OLLI News from Bradley University
 
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February 14, 2017
Notable OLLI Dates

March April
Mar. 15, 12pm: Spring 2017 Kickoff Luncheon in Michel Student Center Ballrooms
Apr. 5, 12, 19, 26: OLLI Spring Classes 
Exec
A Message from Your OLLI President

Hello OLLI Members,
 
Speaking for all of us on the Executive Committee, thank you for your patience and understanding regarding our recent problems with online registration. 

We hope you know that the Continuing Education staff worked long and hard to try to solve the problems with the system and then ended up spending incredible hours processing hundreds and hundreds of registrations by hand so that we all could get as many of our choices as possible. 

Thank you to everyone in Continuing Education for ALL that you do and for somehow keeping a smiling face through it all. You really do give us amazing customer service and w e sincerely  appreciate it.
 
OLLI Friends, we usually don't see the staff's great effort behind the scenes to fix the frustrating issues that derail these online registrations. These folks really work hard to accommodate our wishes and needs fairly and rapidly. 

Right now they are anticipating a re-launch of the online registration system soon, a step designed to prevent our current problems, but one that may nevertheless bring on the frustrations that come with any new system. 

So, we ask you to continue to be patient and to know that, even with computer problems and system revamps, our registrations will get processed in an orderly and fair way.
 
One more thing ... it is good to stop to remember how well our OLLI programs -- classes, trips, cinema, and study groups -- always go, thanks to your dedication and that of all our volunteers. 

Here it is February 14 and I am again reminded how lucky we are to have our OLLI program and each other to enrich our lives.
 
To all our members and our Continuing Education staff, Happy Valentine's Day!
 
With heartfelt gratitude to everyone who makes OLLI so great,

Larry Trollope
OLLI President

RS
2018 Road Scholar Trip Survey

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Bradley University (OLLI) is seeking input to select its Road Scholar private charter trip for 2018.  

The OLLI Learning Trip Committee has narrowed the selections to four destinations.  We would like to know which of the following trips you would most likely register for.  Click on the survey link below the options to weigh in!

Costa Rica and Panama
Holland and Belgium by river barge
Peru
Spain and Portugal


Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback!  We look forward to traveling with you.

SG
The Battle of Britain in World War II

This new study group will examine the brave efforts of the Royal Air Force during WWII, facilitated by two experienced aviators.  To register, call Bonnie at 309-677-3900.

The Battle of Britain: How a Few Good Men and Women of the RAF Saved the United Kingdom from Invasion 
Thursdays, April 27 - May 25
10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Peoria NEXT Innovation Center
Minimum 8 participants, register by April 13

A fter France's defeat in 1940, only Great Britain stood in the way of Germany's domination of Europe. When the Luftwaffe began its relentless bombing of the island nation as a prelude to the invasion, defeat seemed inevitable for the Brits. The personnel of the Royal Air Force, however, successfully defended the English people and turned away the forces of the Third Reich. Two experienced aviators will lead participants in a discussion of this famous aerial encounter of World War II. 

Participants should acquire Michael Korda's book With Wings Like Eagles: The Untold Story of the Battle of Britain, available at local or online retailers and libraries.

$45 - facilitated by OLLI members David Jackson, aviator, and Dewey Fitch, retired aviator. 
Hilltop 
Hilltop Happenings
 
Super Brain Summit: Discount for OLLI Members


The   Super Brain Summit  is a one-day conference  March 3, 2017 at Bradley University.  It will showcase two internationally known experts in the fields of neuroplasticity and neurotherapy, Dr. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. and Dr. Paul G. Swingle, Ph.D.. Participants will learn about emotional and physiological self-regulation and how to manage brain health as a means to "take charge" of our own brains and bodies.

Participants can elect to participate in three different ways: 
  • At Bradley University in the Michel Student Center ballroom on March 3
  • Via live streaming video from your computer on March 3
  • Via recorded sessions available for viewing no later than March 27
OLLI members can attend all six sessions in person at the Michel Student Center for $210, or view the sessions online for $35 each.  

CEUs are available for this program.   Registration is open through   February 27.
For more information, contact Debbie Devine at  [email protected]  or call (309) 677-2820.

Annual Robotics Competition 
Invites OLLI to Join the Action

Be prepared to be amazed when the FIRST Robotics Central Illinois Regional Competition returns to Renaissance Coliseum March 17 - 18, 2017.  Forty teams of high school students from around the country will showcase their 120-pound robots, constructed over six weeks with the guidance of industry volunteers and mentors, to compete in a two-minute, action-packed "game" of prescribed tasks.   
 
The event is free and open to the public from  9 am to 5 pm  Friday and  Saturday.  Visitors can watch the action from the stands, talk with the teams, and view robots in the team "pits" where competitors will be happy to explain the FIRST program - the hardest fun they will ever have!
 
OLLI members are invited to sign up for a tour or be matched with a team in the stands to enjoy the experience even more. 
Be a Volunteer Judge at the Student Scholarship EXPO

The Student Scholarship Exposition at Bradley University is an annual celebration of the research, scholarship, and creative production of Bradley undergraduate and graduate students.  Students showcase and present their work to a judging team comprised of both Bradley faculty members and representatives from the surrounding community in hopes of receiving an EXPO Award for the best presentation of their work to  generalist audience.

In this 25th year, we expect to receive more student submissions than ever before.  Your contributions as an EXPO Judge will include listening to and assessing 3-5 brief student presentations as an informed generalist audience-- someone who has interest and a working knowledge of the students' topics, without necessarily being an expert in the field-- with a focus on the presentation and dissemination skills of the students.  

Your judging period would consist of a two-hour block on April 12th, between 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., in the Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley.

For more information, please check out the following links:

A public viewing session will be held on April 13th, from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m.; all are invited to attend and support our students' work.

If you have any further questions, please email one of the following representatives from the Office of Sponsored Programs:
Sandra Shumaker, Executive Director of Research and Sponsored Programs
Luke Burton, Graduate Assistant, Office of Sponsored Programs

Host of "Monster Fish" to Speak at Bradley

"Saving Imperiled Giant Freshwater Fish Around the World"
Presented by Zeb Hogan, host of National Geographic's "Monster Fish" 
Saturday, April 1
1:00 p.m.
Michel Student Center Ballrooms (second floor), Bradley University
Cost: FREE!

The Center for STEM Education at Bradley invites you to a FREE presentation by Zeb Hogan, host of National Geographic's "Monster Fish" television program.  Hogan leads the National Geographic Society's Megafishes Project, a multi-year effort to document the 20-some species of freshwater fish at least 6.5 feet in length or 220 pounds in weight.  Through the Megafishes Project, Hogan travels to the most endangered of these environments, striving to save critically endangered fish and the livelihood of people who share their habitats.  

Click here to view an informational flyer.  For additional information, contact the Center for STEM Education at 309-677-3001 or [email protected].

Documenting Latino Life in the Midwest

Documenting Latino Life in the Midwest
Presented by Dr. Elena Foulis
Monday, February 27
5:00 p.m.
Michel Student Center Marty Theatre, Bradley University
Cost: FREE!

Dr. Elena Foulis will discuss how to use elements of oral history methodology to collect  historias  about Latinos/as in the U.S., how to reach out to traditionally underrepresented groups to collect and archive oral histories, and use digital storytelling and interactive cultural components to engage readers and provide context. 

The presentation is sponsored by the World Languages and Cultures Department and the Intellectual and Cultural Activities Committee. The event is free and open to the public.

Guest Speaker on Positive Body Image

"No Longer Broken: Discovering Truth within the Pieces"
Presented by Troy Roness
Monday, February 27
7:00 p.m.
Neumiller Lecture Hall, Bradley Hall, Bradley University
Cost: FREE!

February 27 begins National Eating Disorders Awareness week.  The Body Project at Bradley University will host Troy Roness, a public speaker who has recovered from an exercise addiction and eating disorder, to speak on the topic of body positivity and the harmful effects of neglecting to take care of your physical and mental well-being.  

To read more about Troy on his website, click here.  All are invited to attend this free event.

Beyond 
Beyond the Hilltop
 
International Documentary at Riverfront Museum

The Peoria Area World Affairs Council and the Peoria Riverfront Museum are pleased to announce a special screening of an Academy Award-nominated international documentary.

The Look of Silence
Sunday, February 26
2:00 p.m.
Giant Screen Theater, Peoria Riverfront Museum
The 2016 Academy Award nominated documentary T he Look of Silence focuses on the 1965 Indonesian genocide.  An informal audience discussion on present-day genocide issues, led by Keith Porter of the Stanley Foundation, will follow the showing.

Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased online by clicking here, or over the phone at 309-686-7000.  Tickets will also be available at the door as long as the screening is not sold out.  

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