[Field Trip] OLLI at the Ballyard with Mick Chantler

Special Event

[Field Trip] OLLI at the Ballyard with Mick Chantler

Sunday, April 26, 2026
Sunday, April 26, 2026

Join the OLLI community and beloved faculty favorite Mick Chantler for an afternoon of baseball and camaraderie as the Giants take on the Marlins — Sunday, April 26, 1:05 PM at Oracle Park in San Francisco. This event has been organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee.

Details ⚾️

  • 40 seats have been reserved in Section 302, rows B & C — right field view — in the shade
  • Easy elevator/escalator access — no more than three rows to climb
  • Tickets are $37 (a 20% discount)
  • Payment due by March 26

[Members, log in to your OLLI account to access details on how to pay]

Learn More

[Field Trip] OLLI at the Ballyard with Mick Chantler

[Field Trip] Untold Stories: Oakland Chinatown Guided Walking Tour

Special Event

[Field Trip] Untold Stories: Oakland Chinatown Guided Walking Tour

Friday, April 10, 2026
Friday, April 10, 2026

Join us as we explore the rich, enduring spirit of Oakland’s Chinatown on a guided 2.5-hour walking tour. For 175 years, Chinatown has been a hub for immigrants and communities across the Asian diaspora, shaped by stories of perseverance and the search for belonging that began during California’s Gold Rush. We’ll visit sites central to the neighborhood’s often untold history, meet local leaders, and savor the flavors that make Chinatown so beloved — enjoying a tasty sample of a favorite treat and getting insider tips on where to find some of its best cuisine. The tour, organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee, will be led by Lailan Sandra Huen.

 

About the Guide

Lailan Sandra Huen is an educator, storyteller and community organizer with deep roots in San Francisco and Oakland Chinatown dating back to the Gold Rush era. Author of the national “Our Neighborhoods” report on protecting AAPI cultural districts and a doctoral student at California Institute of Integral Studies focusing on Asian American Studies and racial healing, she is featured in the award-winning documentary Alice Street for her work preserving Oakland Chinatown.

 

Details👇

  • Tour takes place Friday, April 10, 1:30–4 PM and will last about 2.5 hours
  • We will meet at Pacific Renaissance Plaza — 388 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
  • Please arrive by 1:20 PM
  • $25 (cash) per person — OLLI staff will collect when you arrive and then give to the guide
  • Limited to 25 members

[For OLLI members only]

 

[Field Trip] Untold Stories: Oakland Chinatown Guided Walking Tour

[Field Trip] Guided Tour of WPA Murals at Rincon Center

Special Event

[Field Trip] Guided Tour of WPA Murals at Rincon Center

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026

Explore the extraordinary WPA murals at Rincon Center (formerly the Rincon Annex Post Office) on a guided tour of one of San Francisco’s hidden artistic treasures. Spanning 27 panels of the old post office, Anton Refregier’s “History of California” traces the state’s story from Spanish colonization to the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco at the end of World War II. Ambitious in scale and bold and unsparing in perspective, the murals reflect Refregier’s independent spirit and distinctive style, which is quite unlike most mural art of the time. 

The tour, organized by OLLI's Member Engagement Committee, will be led by Gray Brechin, co-founder of the Living New Deal and a leading expert on New Deal art. 

Details👇

  • Tour takes place Thursday, March 12 at 10 AM and will last about 1–1.5 hours
  • Rincon Center location: 180 Steuart St, San Francisco, CA 94105
  • Please arrive by 9:45 AM — we'll meet in the lobby (enter Steuart St.)
  • $20 (cash) per person — OLLI staff will collect when you arrive and then give to the guide
  • Limited to 30 members
  • Everyone is welcome to join Gray at nearby Yank Sing for some dim sum after the tour

Getting There 📍

  • Rincon Center is just one block from the Embarcadero Center BART station
  • Parking is available at Rincon Center Garage (121 Spear St.) and at One Steuart Lane Parking (75 Howard St.)

[For OLLI members only]

[Field Trip] Guided Tour of WPA Murals at Rincon Center

[Vital Aging] Art Journals, Junk Journals and Field Guides: A Visual and Verbal Way to Chronicle Your Life

Special Event

[Vital Aging] Art Journals, Junk Journals and Field Guides: A Visual and Verbal Way to Chronicle Your Life

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026

In this month's Vital Aging gathering, Sara Orem is joined by mixed-media artist and educator Susan Daniels who will guide members through a playful and inviting exploration of art journals, junk journals, and field guides as creative ways to chronicle life — visually and in words. Not an artist or writer? Not a problem! This event meant to be lighthearted, inspiring and accessible. Come for the fun, stay for the joy.

Details 

  • This gathering is for OLLI members only
  • Thursday, March 12, 3:30–4:30 PM
  • Held in person at OLLI HQ at 1995 University Ave., Suite 365 (3rd floor), Berkeley
  • Please paper and colored pencils or pens ... or just an assortment of creative materials — we'll have some on hand, too!
  • Space is limited
[Vital Aging] Art Journals, Junk Journals and Field Guides: A Visual and Verbal Way to Chronicle Your Life

[Field Trip] BAMPFA Tour of "Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings" Exhibit

Special Event

[Field Trip] BAMPFA Tour of "Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings" Exhibit

Friday, March 6, 2026
Friday, March 6, 2026

Join us for a guided tour of BAMPFA's Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings, the first retrospective in twenty-five years devoted to this groundbreaking artist. Featuring more than one hundred artworks and archival materials from her short but prolific career, the exhibition reveals the inventive, playful, and meditative spirit of Cha’s practice — and places her work in conversation with the artists who influenced her and those she continues to inspire.

Details

  • Tour takes place Friday, March 6 at 11:30 AM and will last about one hour
  • Please arrive by 11:20 AM
  • $9 per person (BAMPFA members are free) payable at the ticket booth
  • Limited to 30 members
  • BAMPFA is at 2155 Center Street (near Oxford) in Berkeley

[For members only]

[Field Trip] BAMPFA Tour of "Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings" Exhibit

Hybrid Warfare and the Transformation of International Conflict (Best of OLLI)

Course

Hybrid Warfare and the Transformation of International Conflict (Best of OLLI)

Monday, February 9, 2026
Sunday, May 31, 2026
A drone scouring the land belowThe history of warfare has for the most part been a sordid tale of ever-expanding tools of lethality and destruction, but in the twenty-first century something has changed drastically in the theater of international conflict. Hybrid warfare, which incorporates novel tactical elements such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns into more traditional approaches of war, has profoundly unsettled the landscape of international conflict and global politics. This course will explore the evolving nature of hybrid warfare as well as its social, political, and legal implications.

Faculty Bio

Darren Zook teaches in political science and global studies at UC Berkeley. His areas of interest include comparative politics, human rights and international law. He has received numerous teaching awards for his creativity in the classroom, and was recently named one of the “Top Ten Most Inspiring Professors at UC Berkeley” by College Magazine. He lectures all around the world, and has published six books. He is currently at work on a research project involving the politics of ice in the era of climate change.

This is a Best of OLLI Course

  • Best of OLLI courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
  • Videos are available to watch the moment you sign up through May 31
  • Available for $75 to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
  • Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus for an additional $10

Member Praise for Darren Zook

Dr. Zook is one of the best teachers I've ever had and I'm 80!

Darren Zook is an amazing teacher. He's a well-organized, extremely knowledgeable, and always engaging.

I have taken several classes with Darren Zook and will take several more. His scope and depth of knowledge is extraordinary. And he is able to communicate it effectively and effortlessly. 

Faculty Q&A

Hybrid Warfare and the Transformation of International Conflict (Best of OLLI)

Cybersecurity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Best of OLLI)

Course

Cybersecurity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Best of OLLI)

Monday, February 9, 2026
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Close up of a classic padlock against black

Artificial intelligence has changed everything, from the way we do work to the way we encounter online security threats. Unlike other evolutionary moments in the world of cybersecurity, however, artificial intelligence has brought with it a set of profound moral, social, economic, and political challenges for which there are no easy answers. This course will explore all of these challenges and also explain how artificial intelligence enables and expands new threats in cyberspace itself.

Faculty Bio

Darren Zook teaches in political science and global studies at UC Berkeley. His areas of interest include comparative politics, human rights and international law. He has received numerous teaching awards for his creativity in the classroom, and was recently named one of the “Top Ten Most Inspiring Professors at UC Berkeley” by College Magazine. He lectures all around the world, and has published six books. He is currently at work on a research project involving the politics of ice in the era of climate change.

This is a Best of OLLI Course

  • Best of OLLI courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
  • Videos are available to watch the moment you sign up through May 31
  • Available for $75 to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
  • Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus for an additional $10

Member Praise for Darren Zook

Dr. Zook is one of the best teachers I've ever had and I'm 80!

Darren Zook is an amazing teacher. He's a well-organized, extremely knowledgeable, and always engaging.

I have taken several classes with Darren Zook and will take several more. His scope and depth of knowledge is extraordinary. And he is able to communicate it effectively and effortlessly. 

Faculty Q&A

Cybersecurity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Best of OLLI)

The Art of the String Quartet, Part I (Best of OLLI)

Course

The Art of the String Quartet, Part I (Best of OLLI)

Monday, February 9, 2026
Sunday, May 31, 2026
A watercolor of a tuxedo-clad string quartet playing

The ideal ensemble, a model democracy and the ultimate chamber music experience, the combination of two violins, a viola and a cello have inspired some of our greatest composers to some of their greatest works, and a unique breed of string players to dedicate their lives performing themCome backstage into the fascinating life of a string quartet as well as a close look at the brilliant beginnings from “Papa” Haydn through Mozart Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Meet four major 20th ensembles: the Budapest, Guarneri, Juilliard and Amadeus quartets and learn how they make beautiful music together. Guest musicians include Michael Graham, Liana Berube and Stephanie Ng.

Faculty Bio

Violist and conductor Ben Simon has been a member of two pro string quartets, the Naumburg Award-winning New World String Quartet and the Stanford String Quartet. Music Director of the SFCO for more than 20 years, he has taught at Harvard, Stanford and UC Berkeley. 

This is a Best of OLLI Course

  • Best of OLLI courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
  • Videos are available to watch the moment you sign up through May 31
  • Available for $75 to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
  • Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus for an additional $10

Member Praise for Ben Simon

Ben's very deep, well researched knowledge of the subject was impressive. His presentation of the course was well organized and insightful.

This course was amazing! Ben's enthusiasm was infectious. I learned so much.

Faculty Q&A

The Art of the String Quartet, Part I (Best of OLLI)

Biology and Society (Best of OLLI)

Course

Biology and Society (Best of OLLI)

Monday, February 9, 2026
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Overhead view of people configured as a strand of DNA

Explore the fascinating world of biology through its real-world applications and the societal, ethical, and legal questions that arise from scientific advances. Each week, we’ll delve into compelling topics — from the biology of cancer to DNA profiling and genomics, genetic engineering and GMOs, emerging viruses, and more. Along the way, you’ll be invited to think critically and join lively discussions about the broader impacts of these discoveries. Designed for non-scientists, the course offers an accessible, thought-provoking introduction, with just enough familiarity for those who already know some biology — but plenty of fresh insights to keep you engaged.

Faculty Bio

Eric J. Simon, Ph.D. has been a professor of Biology for over 25 years. An avid traveler and award-winning photographer, Eric leads educational international trips for both undergraduates and lifelong learners. Prof. Simon earned his Ph.D. at Harvard and is the author of a widely used series of college biology textbooks used by students in over 40 countries.

This is a Best of OLLI Course

  • Best of OLLI courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
  • Videos are available to watch the moment you sign up through May 31
  • Available for $75 to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
  • Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus for an additional $10

 Member Praise for Eric Simon

Extremely engaging instructor who clearly loved his topic and was very knowledgeable. His enthusiasm was contagious. Very receptive to questions — would start each class by answering questions he'd received and researched.

Thoroughly engaging presentations which were organized, lively and moved at a good pace. I appreciated Professor Simon's enthusiasm, clarity and sense of humor.

Faculty Q&A

Biology and Society (Best of OLLI)
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