Please join us on Tuesday, July 27 at 2 PM (PT) for a Q&A with Dr. Debbie Gold, a retired infectious disease specialist, who will answer your questions about the current state of the pandemic as well as how to safely navigate the world and assess risk, post-vaccination. Dr. Gold most recently served as Chief of Service for Infectious Disease at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and currently briefs medical providers across the country on the latest insights into the pandemic. She has been an invaluable resource for the OLLI community as well. All are welcome to join this online event. RSVP here to attend. Please fill out this form to submit your question(s) in advance. Thank you!

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, how can we re-emerge with a sense of hope and vitality? Join us for a talk on Tuesday, August 24, at 2 PM (PT) with Amy Eva, Associate Education Director at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Her presentation features research-based skills and strategies for developing self-compassion during difficult times, understanding and naming our emotions, and learning how to challenge default thoughts and beliefs. As an educational psychologist and teacher educator, Dr. Eva writes, presents, and leads online courses about adult well-being and resilience. All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP to attend.

This fall, we are delighted to offer OLLI @Berkeley members a roster of nearly 20 in-person and online courses, from deep dives into history and literature, to eye-opening explorations of film and cybersecurity. Term starts September 20. We hope you can join us for a vibrant and exciting season of learning. 

Join us on Friday, Oct. 1, at 10:30 AM (PT) for a talk by Daniel Kammen on emerging national and global climate and energy initiatives in the run-up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November. He’ll also discuss the current state of the Paris Climate Accord. Kammen holds the James and Katherine Lau Distinguished Chair in Sustainability at UC Berkeley, with appointments in the Energy and Resources Group (Chair), the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the department of Nuclear Engineering. He served as Science Envoy in the Obama-Biden State Department. All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP here to attend.

How are new species formed on our planet and why are species being lost at such an alarming rate in our contemporary world? Join us on Friday, Oct. 8, at 10:30 AM (PT) for a talk by evolutionary biologist and Berkeley Professor Erica Bree Rosenblum who will discuss the factors that generate and threaten biology diversity as well as share her inspiration for studying life on our ever-changing planet. Her research crosses scales from genes to ecosystems, and takes her from deserts to the rainforests. She often applies leading-edge genomic tools to time-sensitive problems in conservation science. All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP here to attend.

Current OLLI @Berkeley members are invited to join Cal undergraduates for our next online Words Over Time intergenerational dialogue on Oct. 15, 10:30-Noon (PT). Security links together every sphere of activity — from micro to the macro, from the individual to the international — and it has come under increased scrutiny and attracted greater concern due to a variety of factors. The pandemic has created a long list of serious repercussions, ranging from tensions in global politics to the disturbingly violent attacks on persons of Asian heritage in the United States. The ongoing and uneasy discussion on race relations in the United States has given us, among other things, the idea of “defunding the police,” yet what exactly that means and how it will affect different groups remain uncertain. Is it possible to build a safer, more secure world for all, and if so, how should we do it? Where should we start? We'll address these and other questions in a way that is engaging, innovative, transformative, and empowering. Contact OLLI @Berkeley to register. 

Join us on Friday, Oct. 22, at 10:30 AM (PT) join us for a talk by John Battles on the major challenges facing California in regard to wildfire risk and climate change. Despite being an international leader on limiting climate change, California confronts a wildfire crisis that has ravaged the state. Getting ahead of this impending interlocked catastrophe requires a vision and strategy that will accelerate learning and rapidly transform new insights into effective practice. Battles, Professor of Forest Ecology at UC Berkeley, is a field scientist engaged in long-term research of temperate forest ecosystems. His goal is to understand how and why forests change. All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP here to attend.

There are many promising climate change solutions, but they face multiple hurdles — technical, procedural, political — before they impact policy at the scale needed. Join us on Friday, Oct. 29, at 10:30 AM (PT) for a talk by Ken Alex who will discuss some of the hurdles to scaling-up and how we might overcome them. Alex is the director of Project Climate at UC Berkeley's Center for Law, Energy, & Environment. He was a senior policy advisor to former CA Governor Jerry Brown. Prior to that, he was the head of the California Attorney General’s Environment section. All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP here to attend.

COVID-19, ironically, has offered fertile ground for experimentation and discoveries on how technology can benefit older adults. Join us on Friday, Nov. 5, at 10:30 AM (PT) for a talk by David Lindeman on how specific technology-enabled interventions that support older adults and family caregivers rapidly expanded during the pandemic and what may lay ahead for the future. Lindeman is Director Health, Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), UC Berkeley, and Director, Center for Technology and Aging (CTA). All are welcome to join this online event! RSVP here to attend.