D-TH6 Science Potpourri 11

Late 4 Week Class | Registration opens Saturday, August 1, 2026 12:00 AM

Zoom New Paltz, NY 12561 United States
Zoom
10/22/2026-11/12/2026
3:00 PM-4:30 PM on Th
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D-TH6 Science Potpourri 11

Late 4 Week Class | Registration opens Saturday, August 1, 2026 12:00 AM

Science encompasses a wide variety of topics.  This series deals with Humankind and from the beginning of time we have sought the answer to the age-old question of :
Who? What? When? Where? How?


October 22- Don Grice

A Look at Artificial Intelligence (AI) Today

The world of AI is constantly changing, and it is maturing enough to start interacting with Societal Changes in some serious ways. We will discuss the current state of affairs as they stand when we have class. At the current rate of change it’s hard to tell what the actual outcomes will be but there will certainly be impacts on the commercial world and job changes as well as the continuation of the evolution of the massive Mega AI Centers among other things. It’s difficult to keep up with all the activity that’s going on so we’ll spend the class time talking about the major areas of activity and what’s happening, and what the expectations might be on all of the active fronts.


October 29 -Rebecca Heyl

The Wonderous Migration of the Monarch Butterfly

What can the life journey of this winged wonder teach us?  As part of her fieldwork as a PhD student in Education at Simon Fraser University, Rebecca Heyl travelled to the forests in Michoacan, Mexico to witness this wonder of nature.  She will share details about the Monarch journey, including photos and videos from the overwintering site she visited in January 2023. Together we will consider what this incredible story from the land can teach us about home, habitat, connection, and coexistence.


November 5- Dr. Angela McDonald

The World in Words- Exploring Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs

The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script was in use for over three thousand years. In that time, we see magical spells and medical recipes; literary masterpieces and hymns of praise; life stories and love songs. This brief introduction will teach you how to read hieroglyphs and how to see the Egyptian world through the eyes of its scribes. Together we will also explore some highlights of Egyptian written works.


November 12 -William Tuel

A Peek into 21st Century Astronomy

Astronomical events streak across our consciousness. Many disappear. Do you remember Oumuamua, the transit of Venus, the Mars Curiosity rover, the discovery of Eris and the demotion of Pluto, the picture of a black hole? The course will review these and other events of the current century, and suggest how they have changed our view of the universe, almost overnight. And, you haven’t seen the last of the “RED HOT ouMuAMuAs.”



Carole E Heyl

Carole holds multiple degrees in Earth Science, Business Administration and Computer Science. She taught Earth and Physical Science to 8th and 9th graders and was a Software Engineer at IBM for 30 years. She served on the Elting Memorial Library Board and presently has been a member of the LLI Council for 8 years. She has served as the Catalog Chairman for 5 years and presently serves as Publicity Chairman as well as Classroom Manager and member of the Curriculum Committee. She created and is Curriculum Chairman for LLI’s Winter Session.

Don Grice

Don Grice has an PhD in Electrical Engineering and worked at IBM in system design for close to 50 years, including a big emphasis on Man-Machine Interaction and large-scale parallel supercomputing.  His thesis was in Voice Recognition and Communication, similar to what we all take for granted today with systems like Siri and Alexa. He also worked with IBM’s Research Division on programs like Deep-Blue, the Chess Playing Machine, and Watson, the Jeopardy machine.


Rebecca Heyl

Rebecca Heyl is a community-engaged artist, author and educator. She received a MFA from the Tufts University/SMFA program in Boston. She has taught photography and photojournalism courses at several universities.


As part of her fieldwork as a PhD student in Education at Simon Fraser University, Rebecca Heyl travelled to the forests in Michoacan, Mexico to witness this wonder of nature.


Angela McDonald

Dr. Angela McDonald is a Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Glasgow, where she has taught all aspects of Egyptology for the last twenty years. She earned her doctorate from Oxford University in 2002 and is a specialist in the ancient Egyptian script. Alongside her teaching in the UK, she led study tours to Egypt from 1999-2005, and has undertaken archaeological fieldwork both in Amarna, the capital city of the heretic king, Akhenaten and in Karnak Temple, Luxor. She has published many articles and books, including the best-selling Write Your Own Egyptian Hieroglyphs (British Museum Press). 

William Tuel

Bill Tuel has developed and presented several courses on the history of science. Previous topics have included: 20th Century astronomy, computing, mathematics, atomic physics, electricity and magnetism, biology and cryptography. He earned the Boy Scout merit badge for Astronomy in 1954.