounds are vibrations that can be discerned by the ear. Sound is produced by vibrating objects which are carried to the

Kirsten Engel, JD, Arizona State Senator District 10 CANCELED – Monday, June 21,2021 2:30-3:30pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   As you may be aware, the Arizona Senate has been highly active in 2021, with several controversial bills passed. Senator Kirsten

Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar, Cultural Ecologist/Watershed Management Group Wednesday, June 23, 2021,   2:30-3:30 pm, An ASA Zoom Webinar*   Although rain is critically needed in the Sonoran Desert, summer monsoonal downpours can result in significant flooding without water infiltration.  One way

Nathan Horn-Mitchem, Chief Information Security Officer, Provident Bank and Beacon Trust of New Jersey    Monday, June 14th, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an Zoom Webinar*     Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting online systems, networks and programs from digital attacks.

Leslie Fuller, MA in Social Welfare and Certified Dementia Care Trainer Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 2:30–3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   In this lecture Leslie Fuller shares her experience working with seniors.  She explains the typical age-related memory and

Robert Glennon, J.D., Ph.D. Monday, June 7, 2021, 1:30-2:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Note different time.   This lecture will cover a very timely topic, presented by one of the nation’s preeminent experts on water policy and law, Robert

Mike Horn-Mitchem, Academy Village Monday, May 31, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* The idea of secret knowledge possessed by secret societies goes back at least to the dawn of Western civilization and flourished during the classical era in

Dr. Geoffrey Bender, Director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Southwestern Research Station Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 2:30–3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Geoffrey Bender poses the question: “Why would the American Museum of Natural History in New

Erik Berg, Historian Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   In 1937, a team of CalTech geology professors and rough-and-tumble boatmen set out in three small wooden boats on a six-week journey through the Grand Canyon

David Burel, Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication, ASU Monday, May 24, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, An ASA Zoom Webinar*   How many of us were moved by the poignancy of the 2021 Best Picture Oscar-winner “Nomadland” to recall incidents from our own

Dam Hee Kim, Assistant Professor of Communication, UA Monday, May 17, 2:30 – 3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Professor Dam Hee Kim will discuss how in today’s digital society individuals have amplified control over the types of media

  Li Yang: Faculty Associate, Arizona State University Wednesday, May 19th, 4:00-5:00pm, a Zoom webinar* Note special time. Although General John “Black Jack” Pershing is likely the most famous American military man of the First World War, few people have

  Marcia Neugebauer, Moderator Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm, a Zoom Webinar * and Discussion   This sixth, and probably last, of the ASA 2021 “Great Decisions” presentations is based on a video and an essay provided by the

  Theresa Crimmins, Director, NPN Monday, May 10, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   Phenology studies seasonal cycles in nature that affect plants, animals and climates and how they are impacted by variations in the cycles. It studies

  Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, UA Monday, May 3, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   The role of sleep in the Coronavirus pandemic warrants serious attention. During the social isolation engendered by the pandemic, many individuals have suffered from

Caleb Simmons, Assoc. Prof. of Religion, UA Monday, April 26, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*           When pop sensation Ariana Grande released her #1 hit single “God is a Woman” in 2018, for many

Martin Levy, PhD, Clinical Psychologist Wednesday, May 5, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Blending an interest in art with expertise in psychology has led Martin Levy to explore the importance of creativity in aging.  Advances in brain science

Moderator: Lucy Wilson, PhD, AV Sustainability Committee Monday, April 19, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm, a Zoom webinar* The Sustainability Committee is exploring the possibility of establishing a community garden here in the Academy Village. The Committee believes that a community garden

Nancy Fitzgerald, poet and retired professor of creative writing, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN Wednesday, April 28,2021, 2:30 -3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar*   “Poets’ words remind us that suffering is not our only birthright.  Life is also

Moderator: Mike Horn-Mitchem Monday, April 12, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm, a Zoom Webinar and Discussion* In this fifth of the ASA 2021 “Great Decisions” presentations based on a video and essay from the non-partisan Foreign Policy Association, we turn our attention

Doyle A. Ranstrom, Certified Financial Planner Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* It is often difficult for families to talk about important financial matters, but this reluctance can lead to poor or uninformed decisions. People need

Doyle A. Ranstrom, Certified Financial Planner Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* It is often difficult for families to talk about important financial matters, but this reluctance can lead to poor or uninformed decisions. People need

Leila Amerman, Waste Management Recycling Expert for Southwestern States Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Are plastic bags really more harmful than paper? Is this plastic container a recyclable tub or a throwaway tray? What about

Neil Kochenour, Moderator Monday, March 29, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar plus Discussion* The fourth in this year’s series of “Great Discussions” programs sponsored and supported by the Foreign Policy Association will focus on Brexit.  After a short

Win Holden, Former publisher of Arizona Highways  Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 2:30 to 3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Many Arizonans, both natives and transplants, have long looked forward each month to another issue of Arizona Highways, the premier travel

Derik Broekhoff, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 2:30 to 3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Some of you may have seen Bill Gates commenting recently that he “compensates” for his globe trotting in a private jet by

Suzanne Ferguson, Moderator Monday, March 22, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm, a Zoom Webinar* When we were young, back in the middle of the last century, the Arctic was a place of mystery and ice, the province of heroic explorers, polar bears,

Andrew Robertson, Moderator Monday, March 8, 2021, 2:30-4 pm, an ASA Great Decisions Webinar* “The Two Koreas” is the first of five weekly foreign policy discussions from the series, “Great Decisions 2021.” The discussion materials, including both videos and summary

Laura Tohe, Navajo Nation Poet Laureate (2015-2019) Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar in collaboration with Arizona Humanities* During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing they would be called

Michael Crimmins, Dept. of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, UA Monday, April 5, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Arizona has experienced dramatic hydroclimatic variability over the past several years, with back-to-back record warm and dry summers and an

Allen Dart, Archaeologist Wednesday, March 17, 2021 2:30–3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Archaeological and historic sites provide tangible evidence of a region’s past and of how cultures have changed through time. There are thousands of such sites in southern

Moderated by Marna Broekhoff, Academy Village Volunteer March 15, Monday, 2:30 to 4:00 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Again this March the Arizona Senior Academy is hosting weekly foreign policy discussions from the series, “Great Decisions 2021” by the Foreign

Sarah Nisbett, Artist & Founder, Drawn on the Way  Fridays, March 12 and 19, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm.  The class will be via Zoom and limited to 10 participants per class. Participants must register at info@arizonasenioracademy.org.   March 19 will repeat

Marcus Richter Hands-on Home Inspection Monday, March 1, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* As our homes age, or as we prepare to sell them, we may have problems with or questions about their safety, soundness, and sustainability. Marc

Dan Fellner, Arizona State University Wednesday, March 10, 2:30 – 3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Travel journalist Dan Fellner will lead a virtual journey to some of the most interesting and off-the-beaten path Jewish communities around the world.  We

Jim Turner, Arizona Historian Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar* Ever since cameras were invented, Arizona has inspired spectacular photography. We know that good photos are a prime way to embellish history, but it is equally