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OLLI at Illinois - Lifelong Learning Community

Upcoming Lectures & Events   

This week (10/12 - 10/18/2025)

 

Following Week

  • Fall 2025 Courses continue
  • Sunday, October 19, 2:00 - 4:00 PM: Chinese Mahjong & Friendship Interest Group (Riggs Beer Co, Urbana)
  • Thursday, October 23, 1:30 - 2:30 PM: Marketing Committee Meeting (Orange Room & ZOOM)
  • Thursday, October 23, 3:30 - 4:30 PM: Study Group Committee Meeting (Orange Room & ZOOM)
  • Friday, October 24, 2:00 - 4:00 PM: Knitting and other Crafts Interest Group (Conference Room)
 

Recurring Events (no registration required)

  • Coffee with Janet in the Member Lounge (approximately every other Friday afternoon from 2-4 PM, Sept 19 - Dec 19, 2025) 

 

Note: For Member-only events or lectures, Members must sign-in to view the 'Register' button.
  • F25 RBML Presentations: Stay Tuned for the Next Episode: The Dying Phenomenon of the Television Pilot
  • Lecturer: James Gordon
    Dates: 10/16/2025 - 10/16/2025
    Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room:
    Seats Available: 14
    Fee: $0.00

    OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RMBL) Presentations - Fall 2025

    Location: All OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library Presentations will take place in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 346 Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

    These FREE presentations are designated for OLLI members through our collaboration with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Space is limited and registration still required through your OLLI account online.

    If you have questions regarding the presentation topic or content, email askacurator@library.illinois.edu or call 217-333-3777. 

    Presenter: James Gordon

    Stay Tuned for the Next Episode: The Dying Phenomenon of the Television Pilot

    Television pilots gave studios the opportunity to see if a show was fit to produce. At the height of the era, only 25% of shows ever saw a full season of television. Pilot season has become an artifact of the past. Join us at the RBML to examine the 75% of scripts that never got produced and learn their plots, the stars who were cast in them, and gain insight why these shows were fated for obscurity.

 

  • F25 RBML Presentations: A Brief History of Woodcuts
  • Lecturer: Molly Banwart
    Dates: 10/30/2025 - 10/30/2025
    Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room:
    Seats Available: 13
    Fee: $0.00

    OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RMBL) Presentations - Fall 2025

    Location: All OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library Presentations will take place in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 346 Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

    These FREE presentations are designated for OLLI members through our collaboration with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Space is limited and registration still required through your OLLI account online.

    If you have questions regarding the presentation topic or content, email askacurator@library.illinois.edu or call 217-333-3777. 

    Presenter: Molly Banwart

    A Brief History of Woodcuts

    The oldest form of printmaking, wood cuts have endured as a major technique, even as other technologies have emerged. Join in on this special RBML session as we travel from 13th century Japan to Renaissance Europe to modern day America. We will explore how the technique has changed over time, how it’s differentiated from its printmaking successors, and highlight notable woodblock prints and printers from our collections.

 

  • F25 RBML Presentations: Tiny Worlds: A Journey Through Miniature Books at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library
  • Lecturer: Naomi Subotnick
    Dates: 11/13/2025 - 11/13/2025
    Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room:
    Seats Available: 15
    Fee: $0.00

    OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RMBL) Presentations - Fall 2025

    Location: All OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library Presentations will take place in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 346 Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

    These FREE presentations are designated for OLLI members through our collaboration with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Space is limited and registration still required through your OLLI account online.

    If you have questions regarding the presentation topic or content, email askacurator@library.illinois.edu or call 217-333-3777. 

    Presenter: Naomi Subotnick

    Tiny Worlds: A Journey Through Miniature Books at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library

    This session will introduce participants to various examples of miniature books in the collection of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Topics discussed will include the diversity of miniature books, the making and publishing of these materials, and histories of collecting. The primary goal of this presentation is to spark curiosity in a unique genre of rare books, and to engage in conversation about their historical and artistic significance. 

 

  • F25 RBML Presentations: Sweetbitter: The Cutting Room Floor
  • Lecturer: Cait Coker
    Dates: 12/4/2025 - 12/4/2025
    Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room:
    Seats Available: 15
    Fee: $0.00

    OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RMBL) Presentations - Fall 2025

    Location: All OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library Presentations will take place in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 346 Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

    These FREE presentations are designated for OLLI members through our collaboration with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Space is limited and registration still required through your OLLI account online.

    If you have questions regarding the presentation topic or content, email askacurator@library.illinois.edu or call 217-333-3777. 

    Presenter: Cait Coker

    Sweetbitter: The Cutting Room Floor

    Come visit the current RBML exhibit Sweetbitter: The Literary Legacies and Afterlives of Sappho with curator Cait Coker. An exploration of the “cutting room floor” of exhibit design will follow, with a selection of items that did not make it into the final show and a discussion of the work that goes into complex public work.

 

  • F25 RBML Presentations: Sherlockian Schoolboys: Readership of Liminal Literature
  • Lecturer: Hannah Majewski
    Dates: 12/18/2025 - 12/18/2025
    Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room:
    Seats Available: 14
    Fee: $0.00

    OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RMBL) Presentations - Fall 2025

    Location: All OLLI Rare Book & Manuscript Library Presentations will take place in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 346 Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

    These FREE presentations are designated for OLLI members through our collaboration with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Space is limited and registration still required through your OLLI account online.

    If you have questions regarding the presentation topic or content, email askacurator@library.illinois.edu or call 217-333-3777. 

    Presenter: Hannah Majewski

    Sherlockian Schoolboys: Readership of Liminal Literature

    From magazines to movies, the veritable Sherlock Holmes has captured the attention and imagination of readers for over 100 years, but where did the fascination begin? Join us at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library to "clue in" to who was reading what during Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's lifetime, and how its appeal has lasted this long when it wasn't always meant to.

 

  • Gravitational Waves: A New Window to the Universe: In-person
  • Lecturer: Cathrine Blom
    Dates: 10/16/2025 - 10/16/2025
    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
    Days: Th
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room: Osher Classroom
    Seats Available: 54
    Fee: $0.00

    This September 14 the gravitational wave detector LIGO (Laser Interferometry Gravitational-wave Observatory) celebrated 10 years since recording the first gravitational waves - the shaking of space generated when two black holes merged some 1.3 billion light years away. The detection opened a new astronomical window on the cosmos, making it possible now to "listen" to the shaking of the universe, in addition to more conventional seeing the universe with light, and with other electromagnetic waves.  Since then, LIGO and its companion detectors Virgo in Italy and very recently KAGRA in Japan have detected gravitational waves from hundreds of black hole mergers, and even from mergers of pairs of neutron stars and "mixed mergers" of neutron stars and black holes. In this lecture, which will not assume any prior knowledge of the subject, Cathrine Blom will first explain how gravitational wave detectors work, and then describe their recent amazing results.

     

    Speaker Bio: Cathrine Blom earned her Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Illinois, where she also earned a B.A. in psychology. In addition, she has a working background in physics participating in Norway on analysis of CERN experiments prior to coming to the U.S. At Illinois, she co-taught the primary introductory music classes for majors several times and received an honorary mention for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Her OLLI courses and presentations on both music and science topics are highly regarded; one recent student noted, “She made a very difficult topic much easier to understand.”

 

  • Gravitational Waves: A New Window to the Universe: ZOOM
  • Lecturer: Cathrine Blom
    Dates: 10/16/2025 - 10/16/2025
    Times: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
    Days: Th
    Format: Online
    Sessions: 1
    Room: ZOOM
    Seats Available: 58
    Fee: $0.00

    This September 14 the gravitational wave detector LIGO (Laser Interferometry Gravitational-wave Observatory) celebrated 10 years since recording the first gravitational waves - the shaking of space generated when two black holes merged some 1.3 billion light years away. The detection opened a new astronomical window on the cosmos, making it possible now to "listen" to the shaking of the universe, in addition to more conventional seeing the universe with light, and with other electromagnetic waves.  Since then, LIGO and its companion detectors Virgo in Italy and very recently KAGRA in Japan have detected gravitational waves from hundreds of black hole mergers, and even from mergers of pairs of neutron stars and "mixed mergers" of neutron stars and black holes. In this lecture, which will not assume any prior knowledge of the subject, Cathrine Blom will first explain how gravitational wave detectors work, and then describe their recent amazing results.

    Speaker Bio: Cathrine Blom earned her Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Illinois, where she also earned a B.A. in psychology. In addition, she has a working background in physics participating in Norway on analysis of CERN experiments prior to coming to the U.S. At Illinois, she co-taught the primary introductory music classes for majors several times and received an honorary mention for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Her OLLI courses and presentations on both music and science topics are highly regarded; one recent student noted, “She made a very difficult topic much easier to understand.”

 

  • The Play That Goes Wrong with Pre-Show Talk
  • Fee: $0.00
    Item Number: F25EVE03
    Dates: 10/29/2025 - 10/29/2025
    Times: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 1
    Room:

    THIS EVENT IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

    Join OLLI members for a night at the theatre, with a pre-show talk by the co-director, J.W. Morrissette.

    How to register: Registration is required for the pre-show talk and to gain access to the Krannert promo code.

    Once you register through your OLLI acount for the pre-show talk, you will gain access to the promo code and instructions on how to purchase your ticket(s) for the play through Krannert's online system as part of this group. This information will be shown on the "Meeting Link" section under your My Account > Registrations. You will also receive an email with the promo code and instructions within 2 business days of registering through your OLLI account.

    Members can also register one guest using the : For Guests section on the OLLI website.

    No cost for the pre-show talk. Ticket prices for the play with the arranged promo code through Krannert are $27.

    Details:
    We will meet at the Stage 5 bar at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 6:00 PM. The play's co-director, J.W. Morrissette, will give the pre-show talk for our group at 6:45 PM in the Opera Room. The play then starts at 7:30 PM in the Colwell Playhouse.

    Event description:
    The Play That Goes Wrong

    "The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, appearing through the generous support of special arts grants and artists exchanges has come all the way from the United Kingdom to perform their production of the single most riveting murder/mystery play ever crafted for the stage: The Murder at Haversham Manor. As the murder/mystery play progresses, this unlikely (and unlucky) endeavor begins to quite literally fall apart as technical mishaps, theatrical missteps, and mischief bring down the house in one of the funniest play-within-a-play productions ever to gloriously fail in full view of any audience.

    To quote Scott, a random person on the internet, "My side hurt from laughing! This was a comedy masterpiece!" And Paul J. another random person from the Internet, "Funny, funny and even more funny!"" (Desription from Krannert event webpage)

    Join J.W. Morrissette, Associate Head of the Department of Theatre and co-director of this seminal farce. We’ll talk a bit about how this show came to from early production dreaming to a fully realized dream come true. We will explore some of the goals set forth in choosing this ambitious project and see how the Department of Theatre and Krannert Center are uniquely positioned to bring this play to life and learn about the backstage magic that makes this an event not to be missed. 

    This section is for OLLI members to register themselves. Please register your guest using the : For Guests section.

 

  • The Play That Goes Wrong with Pre-Show Talk
  • Fee: $0.00
    Item Number: MEMEVE03G
    Dates: 10/29/2025 - 10/29/2025
    Times: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 1
    Room:

    THIS EVENT IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.

    Join OLLI members for a night at the theatre, with a pre-show talk by the co-director, J.W. Morrissette.

    How to register: Registration is required for the pre-show talk and to gain access to the Krannert promo code.

    Once you register through your OLLI acount for the pre-show talk, you will gain access to the promo code and instructions on how to purchase your ticket(s) for the play through Krannert's online system as part of this group. This information will be shown on the "Meeting Link" section under your My Account > Registrations. You will also receive an email with the promo code and instructions within 2 business days of registering through your OLLI account.

    Members can also register one guest using the : For Guests section on the OLLI website.

    No cost for the pre-show talk. Ticket prices for the play with the arranged promo code through Krannert are $27.

    Details:
    We will meet at the Stage 5 bar at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 6:00 PM. The play's co-director, J.W. Morrissette, will give the pre-show talk for our group at 6:45 PM in the Opera Room. The play then starts at 7:30 PM in the Colwell Playhouse.

    Event description:
    The Play That Goes Wrong

    "The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, appearing through the generous support of special arts grants and artists exchanges has come all the way from the United Kingdom to perform their production of the single most riveting murder/mystery play ever crafted for the stage: The Murder at Haversham Manor. As the murder/mystery play progresses, this unlikely (and unlucky) endeavor begins to quite literally fall apart as technical mishaps, theatrical missteps, and mischief bring down the house in one of the funniest play-within-a-play productions ever to gloriously fail in full view of any audience.

    To quote Scott, a random person on the internet, "My side hurt from laughing! This was a comedy masterpiece!" And Paul J. another random person from the Internet, "Funny, funny and even more funny!"" (Desription from Krannert event webpage)

    Join J.W. Morrissette, Associate Head of the Department of Theatre and co-director of this seminal farce. We’ll talk a bit about how this show came to from early production dreaming to a fully realized dream come true. We will explore some of the goals set forth in choosing this ambitious project and see how the Department of Theatre and Krannert Center are uniquely positioned to bring this play to life and learn about the backstage magic that makes this an event not to be missed. 

    This section is for OLLI members to register a Guest. Please register yourself using the : For Members section.

 

  • Challenges and Limits of Technology to Support Successful Longevity: In-person
  • Lecturer: Neil Charness
    Dates: 10/31/2025 - 10/31/2025
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Days: F
    Format: In-Person
    Sessions: 1
    Room: Osher Classroom
    Seats Available: 56
    Fee: $0.00

    In this presentation, Charness outlines two important trends: population aging and accelerating technology diffusion, emphasizing the role that technology can play in supporting aging adults to live productive, purposeful lives. The discussion takes into account the significant age-related digital divide that currently exists in technology adoption and use. Charness presents a framework for technology interventions—Prevent, Rehabilitate, Augment, Substitute (PRAS)—and provides examples of these approaches applied to domains such as brain training, driving, and mitigating loneliness and social isolation. The presentation also addresses constraints on technology adoption related to human and system reliability and product design.

    Speaker details: Neil Charness is a Sessional Clinical Professor of Psychology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Professor Emeritus at Florida State University, where he also served as Director of the Institute for Successful Longevity. He earned degrees from McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University, and held faculty positions at Wilfrid Laurier, University of Waterloo, and FSU (1994–2024). His research centers on human factors in aging and technology use. Charness has authored over 200 publications and co-authored several books on designing for older adults. He is a Fellow of APA, APS, and GSA, and recipient of multiple honors including the HFES Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award and APA’s Prize for Interdisciplinary Team Research.

 

  • Challenges and Limits of Technology to Support Successful Longevity: ZOOM
  • Lecturer: Neil Charness
    Dates: 10/31/2025 - 10/31/2025
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Days: F
    Format: Online
    Sessions: 1
    Room: ZOOM
    Seats Available: 57
    Fee: $0.00

    In this presentation, Charness outlines two important trends: population aging and accelerating technology diffusion, emphasizing the role that technology can play in supporting aging adults to live productive, purposeful lives. The discussion takes into account the significant age-related digital divide that currently exists in technology adoption and use. Charness presents a framework for technology interventions—Prevent, Rehabilitate, Augment, Substitute (PRAS)—and provides examples of these approaches applied to domains such as brain training, driving, and mitigating loneliness and social isolation. The presentation also addresses constraints on technology adoption related to human and system reliability and product design.

    Speaker details: Neil Charness is a Sessional Clinical Professor of Psychology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Professor Emeritus at Florida State University, where he also served as Director of the Institute for Successful Longevity. He earned degrees from McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University, and held faculty positions at Wilfrid Laurier, University of Waterloo, and FSU (1994–2024). His research centers on human factors in aging and technology use. Charness has authored over 200 publications and co-authored several books on designing for older adults. He is a Fellow of APA, APS, and GSA, and recipient of multiple honors including the HFES Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award and APA’s Prize for Interdisciplinary Team Research.

 

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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

301 North Neil Street, Suite 201

Champaign, IL 61820

Phone: 217-244-9141

Email: OLLI@illinois.edu

OLLI at Illinois is an inclusive community that offers affordable, accessible, high-quality educational programs designed for people fifty and older connected to East Central Illinois. OLLI at Illinois offers Courses, Study Groups, Lectures, Interest Groups, and other Events throughout the year for adult lifelong learners. Events may be in-person sessions, online-only via Zoom sessions, or hybrid (in-person and Zoom webinar) sessions. We hope you will join or rejoin OLLI at Illinois! Stay Curious!

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