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Children with Disabilities and Their Education NEW!

• Date: 12/15/2026 
• Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
• Day of the week: Tu
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

Presentation Description: 

Children with disabilities have been part of the population for millenia, but in the contemporary world there has been a marked increase in societies’ recognition of them. Identifying and serving them in schools has become a primary concern for many people. This session provides a broad overview of childhood disabilities and special education—identification, causes, testing, teaching, and prognosis—for the general public. Through multi-media and interactive presentations, it will help participants acquire an understanding and appreciation of children with disabilities and their education.

John Wills Lloyd began teaching children with disabilities in the 1960s. He earned a PhD from the University of Oregon in 1976 and then taught prospective teachers and researchers at Northern Illinois University and the University of Virginia for 40 years. Along the way he made the usual academic contributions (speeches, articles, chapters, books, editing) but he took the most joy from designing the activities that led up to students— whether they are 5 or 35 years old—having “aha moments.” Cooking and consuming yummy food with family and friends comes in a close second, though. Currently, he edits Special Education Today [https://www.SpecialEducationToday.com].

Greencroft Lecture Beyond the Levys: Jewish History & Monticello NEW!

• Presenter: Olivia Brown
• Date: 9/17/2026 
• Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• Day of the week: Th
• Location: Greencroft Club (opens in new tab), 575 Rodes Drive Charlottesville, VA 22903
• Fees:
      Member: $35.00
      Non-Member: $50.00
• Non-refundable

Presentation Description: 

This is the first lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 7/8/2026 to 7/8/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

What Can the Declaration of Independence Teach Us About Artificial Intelligence?

In this talk—marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 70th anniversary of the coining of the term artificial intelligence at Dartmouth—we revisit the Declaration as a lens for understanding AI.

We begin with a curious question: why do modern AI systems often claim that the Declaration of Independence is AI-generated? Using this example, we unpack how these systems actually work. Along the way, we explore both their remarkable capabilities and their fundamental limitations.

From there, we zoom out. The Declaration of Independence raises enduring questions about what makes a system legitimate: who it serves, where its authority comes from, and when it should be challenged. As AI becomes embedded in everyday life, these questions feel more relevant than ever. This talk offers a clear, accessible introduction to AI, grounded in both technical intuition and broader ideas about trust, responsibility, and human judgment.

Brinnae Bent

Executive in Residence in the Engineering and Professional Programs, 
Pratt School of Engineering at Duke; Director, Duke TRUST Lab

Brinnae Bent is the Associate Director of the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Director of the Duke TRUST Lab, and faculty in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, where she teaches courses on Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. She is a leader in bridging the gap between research and industry in machine learning, having led projects and developed algorithms for the largest companies in the world. More importantly, she has built algorithms that have meaningful impacts— from helping people walk to noninvasively monitoring glucose. Her current research explores questions like “how can explainable AI help in the conservation of endangered species?”, “how do we prevent your sleep monitor from getting hacked?”, and “how do we align AI systems with how humans think about concepts?” Dr. Bent actively contributes open-source tools and translates high-impact research into practice. Beyond research, Dr. Bent is deeply committed to education, and her education initiatives have been featured by OpenAI Academy, Backyard Brains, and CNET. She teaches advanced courses in explainable AI, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and cybersecurity, while also pioneering “K-100” outreach initiatives to bring engineering and data science to diverse audiences. She seeks to empower the next generation of thinkers who will shape ethical, impactful technology. Dr. Bent holds a BS from North Carolina State University and an MS and PhD from Duke University.

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

This is the second lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 7/15/2026 to 7/15/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

Can AI Think Like a Doctor?

What does it mean to name a disease, make a diagnosis, or truly understand what is wrong with someone? This talk explores those questions through a wide-ranging and accessible story about medicine, technology, and the changing nature of medical knowledge. Over the past two centuries, medicine has moved from bedside observation and the study of symptoms, to statistics and population health, to computers designed to assist with diagnosis. Today, with the rise of artificial intelligence, we are once again being asked to rethink what medical expertise is and how it should be used.

Rather than offering a narrowly technical account, this lecture invites a broader reflection on how medicine has tried to bring order to the uncertainty of illness. Why have doctors and scientists repeatedly turned to new tools in the hope of making care more accurate, more rational, and more humane? What has been gained, and what has been lost, along the way?

The second half of the talk turns to the present moment. It offers a balanced introduction to modern medical AI, including its genuine strengths, its important limitations, and the risks of relying on it too easily. The session will conclude with practical suggestions for how older adults can use AI tools to better understand health information, prepare for medical visits, and take a more active role in their own care.

Adam Rodman

Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School; Director of AI Programs, Shapiro Center for Research and Education, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Adam Rodman is a general internis­­­t and medical educator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. He is the Director of AI Programs for the Carl J. Shapiro Center for Education and Research, and he leads the steering group for integration of AI into the medical school curriculum. He is also an associate editor at NEJM AI, as well as a visiting researcher at Google DeepMind. His research focuses on medical education, clinical reasoning, integration of digital technologies, and human-computer interaction, especially with AI. His first book is entitled Short Cuts: Medicine, and he is the host of the American College of Physicians podcast Bedside Rounds. 

Adam completed his residency in internal medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR, and his fellowship in global health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center while practicing in Molepolole, Botswana. He lives in Boston with his wife and two young sons.

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

This is the third lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 7/22/2026 to 7/22/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

AI: Too Artificial? Too Intelligent? Too Much Energy?

Dan Reicher—Stanford and Dartmouth senior scholar, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, and Google’s Director of Climate and Energy—will discuss his take on AI from several perspectives: fastgrowing applications; problematic uses; political and financial considerations; and his own experience with this transformational technology. Importantly, he will examine the massive energy and water demands of the AI data centers and how to address them. At the same time, Dan will consider ways that AI might accelerate the clean energy transition—and help address climate change—by improving electric grid operations, increasing industrial energy efficiency, and managing building energy use.

Dan W. Reicher

Senior Scholar, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability; Senior Fellow, Dartmouth Irving Institute for Energy & Society

Dan Reicher is an entrepreneur, investor, policymaker, lawyer, and educator focused on clean energy and climate change. Reicher has served three U.S. presidents, testified before the U.S. Congress more than 50 times, led the launch of Google’s pathbreaking climate and clean energy work, oversaw a $1.2 billion annual clean energy R&D budget as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, and co-founded the nation’s first investment firm focused exclusively on renewable energy project finance. 

Reicher served from 2011 to 2018 as founding executive director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, a joint center of the Stanford Law and Business Schools. He is currently a Stanford Doerr School senior scholar, senior fellow at Dartmouth’s Irving Institute for Energy and Society, senior advisor with the Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Fund, and policy and business advisor. Reicher came to Stanford from Google, where he served since 2007 as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. 

Reicher’s federal roles include: Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Department of Energy Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff; Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for Policy; a member of the Obama and Clinton presidential transition teams; a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board; a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems; a staff member of the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island; a law clerk to a federal district court judge; and a paralegal in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Before his position at Google, Reicher was President and Co-founder of New Energy Capital, the nation’s first investment firm focused exclusively on renewable energy project finance, and Executive Vice President of Northern Power Systems, one of the nation’s oldest renewable energy companies. Earlier in his career Reicher was as an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts and an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. He was also an adjunct professor at Yale University, Vermont Law School and the University of Maryland.

In 2012 Reicher received an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and was also named one of the five most influential figures in U.S.

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

This is the fourth lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 7/29/2026 to 7/29/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

What Will Be the Economic Impacts of AI?

Artificial intelligence represents a transformation comparable in scale to electricity or the internet, yet most business leaders are approaching it as simply another productivity tool. Wheeler will argue this is a fundamental strategic error with consequences extending far beyond individual companies to the broader economy and workforce. Drawing on his experience living through the internet transformation—where companies like Amazon reimagined everything while others like Sears merely optimized existing models—Wheeler will examine why the current moment demands urgent rethinking, what’s at stake when leaders prioritize short-term efficiency over long-term transformation, and what becomes possible when change is embraced correctly. He will explore specific examples across industries, discuss implications for the next generation entering the workforce, and explain why the choices being made today will determine economic outcomes for decades to come.

Patrick Wheeler

Executive Director of the Center for Digital Strategies, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Patrick Wheeler serves as Executive Director of the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he has established himself as a pioneering force in artificial intelligence education and technology leadership development. As an early advocate for AI education in business schools, Wheeler launched Dartmouth's first generative AI programming in early 2022 and co-created Tuck's inaugural AI-focused course in 2023. He founded and leads the Dartmouth AI Conference, now entering its fourth year in 2026 as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of AI being established as a field at Dartmouth, growing from 150 to 400 attendees.

Wheeler's teaching philosophy emphasizes that organizations must fundamentally rethink their strategy and operations for AI rather than simply applying it for efficiency gains—a perspective informed by his experience navigating the early internet transformation and cloud revolution. He leads comprehensive AI education initiatives teaching MBA students and undergraduates, conducting hands-on workshops where students build technology products using AI tools, and developing practical applications. Since 2018, he has educated hundreds of participants through programming that combines theoretical understanding with practical strategy development.

Wheeler's impact extends beyond campus through his advisory work on AI strategy with CEOs, private sector organizations, and federal government entities. He frequently moderates panels at industry conferences and has facilitated discussions with experts from organizations including Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. His ability to forge meaningful partnerships has resulted in collaborative research with Google and immersive learning experiences in technology ecosystems worldwide.

Prior to joining Tuck, Wheeler built a diverse career spanning consulting, technology, and innovation across four continents. At CEB (now Gartner), he created a low-code e-learning product that generated multi-million dollar revenue within its first year. He also served as a trusted aide to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), t

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

This is the fifth lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 8/5/2026 to 8/5/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

Is AI Leading Us Toward a More Dangerous World Disorder?

 AI lies at the heart of the strategic competition between the U.S. and China, including the use of AI in intelligence, cyber and military operations.  As AI adoption accelerates in the national security space, the American people and their elected representatives must grapple with a number of critical questions: How will AI change the future of deterrence and warfare?  What ethical issues will the use of AI in national security raise?  What norms or principles should serve as guardrails for the use of AI? How do we get other nations to embrace these norms?  And how do we train a whole generation of military officers to ensure human accountability for AI-driven outcomes on the battlefield?

Michèle Flournoy

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, WestExec Advisors; Co-Founder and Chair, Center for a New American Security

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and a Co-Founder, former Chief Executive Oaicer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012. She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress.

Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department. In January 2007, Michèle co-founded CNAS, a bipartisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009, and returned as CEO in 2014. In 2017, she co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic advisory firm.

Michèle serves on the boards of CNAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Council on Foreign Relations, Amida Technology Solutions, and CARE. She serves on a number of advisory boards, including for The Leadership Council for Women in National Security, The Mission Continues, PIMCO, and Girl Security. She is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group. She is a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board, and the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Policy Board.

Michèle earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Balliol College, Oxford University, where she was a Newton-Tatum scholar.

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903

This is the sixth lecture in the six lecture series.

• Day of the week: W
• Date: 8/12/2026 to 8/12/2026
• Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Lecture Description and Speaker Information: 

How Can We Build Human Morality Into AI?

NOTE: This session will take place from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used to make many lifechanging decisions in medicine, law, transportation, the military, business, and other areas. Critics object that using AI in these areas is inhumane and too likely to lead to harm, unfairness, and other moral wrongs. I will admit these dangers but reply that these decisions can be made safer and more ethical by building human moral values into the AI decisionmaker. Our team does this by surveying human moral judgments at two levels and then correcting for ignorance, confusion, and partiality. To show how our methods work in practice, I will demonstrate our websites, report initial empirical findings for kidney allocation and dementia, and finally discuss potential future applications to criminal law, transportation, business, and the military.

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Chauncey Stillman Distinguished Professor of Practical Ethics, Duke University

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended the Hotchkiss School, Amherst College (BA 1977), and Yale University (PhD 1982). He taught at Dartmouth College 1981-2009 and at Duke University since 2010.

Sinnott-Armstrong is Chauncey Stillman Distinguished Professor of Practical Ethics in the Department of Philosophy and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University with secondary appointments in Duke’s Law School and Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He has served as co-chair of the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association.

Sinnott-Armstrong has published eight books, 21 edited collections, and over 250 articles and chapters in leading venues, including top journals in psychology, law, and philosophy. His research has addressed a wide variety of central issues in applied ethics, empirical moral psychology and neuroscience, epistemology, informal logic, and philosophy of law, religion, and psychiatry. His current focus is on moral artificial intelligence, political polarization, and various topics in moral psychology and brain science, including free will, consciousness, and moral responsibility. His popular trade books include Morality Without God?, Think Again: How to Reason and Argue, and Moral AI and How We Get There (with Jana Schaich Borg and Vincent Conitzer).

Sinnott-Armstrong co-teaches a Massive Open Online Course, Think Again, on the Coursera platform with over a million students registered. He co-directs Summer Seminars in Neuroscience and Philosophy, which trains philosophers in neuroscience and neuroscientists in philosophy. He is widely sought as a speaker on a wide variety of topics to both academic and public audiences.

The Agenda: 

9:00 AM Introduction   (Eastern Time)  Approximate times. 
9:10 –10:10 AM Speaker
10:10 -10:40 AM Break   
** During the 20-30 minute break those attending the lecture can enjoy a break and submit questions. Also, during this time, the staff at Dartmouth will monitor the email and Chat for those submitted questions from those watching online. Then the Moderator goes through all the questions that were submitted at the during the break, and groups them together for the same questions so that he/she is prepared with questions when the break is over.

10:40– 11:30 AM Question and Answers

Stay and continue the conversation after the livestreamed lecture is over. 

**NOTE – Several past attendees have said that the Question and Answer part of the lecture is one of the best parts.

• Fee:
  •  Member: $20.00
  • Non-Member: $35.00
  • (non-refundable)
• Limit: 35
• Location: OLLI at UVA (opens in new tab), 1 Morton Drive, Terrace Level Charlottesville, VA 22903