University Club programs are open to the public and are held Tuesdays in the Padua Room of the Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road, Claremont, California. Meetings start at 11:30 AM. The $20 meeting fee includes a buffet lunch. Membership applications are available at each meeting. Map to Hughes Community Center
May Program Chair: Bob Smith
May 7 – “A Visitor from Another Star: I1 2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua’”
Speaker – Dr. Dave Kary, instructor of astronomy, Citrus College
In 2017 astronomers saw something they’ve never seen before – an object from far outside of our solar system made a close pass by the sun. For just a couple of months they could observe this interstellar visitor racing through the solar system. In this talk we’ll look at what we know and what we can speculate about this rare visitor from another star.
Dr. Dave Kary grew up in New Westminster, BC, Canada. In grade 3 he learned about the solar system in school, starting his lifelong interest in astronomy. He earned a B.Sc. in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of British Columbia, where he did research on the Galilean moons of Jupiter. He earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where his research included how solar systems form. He then did research and taught at UCSB and worked as director of the astronomy program at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. In 1999 Dave and his family came to the San Gabriel Valley where he started at Citrus College as a full-time astronomy instructor. Dave and his astronomy colleagues make critical thinking, hands-on experiments and observations, and classroom interaction important parts of the college’s astronomy classes.
Introduction: Pat Kelly
Fellowship: Anne Sonner
Greeters: Lori McGrath
May 14 – “Alzheimer’s and the Seven Dementias”
Speaker – Dr. Ryan Harrison, Director of Resident Life & Wellness, Hillcrest
Come for this engaging presentation on dementia. Dr. Harrison’s talk will cover what dementia is, including some of its various types, how dementia is treated, and whether it can be prevented, as well as ways that we can help those living with it to have the highest quality of life possible.
Ryan Harrison holds a Doctorate in Psychology with an emphasis in Health and Wellness and is passionate about wellness and nutrition research. He has worked as the Director of Resident Life & Wellness at Hillcrest Retirement Community since 2012, and is a senior adjunct professor at the University of LaVerne and a trained Dementia Champion and certified Dementia Care Practitioner. Bring your questions!
Introduction: Joe Silva
Fellowship: Bill Waggener
Greeters: Pat Kelly, Art Parker
May 21 – “Ceramic Art in the Pomona Valley: The Legacy of Julianne and David Armstrong”
Speaker – Paul Roach, Director of Advancement and Communications, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona
The American Museum of Ceramic Art is the enduring vision of two of Pomona Valley’s own – Julianne and David Armstrong. This talk with slideshow tells the story of the museum starting at Pomona College, where Julie and Dave met, and weaves its way to the present with a host of colorful characters, including Paul Soldner, Red Skelton, Harrison McIntosh, and Millard Sheets. Along the way, we’ll discuss the last 70 years of the ceramic arts and history, in general and specific to the Pomona Valley, and we’ll take a sneak peak at some upcoming programming at the museum.
Paul Roach is Director of Advancement and Communications at the American Museum of Ceramic Arts. He has been a fan of the museum since he discovered it in 2012, and jumped at the opportunity to support the ceramic arts full-time in the middle of last year. He comes to AMOCA from Claremont Graduate University and before that Pomona College, where he led the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company for the better part of a decade.
Introduction: BobSmith
Fellowship: David Sonner
Greeter: Peter Boniface
May 28 – “Big Bang, Black Holes and Cosmic Strings”
Speaker – Dr. Deborah A. Konkowski, professor of math at US Naval Academy
Professor Konkowski will discuss Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity of 1905 as a precursor to his General Theory of Relativity of 1915. She will go on to show how General Relativity predicts many strange things, including black holes and big-bang cosmologies, and the possible existence of so-called cosmic strings. Professor Konkowski received her B. S. Degree from Harvey Mudd College and her Ph. D. from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by post-doctoral positions at the University of Maryland in College Park and at Queen Mary, University of London. She has been on the faculty of the U. S. Naval Academy since 1987. She has given talks on her work all over the world, and received the Academy’s outstanding faculty research award in 2010. In addition to publishing more than fifty research articles, she is a popular teacher and research supervisor.
Introduction: Lucy Lynch
Fellowship: Mel Boynton
Greeters: Bob Knell and Julia Arias