This course will focus on the most important astronomical discoveries from ancient times into the 21st century. This will be light on technical details, while still explaining the science, and focusing on the people who made these amazing discoveries. We’ll provide the significant background of the individual’s life and the interesting stories of what they learned, leading us to our current understanding of the universe. A few of the super stars of astronomy such as: Aristotle, Claudius Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Edwin Hubble, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking plus more. This course is a follow up to the more technical “Astronomy 101” class from past semesters but is not a prerequisite. It is suggested you take both in no specific order. Astronomy 101 will return in the spring.

Sequencing modern human DNA has been possible since the 1960s. Sequencing ancient DNA recovered from fossils found in Africa, Eurasia, Oceania and the Americas, which has been feasible for only 10 years, has already revealed details of prehistoric origins, migrations and matings of Homo species over last quarter-million years. In this course, we will review DNA related science and what it has revealed about our ancient ancestors. The course is designed for a lay audience with general knowledge of DNA and interest in ancient human migrations out of Africa into Eurasia, Oceania and the Americas.

Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows you to store, organize, and analyze information. Excel is often used to process complex data, but in this class you will learn how to take advantage of its less complicated features to keep a budget, create an invoice, produce a graph, or store and sort different types of data. Topics covered: navigating the interface, creating and saving workbooks, cell basics, formatting cells, number formats, basic formulas and functions, creating tables and charts. 

NOTE: Please bring a flashdrive with you to all classes so you can save your progress
 

A discussion of how Mythology and Science are related to Spirituality and Carl G. Jung's conception of the mind and the Archetype's of the collective unconscious. Will also include a discussion of the myths and rituals of Paleolithic and Neolithic humans and the Shaman. And finally, a discussion of how the mystical and science traditions are similar.

Weather makes the news every day -- hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and forest fires! We are all affected. Sometimes it can be life-threatening. In this class we will examine basic meteorological principles and then apply those to understand how extreme weather events develop. You will become an amateur storm spotter, knowing when and where severe weather develops and how to protect yourself. Major weather events over the past year will be reviewed and we will look at climate change to understand what the future holds.