IN PERSON: Symposia returns with in-person presentations from people making a positive impact on contemporary life. Each week, a different speaker will introduce you to valuable new insights into an important subject that may not have caught your attention otherwise. The opportunity to pose questions to these experts is a key feature of Symposia. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Location: Croasdaile Village Retirement Community, 2600 Croasdaile Farm Parkway, Durham NC 27705
Sept 10 - Chuck Flink, ASLA, PLA
North Carolina 2050: Challenges & Opportunities.
Chuck Flink is a fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects and recipient of many national, regional and local awards. As a renowned planner, he has completed work in 250 communities, 37 states and seven foreign countries, including the American Tobacco Trail, in North Carolina; the Miami River Greenway, in Florida; and the Grand Canyon Greenway, in Arizona. Flink’s recent book is “The Greenway Imperative: Connecting Communities and Landscapes for a Sustainable Future.” Flink will provide a unique insider's view into how North Carolina is handling its explosive growth, given its recognition as a destination for technology, commerce, retirement and quality of living.
Sept 17 - Michelle Nowlin, J.D., M.A., and Nancy Lauer, Ph.D.
Plastic Reduction in Durham, North Carolina
Plastics are cheap and useful for an endless variety of purposes. However, their chemical structure defies natural degradation, resulting in widespread plastic pollution. The work of Michelle Nowlin and Nancy Lauer in the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic addresses a broad range of matters, from protecting endangered sea turtles to challenging mountain-top removal mining practices. They will describe their work alongside local nonprofits and the City of Durham designing and implementing upstream solutions to reduce plastic usage and downstream solutions to remove plastic pollution from waterways.
Sept 24 - Sara Williams
12 Funeral Myths
Our current cultural aversion to thinking and talking about death has many negative consequences, not the least of which is the failure to know our rights when it comes to purchasing funeral goods and services. Sara Williams' lifelong interest in society's ways of caring for our dead developed into an avocation of educating others about better choices. As the current president of the nonprofit Funeral Consumers Alliance and host of the local Death Cafe, she hopes this presentation will get you thinking about why expensive, outgrown and downright dysfunctional methods no longer serve us.
Oct 1 - Cathleen Colón-Emeric, M.D., MHS
Staying Hip: Bone Health and Fracture Prevention in Older Adults
Fractures of the hip are common as people advance in age, and cause loss of mobility that can accelerate physical and mental decline. Cathleen Colón-Emeric will share insights she has gained from her award-winning research into methods for preventing hip fractures in the first place, as well as recovering from fractures, preventing further occurrences and enhancing physical resilience in older adults after orthopedic surgery.
Oct 8 - Ulrich Hartmond, Ph.D.
Up Close and Personal With Butterflies
The Magic Wings Butterfly House at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is one of the largest of its kind on the East Coast. Considered some of the most appealing creatures in nature due to their vibrant coloring and intriguing patterns, butterflies thrive in its 35-foot-tall glass conservatory that features a lush rainforest environment. There, hundreds of butterflies from around 40 species delight guests of all ages. Over 200 species of tropical plants provide nectar and resting places for its airborne residents. Ulrich Hartmond, the butterfly house director, will tell us about the origins, life cycle, diet and habits of his flighty denizens.
Oct 15 - Judith Ruderman, Ph.D.
D.H. Lawrence on Trial: Lock Him Up or Set Him Free?
D.H. Lawrence has been accused of a veritable alphabet of crimes, ranging from antisemitism to sexism and (almost) everything in between. Lawrence’s experiences with pushing the envelope are interesting in their own right, but also have currency today. In an era when books are being banned and censorship of various kinds is on the rise, the reception of Lawrence’s views tells us much about mores and changing mores — and how gains in free expression can be reversed. Acting as both prosecutor and defense attorney, Judith Ruderman will bring Lawrence to the docket before you, the jury, for your verdicts about his culpability.
Oct 22 - Jean O'Barr, Ph.D.
Women's Studies: The Duke Case
Academic research into women’s roles and culture began in the late 1960s, after the launch of the women’s movement. Research into women's history, politics, sociology, literature and the arts merged into an interdisciplinary effort known as women’s studies in universities around the world. Jean O'Barr, the founding director of Duke's Women's Studies Program, says that Duke came a bit late to the endeavor but made up for lost time by drawing on its history of women’s education. Her presentation will look at that history and the evolution of the field some 40 years on.
Oct 29 - Dan Blazer, M.D., Ph.D.
Loneliness and Social Isolation
Social isolation and loneliness are now recognized as major problems for people in our society and have reached epidemic proportions. The magnitude of their adverse health effects approaches that of cigarette smoking. Older people are especially at risk. Dan Blazer led a major study by the National Academy of Medicine detailing the incidence and impact of social isolation and loneliness. He will share data regarding their effects on various populations, and describe possible interventions to address the problem.
Nov 5. TBD.
Nov 12 - Julia K. McHugh, PhD, Julianne Miao.
Curated by Artificial Intelligence.
In 2023 the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University embarked on an experiment to use artificial intelligence to curate an exhibition from the museum’s collection. This was the first time a museum has done so. In their presentation, McHugh, the Trent A. Carmichael Director of Academic Initiatives and Curator of Arts of the Americas at the Nasher, and Miao, the curatorial assistant at the Nasher, will explore the capabilities and limitations of AI as curator, will describe the use of the exhibition as a teaching tool, and discuss the reception of the project by university and community visitors.
