STEM   

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.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

States and counties across the U.S. are actively luring AI data centers with tax breaks and incentives involving electricity, water, and land, hoping to claim new municipal revenues and a share of AI's explosive growth. Data centers are genuinely resource-intensive: even a mid-sized one consumes as much water as a small town, while larger ones require up to 5 million gallons daily - equivalent to a city of 50,000. Powering and cooling server stacks also demands significant resources; a conventional data center draws as much electricity as 10,000 to 25,000 households. This series of OLLI sessions will examine the demands for water, energy, minerals, and land, as well as the potential environmental impacts of AI data centers, with world, state, and local examples.

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 Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

All-new speakers. All-new topics. All-new AI.

Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every aspect of our lives, from healthcare, education, and transportation to business, aerospace, and personal technology. Through a series of engaging presentations and discussions, participants will explore how AI is being used today, how it is shaping the future, and what opportunities and challenges it presents for society.

Industry leaders and subject-matter experts will share real-world examples of AI in action. Speakers from organizations such as Lockheed Martin, CareerWise, and other innovative institutions will discuss topics ranging from aerospace design, military preparedness, healthcare advances, workforce development, and education. Field trips: Arapahoe Community College's Anatomage anatomy lab and possibly the CSU Spur innovation campus will provide firsthand exposure to cutting-edge applications of AI and technology.

No technical background required—just curiosity about possibly the most influential developments of our time. 

This four-week course is for people who suspect that curiosity does not retire. We'll explore artificial intelligence slowly and thoughtfully—not as technicians, but as human beings navigating a profound cultural shift. Practical questions and bigger ones are both welcome. Retirement was supposed to be the quiet part. Then humanity invented machines that can converse, explain, summarize, brainstorm, argue, and occasionally sound wiser than your cousin Larry. Bring basic copy-and-paste skills and a willingness to wonder. WiFi tablet or laptop helpful but not mandatory.

The class on 10/21 will be online.

This is a new version of the quantum physics class Dr. Ed Friedman has been teaching at DU for years. The redesign emphasizes the history and personalities behind quantum physics - arguably the most important science ever developed. We use in-class demonstrations and realistic simulations of key experiments to build intuitive understanding of quantum science, despite its many mysterious properties. This is a no-math class. A comprehensive companion book complements the class meetings.

How does DNA reshape our understanding of ancestry and identity in the Americas? In this course, we will explore genetic genealogy through early contact between European and Indigenous peoples, using the New Mexico DNA Project as a case study. We will examine Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, Indigenous haplogroups, and the Spanish castas system. We will consider the ethical and political implications of DNA testing and the limits of what genetic evidence can, and cannot, tell us about race and belonging.

This Osher Online course, offered through the Osher National Resource Center, lets you learn with fellow lifelong learners nationwide, guided by a world-class expert. OSHER ONLINE COURSES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

From galaxy chains stretching billions of light-years to black holes of unimaginable mass, our universe is a place of breathtaking grandeur. Thanks to the brilliance of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, powerful telescopes and spacecraft have unlocked cosmic secrets that previous generations could only dream of knowing. In this course, you'll discover how we determined the universe's age, traced its remarkable history, and mapped the full scope of everything it contains—all presented in a way that is engaging, accessible, and deeply rewarding. We are living in a golden age of cosmology. There has never been a better time to look up, ask the big questions, and marvel at the incredible universe above.