Spring 2025

Classes This Week
First Week of Spring Term

This page shows classes for the current week. The information is taken from the weekly email that is sent to ALL members. However, here we do not provide the credentials needed for attending via Zoom. If you are not a member, contact our Program Coordinator to obtain credentials. Each classes uses different credentials.

Classes for the Week of March 31, 2025

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 – HYBRID
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Mapping War via Satellite
Presented by Prof. Jamon Van Den Hoek, Geography, Principal: Conflict Ecology Lab

In this talk, Van Den Hoek discusses how he uses open-access satellite imagery to monitor the impacts of armed conflicts around the world. With case studies in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, Van Den Hoek presents technical opportunities and societal challenges of making better use of remotely collected data to understand dynamic on-the-ground conditions in warzones as well as support response and recovery efforts.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 – HYBRID
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Plants and Human Affairs
Presented by Dr. Jeff Hart, Naturalist and writer

Humans have formed a bond with plants since ancient times. Jeff will trace this intimate relationship back to early gathering societies. Drawing on his ethnobotanical experience with indigenous peoples in North and South America, the richly illustrated talk will explore the uses of plants for food, medicine, hallucinogenic experiences, and spiritual quests. Other topics include the origins of agriculture, the domestication of plants and animals, the transition to modern civilization, and others.

Thursday, April 3, 2025 – HYBRID
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The History and Future of the Corvallis Arts Center
Presented by Dr. Erinn Gavaghan, Director, The Arts Center

The TAC has championed the arts in Corvallis for over 60 years and is poised for growth. Hear about this from the new Director Dr. Erinn Gavaghan

Thursday, April 3, 2025 – ONLINE ONLY
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Science in Papua New Guinea: Multidisciplinary Magnificence
Presented by Dr. Robert Buddemeier, Retired

Research visits in the 1970s-1990s provided striking views of the diversity of natural and cultural features that makes Papua New Guinea (PNG) fascinating, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous. PNG is shaped by volcanoes, earthquakes, sea level change, and its location near one of the major biodiversity centers of the planet. Geology, biology and climate have shaped the cultures of the human inhabitants, whose ancestors arrived ca. 70,000 years ago.