STEM   

Do you know the difference between a sparrow, a robin, or a finch? Would you like to learn to identify individual birds? If so, then join Cindy and Curt in this 6-week class that will provide beginning and intermediate birders with the tools of bird identification and understanding. It will include information about supplies including binoculars and field guides, the basics of bird identification, bird habitats, conservation, effects of climate change, birding ethics, places to bird. We will focus on common Denver area birds. You will learn about the fine feathered friends in your neighborhood.

The course will include 3 zoom classes and 3 field trips, all taught by Denver Audubon Master birders. A visit to the Denver Audubon bird banding center will be included.

Class fee: $40 donation to Denver Audubon

No Class April 25

This class is for anyone interested in “Birding” or “Bird Watching” to enjoy being outdoors, walking 1-2 miles, and interacting with each other while watching birds. The classroom sessions will consist of birding etiquette and appearance of birds: size, shape, color and identifying field marks. They will highlight bird behaviors and habitats and other interesting aspects of these living dinosaurs and how they reflect the health of our planet.

In the 4 classroom sessions, George will share his photos of birds on PowerPoint, knowledge and experience in birding, and being a citizen scientist. The other 4 sessions will be field trips. Locations include Bluff Lake Nature Center, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and other locations. These field trip sessions may be longer than 2 hours and scheduled depending on the weather.

Regular news headlines focus on global climate change and the detrimental environmental impacts of continuing an economy based on fossil fuel energy production. The best approach to dealing with global-scale environmental issues is to examine 50 years of scientific research and the impact of international agreements. This 4-week presentation/discussion course on Zoom focuses on global air pollution issues of acid rain, stratosphere ozone holes, global cooling/warming, and global climate change. The course will provide a science foundation for understanding the causes, environmental impacts, and mitigation options of global scale environmental issues. Successful international agreements covering acid rain and stratospheric ozone holes will be compared to less successful agreements for carbon-based global warming. The course is designed for individuals with an interest in the environment and how atmospheric emissions impact the planet Earth. No science background is required or assumed.

Quantum Mechanics is arguably the most important invention of the human mind. Our standard of living has increased enormously due to its applications to computers and communications, education, entertainment, medical devices, navigation, energy production, travel safety, and other advances.

Yet, many mysteries remain. Experiments show that the quantum world is weirder than science fiction. Scientists cannot agree on how to interpret its seemingly illogical predictions, even though the theory continues to successfully explain the world of the atom and its components.

This class will present the history of quantum science, its key personalities, a non-technical explanation of its guiding tenants, what is and isn’t understood, and the exciting future it offers in computing and communication security.

Professors usually say 'Shut up and calculate' to students who want answers about the foundations of quantum mechanics. We will expose those shadowy areas and offer the best current explanations.

The advancement of science is normally a gradual process. But every now and then in our past, there were innovative, and frankly brave, individuals who took science in entirely new directions. They were willing to speak out against the accepted theories of their time even at great professional risk. Their radical new ideas totally shifted the trajectory of our understanding of the natural world.

This class will look at some of those discoveries which we now take for granted. We will look at the scientists involved, the challenges they faced, and where their ideas took science afterward. You will recognize some of the names, such as Galileo, Darwin, Pasteur, and Hubble. Others may be new to you. But between them, they reshaped such fields as the origins of disease, the nature of the universe, the formation of mountains, and a general understanding for the natural world that we see today.

Too often these mind-blowing 21st century technology miracles are underutilized. Now you can learn how to easily tap into their extraordinary powers and make your life a whole lot more satisfying.

You’ll get a clear understanding of “The Cloud” and “Streaming” where you can find and enjoy exceptional movies, shows, YouTube videos, digital books, podcasts, music—anywhere, anytime.

You’ll be shown how your iPhone, iPad, and/or Mac can help you stay touch with others using audio visits, video visits, texting, and Zoom get-togethers, and how you can share files, photos, articles, links, learning, and laughs!

You’ll learn how these Apple tools can also bring you gratifying new projects, a sense of purpose, and a super-simple “self-management” system. And you’ll find out how they can help with your mobility, vision, hearing, and memory during the sometimes challenging Senior Chapters of our lives.

This course focuses on water as a major natural resource. It includes the study of the hydrologic cycle, and related weather concepts, competing water uses, current and future water issues, and approaches to water management.

The relationship of water to human use is examined in terms of history, policy, infrastructure, and technology. Topics introduced in this class include hydrology, hydrogeology, basic meteorology, water quality, water/wastewater treatment, wastewater, and water resources management. Additional topics discussed will be the Denver Metro Area water resources, water law, ethics of water use and management, and the “wicked” issues that we face presently and in the future.

Instructor will provide PowerPoints and reading material.  

Recommended: Principles of Water Resources – Tom Cech

First, unpack techniques for optimal smartphone handling and improving photo capture for expressive images that sparkle with color, composition, and impact. Second, explore journaling in words to accompany and expand the pictorial message. Third, deep dive into the free Snapseed in-phone app for comprehensive, flexible tools for effective, professional edits and polish in post-production. Snapseed is great for making memory books, inspiring slide shows, and eye-catching Internet posts. There will be detailed instructions and examples to correct, optimize, and artistically interpret photos. There will also be a PDF presentation of more than 100 downloadable slides to use during class and to retain for later use.

Required: Snapseed photo app (free) at app store

This course is an introductory, non-mathematical overview of those areas of theoretical physics that you have heard of but never fully explored. Peter has expanded his successful 6-week course into 8 weeks without adding any new material. This will allow more time to cover the following topics:

1. Gravity from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein.
2. Quantum Theory and the search for the “Theory of Everything.”
3. Radioactivity from Marie Curie to the atomic bomb.
4. Particle physics from the ancient Greeks to the latest information on the quest for the “God Particle.”
5. Astrophysics from the Big Bang to the universe’s ultimate fate.

Many of us shy away from Theoretical Physics because we think it is way over our heads, but Peter will make it very clear and straightforward so that we can all understand at least the basics and be able to discuss them with friends or grandchildren in a confident manner!

Have you ever used a Lyft or Uber ride share? Do you have a fitness app to track your walks and cycle rides? Have you tracked a package to be delivered to your home? Have you used a map to navigate across campus, across town, or on vacation? Maps are all around us, more so now in the digital age than in the “paper maps only” age. Maps tell us where things, ideas, and information are. They also tell us where we have been, what changes the world is experiencing, and how to plan a more resilient and sustainable future. Join geographer Joseph Kerski for a lively course on how modern mapping evolved from clay tablets and wood blocks to content that we interact with on our phones and computers, and how maps are being used in the fields of health, energy, natural hazards, supply chain management, city planning, agriculture, astronomy, and in many others. Be empowered to use maps in new ways and create your OWN 2D and 3D maps from your own neighborhood to the global scale, through this exciting, interactive course that will include many hands-on activities.

Why do you think the way you do, and could reality be changed? Do you know, absolutely know, that you know the facts of something, and that is immutable? How can your senses change things in your brain, and what is normal anyway? And what about my memory – I know it’s rock solid. Why can’t I remember some things and yet, not remember other stuff? What about dementia and Alzheimer’s and how do you know if you might have it, especially since you may have it 20 or more years before your symptoms? Free will – is there such a thing? Some of the newest findings in Neuroscience will be discussed and how this affects your life.