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Welcome to ElderwiseIn-person, online, and hybrid classes Spring Term 2025 Registration is Open > Science & Tech

Science & Tech   

  • Is Flying Still Safe? 

  • IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church

    Recent events in commercial aircraft travel, such as the Boeing 737 Max crashes and severe injuries caused by severe turbulence during flight, have generated an increased level of fear within the flying public. Some passengers have even gone so far as to change flight plans if they are scheduled to fly on a Boeing 737 Max. This presentation is intended to give a behind-the-scenes view of safety protocols such as aircraft design, testing, pilot training, etc., that are in place within the commercial aviation business to ensure safety of flight within the commercial aviation business. The presentation will also address some of the underlying reasons associated with the Boeing 737 Max crashes. Bud Thomas is a retired Aerospace Engineer with 50+ years of experience, including rocket engine design for the Saturn-V Apollo rocket, the Space Shuttle’s main engine, and jet engine design for commercial and military aircraft. He was personally held accountable by all the different national Regulatory Agencies to assure design practices that met Regulatory standards. Pat Schroeder has been flying since age 18 and pursued a career as a professional pilot (American Airlines Flexjet), and chief flight instructor, both charter and corporate. Pat and a team of senior pilots developed training that prioritized a safety-mindset in all operations.

     

  • Fee: $15.00

  • Instructor(s): Bud Thomas

  • Dates: 4/30/2025 - 4/30/2025

    Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  • Sessions: 1

    Days: W

  • Building: Vineyard Church

    Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church

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  • Cannabis: Can It Ease Our Pain? 

  • IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church

    Leaf411, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the nation's first national cannabis nurse hotline and guidance service, committed to expanding healthcare equity by ensuring consumers have free or low-cost access to evidence-based information. Leaf411’s mission is to provide education and directional support to the public about the safe and effective use of cannabis. During this presentation, Mary Loyer, RN, a Leaf411 nurse, will provide a general overview of cannabis medicine, and explain how a cannabis nurse can assist in finding answers to our questions. Topics will include a brief overview of how components of the cannabis plant (marijuana and hemp) interact with the body, potential therapeutic benefits, how to avoid unwanted side effects, and the potential for interaction with other medications. Mary Loyer, RN, has been working with Leaf411 for three years to increase awareness of this essential public education resource. She has spent 25 years in the healthcare industry, concentrating on medication safety. After retiring in 2021, she returned to school to earn a certificate in cannabis medicine from Pacific College in California.

     

  • Fee: $15.00

  • Instructor(s): Mary Loyer

  • Dates: 5/1/2025 - 5/1/2025

    Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  • Sessions: 1

    Days: Th

  • Building: Vineyard Church

    Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church

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  • The Origin and Evolution of Mammary Glands 

  • ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent the Friday before class begins.

    A defining feature of the mammalian animal group is the presence of milk-producing glands used to feed their babies. Mammals show extraordinary variation in offspring number. For example, humans typically have one child per pregnancy, but some mammals can have up to 32 babies in a litter. Over the years, many anatomical and ecological traits have been proposed to explain this variation. Our presenter will describe a study of 2,698 species of mammals that investigated how litter size evolves. The study found that litter size can be explained mostly by teat number. But it also identified behaviors, such as males providing care to their offspring, that can allow a species to evolve litter sizes larger than would be predicted from the mother’s anatomy alone. In light of these results, Tom will discuss how the evolutionary origin of milk production has shaped the history of mammals. Thomas Stewart is an evolutionary and developmental biologist whose research focuses on major transitions in vertebrate evolution. He holds an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, and a PhD from the University of Chicago in Integrative Biology. After graduating, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University and the University of Chicago. Tom is currently an Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University.

     

  • Fee: $15.00

  • Instructor(s): Thomas Stewart

  • Dates: 5/12/2025 - 5/12/2025

    Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  • Sessions: 1

    Days: M

  • Building: Online Course

    Room: Online via Zoom

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