Science, Math, & Natural History   

What really changes when we read beyond the abstract? In this interactive course, we will open real research papers (many in health and nutrition) and explore what scientists actually look for. We will explore how small design choices can dramatically shape a study’s meaning, and why headlines rarely tell the full story. No technical background is required – just curiosity. By the end of the course, we will never read “studies show…” the same way again.

In this course, we will explore the three fascinating realms of the cosmos: nearby planets and moons; the stars; and the galaxies (the great island of stars that turn out to be the building blocks of the universe.) Our discussion will be in everyday language, without any math, and will be accompanied by remarkable color images from the latest space probes and the world's largest telescopes, including the latest breathtaking images from the James Webb Space Telescope.

This course traces Apple’s fifty-year history and its massive impact on personal computing, design, product culture, platforms and ecosystems, and daily life. Each session focuses on a different decade in Apple’s history, from the birth of the PC in the late 1970s to the latest Apple silicon, VR headsets, and future iPhones. We will learn how Apple reshaped not just technology, but how people live, work, and communicate.

This course introduces the scientific study of life, with an emphasis on real-world applications and the societal, social, ethical, and legal consequences of biological advances. We will place key biological principles within the context of issues that affect individuals and society, highlighting the connection between biology and everyday life. Designed for non-scientists with little or no recent college-level science experience, the course encourages discussion and reflection. Many topics are at the leading edge of scientific discovery, and we will examine the ongoing ethical and legal debates surrounding how and whether these advances should be applied.

People throughout time and across cultures have looked to the mountains as powerful symbols. The Buddhists of the Himalayas, the Inca of the Andes, the Inuit of the far north, and the Romantics of Europe all created unique stories of what mountains mean and how they are to be approached. This course will provide an interdisciplinary exploration of the beliefs, traditions, and mythologies that have been inspired by the world’s mountains. Through richly illustrated lectures, short readings, and open discussion, this course will open a window into the world’s sacred mountains and encourage exploration of our relationship with the Earth’s high and wild places.

Semiconductors are in the news every day–from the new features of a cell phone, to the announcement of a new data center. But, rarely does the news explain how semi- conductors actually work. This course will explain the fundamentals of the electronics, the chemistry, and the metallurgy of semiconductors, and the manufacturing processes employed in modern factories. Then it will explain the semiconductor nuts-and-bolts behind the headlines like AI, satellite internet service, and self driving cars. New in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

We are on the cusp of a new age in science. The tools and concepts of cognitive science are being applied to biological and computational systems. Intelligence, as the ability to solve problems, appears to be more broadly descriptive than usually assumed. The course will survey some of the pioneering work from the Levin Lab at Tufts University. The discoveries being made in biology bring light and hope to the understanding of our world in an unusual and profound framework. I invite you to explore this ground- breaking work and share a fresh view of nature and the nature of mind. New remote course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

The history of life is punctuated by major transitions and inventions. Fins became limbs; fish moved onto land. Scales became feathers; reptiles took to the air. How did these and other transitions of structure and function happen? The answers, which will surprise and astound, are found in key insights that are emerging as scientists use modern methods to probe classical ideas. This class, suitable for those with some experience and those new to the study of evolution and developmental biology, will help you see how innovations in life evolve. New in-person course. Format includes discussion.

REQUIRED BOOK: Some Assembly Required, Neil Shubin, ISBN 9781101972687