Lamoille Valley
Spring 2023
Welcome to our OLLI Lamoille Valley program. This semester our program will be eight lectures, held at 1:00 pm Wednesday afternoons on the dates listed below at the Stowe Cinema 3Plex, 454 Mountain Rd, Stowe, VT.
For weather related schedule changes, check the website, listen to WDEV 550 AM or WLVB 93.9 FM.
Health & Safety: UVM sponsored non-credit functions/activities/offerings, whether held at UVM or at a non-UVM facility or location, are governed by the same health and safety policies. As such, UVM expects event participants, visitors and guests will be vaccinated. Masks are optional and welcomed. If the event is taking place at a non-UVM venue, consideration must be given to the requirements of the host site and the more stringent requirements will apply.
NEW REGISTRATION PROCESS! We can no longer take any payments at the door/onsite. All attendees/members must pre-register prior to the start of the program.
Semester Membership: Sign up as a member and attend all 8 lectures at the discounted price of $45! Single lecture fee is $8 each.
To register, click on the “REGISTER NOW” button below and you will be brought to our online system where you can register using your credit card for the semester membership ($45) or for individual lecture(s) ($8 each).
From Farm to Forest
with Tom Evslin
March 1, 2023
1-2 pm
Carbon sequestration by trees is a crucial way of reducing atmospheric CO2. Vermont can both reduce net emissions and repurpose dairy farmland which is no longer productive with a combination of restored forestland and housing. Repurposing can provide a voluntary out for owners of failing farms. However, more forests will change the appearance of Vermont just as the decline of hillside sheep farming did more than a century ago. The talk explores both the potential and the downside of farm to forest conversion.
A Judge’s Odyssey
with Judge Dean B. Pineles (ret.)
March 8, 2023
1-2 pm
Judge Pineles’ presentation will be a discussion of his experiences as a trial judge in Vermont, as a judicial adviser in Russia, Kazakhstan and Georgia, and as an international criminal judge in Kosovo, all as described in his recently released memoir. The presentation will include many photos.
History and Future of Shelburne Farms
with Heidi Webb
March 22, 2023
1-2 pm
Heidi will tell the story of Shelburne Farms and its evolution from the Vanderbilt Mansion, built between 1886 and 1905. The estate has been transformed into an educational non-profit farm pursuing the cultivation for a sustainable future. The Farm is open to all Vermont residents and their out of state guests Heidi grew up on the Farm and is the organization’s Gift Officer.
Rock Sculptor
with Thea Alvin
March 29, 2023
1-2 pm
Thea Alvin is a stone mason living in Morrisville VT. She uses dry stone masonry techniques to assemble large arches and sculptural elements for garden centers, universities and galleries around the country and internationally. She has been restoring a 15th century stone village in the Italian Alps and created the “Time for Love” Labyrinth in Eastern Tennessee.
Trend Setter: The Nature of Weather Patterns
with Mark S. Breen
April 5, 2023
1-2 pm
The weather is always up to something, and recent weather extremes, wide-open discussions through social media, as well as local and major news outlets, bring a great deal of attention to trends, patterns, and changes in weather events. Mark Breen, the Senior Meteorologist at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium for over 40 years, utilizes his knowledge and experience to explain the way that the weather works. He shares information on where the weather gets its energy, and how this creates certain patterns and events that deliver sunshine or monsoons. He’ll guide you through the information, and the misinformation, and weave together the tapestry of weather patterns.
The Psychedelic Art of Living and Dying
with Katherine MacLean
April 12, 2023
1-2 pm
Psychedelics have been studied in clinics research since the 1950s, and are experiencing a resurgence of interest in medical institutions around the world. Psilocybin&emdash;the chemical found in magic mushrooms—has been shown to ease anxiety in the face of terminal illness and increase openness to new experiences. In this talk, Dr. MacLean will discuss how a psilocybin experience can influence one’s sense of purpose, connection to loved ones, and even spiritual or existential beliefs.
Public Health Essentials and How We Apply Public Health in Strategic Decision Making
With Mark A. Levine, MD
April 19, 2023
1-2 pm
Dr. Mark Levine was appointed commissioner of health by Governor Phil Scott and began service on March 6, 2017. Prior to his appointment he was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont, and most recently the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Designated Institutional Official at the College of Medicine and the UVM Medical Center. Dr. Levine will provide background and context: What is health? What is Public Health? Understand public health’s traditional focus and priorities and aspirations in Vermont. Understand how the pandemic was really 5 discrete epidemics with unique features and responses.
Self-made Entertainer, Movie/TV Star
with Rusty DeWees
April 26, 2023
1-2 pm
Rusty DeWees grew up in Stowe, Vermont and lived in NYC for 11 years working as an Assistant to William Doyle at DOYLE NEW YORK. Rusty has worked on film, TV and stage professionally for nearly thirty years. During the past 27 years Rusty has written and produced his own show, “The Logger” and has been performing throughout New England. Also, he started his own business selling DVDs and other merchandise without assistance from agents, publicists, producers or distributors.
Prefer to pay by check? Complete the form on the site brochure mailed to you or this registration form (PDF, opens in a new window) and send with your check payment (made out to The University of Vermont) to:
UVM OLLI Registration Office
23 Mansfield Ave
Burlington, VT 05405
PLEASE NOTE: Allow 10-14 days from date of mailing check to receipt & processing.
For registration assistance or to pay by phone using your credit card, please call our UVM OLLI office at 802-656-5817 during regular business hours.
Become a member today!
Membership in the Lamoille Valley OLLI entitles members to attend programs in our other OLLIs throughout Vermont. And, if you are currently a paid member of a statewide site (Fall or Spring only), you can take OLLI UVM campus programs at the member rate; just call 802-656-5817 to get the special discount code to use when registering for a UVM campus class.
Steering Committee Members:
Adi Barnett
Lynn Baumrind
Barbara Cunningham
Mary Evslin
Renee Wahler
Scott Weathers