The Arizona Senior Academy (ASA) Lifelong Learning Lecture series brings the best of Arizona’s academic and professional worlds directly to Academy Village. Twice weekly, we host presentations from University of Arizona faculty, regional experts, and our own distinguished Resident Members ⭐️.
From climate change and healthcare to local art and global issues, these sessions deliver cutting-edge research and diverse perspectives to our community. Every lecture concludes with an interactive Q&A, allowing for direct, personal engagement with the presenters
Select the dates below for more information!
Monday, June 22
Towards Measuring the Atmosphere of Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e
Sudrit Ranjan, Ph.D: Professor, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
During his presentation, Sudrit Ranjan will explain how, with the use of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have the best chance at characterizing the atmosphere of a potentially habitable planet outside of our solar system called TRAPPIST-1e, which has some characteristics similar to earth. Read More…
Monday, June 29
Scraping the Surface: Intaglio Printmaking in Response to Extractive Industry
Devon Stackonis, MFA: Doctoral Student, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych we Wrocławiu (ASP); Fulbright Fellow, Poland, US Student Researcher in Printmaking 2024-2025
While Devon Stackonis creates extraordinary artistry by “scraping the surface” of copper using an intaglio printing process, extractive industries in Poland are “scraping the surface” of the earth and damaging water resources, creating flooding, and affecting climate. She’ll touch on the activist and environmental movements surrounding that, and how the printmaking process is in conversation with the history of extraction. Read More…
Monday, July 13
How Does Literacy Affect Southern Arizona?
Sharon O’Brien, Executive Director, Literacy Connects; Julie Wolfe Beadle, Chief Development Officer, Literacy Connects
Two leaders from the group Literacy Connects will discuss evidence-based approaches that are changing literacy outcomes for young readers and adult learners alike. They will demonstrate their research by sharing stories that illustrate the profound difference literacy can make in a person’s life. Read More…
Monday, July 20
The Intertwined History of Indian Land Dispossession, Arizona Statehood, and University Enrichment
Professor Teresa Miguel-Stearns is Associate Dean of Legal Information Innovation, Director of the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, and Professor of Law at the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona.
Dean Teresa Miguel-Stearns will discuss how Arizona’s institutions of higher education, specifically the University of Arizona, continue to benefit from an 1862 law that confiscated indigenous people’s lands and gave them to the state for the benefit of public education. Read More…
Monday, July 27
John Singer Sargent: Images from the Gilded Age
Martin Randall: Independent Arts Scholar and Speaker, Tucson Art Talks
Martin Randall shares how John Singer Sargent, shaped by a cosmopolitan yet outsider upbringing, became a leading Gilded Age portraitist known for captivating, sometimes controversial works. Later, he abandoned portraiture to travel widely, painting scenes across Europe, North Africa, and the United States, reflecting his lifelong passion for exploration. Read More…
Monday, August 24
Regenerating Nature & Community: The Future of Conservation in Sonora
Allison Kries: Co-Director, La Tierra del Jaguar
Colonial expansion and livestock ranching drastically reduced jaguars’ Sonoran range. This presentation from Allison Kries, Co-Director of La Tierra del Jaguar, shares their vision of community-centered conservation. They focus on regenerative practices and empowering rural communities to support wildlife. This approach strengthens resilience for both people and ecosystems. Read More…