UM Experience
It’s All About LIFELONG LEARNING
The Audrey R. Finkelstein Experience
Friday, November 6, 2009
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Share the experience of today’s University of Miami students through an interactive educational series featuring some of the University’s renowned faculty and timely lecture topics, all specially designed for our returning alumni and guests.
SESSION 1: 9 - 10 a.m. (choose one lecture per session)
Maximizing the Impact of the Stimulus Plan
President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), referred to as "the stimulus plan," on February 13, 2009. What will it mean for science, technology, education, and infrastructure? Hear from Jacqueline Dixon, noted scientist and interim dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, and Rudy Fernandez, vice president for government relations and chair of UM’s Stimulus Working Group, how the stimulus funding stands to impact our community, our nation, and our world.
Using Your Brain: Studies of Successful Aging in the Nervous System - Session is SOLD OUT
The ability to define—and achieve—what we call "successful" aging is a major focus of the neurosciences. The factors that most strongly impact quality of life as we age are a high level of engagement with life, low risk of disease, and high physical and cognitive function. Advances in the molecular biology of aging reveal that there is a complex interplay between genes and the environment. Deborah Mash, Ph.D. ’84, professor of neurology, will present an overview of our current understanding of what it takes to age well and prosper into our eighth, ninth, and tenth decade.
SESSION 2: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (choose one lecture per session)
New Frontiers for Stem Cell Research
With the current administration’s promise to lift limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, there has been renewed interest in the promise this innovative science holds. The Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) seeks to capitalize on pioneering work in the use of stem cells for the repair of malfunctioning human organs and find new treatments for chronic, debilitating, or incurable diseases that to this point have defied conventional therapies. Dr. Joshua Hare, director of the ISCI, presents an overview of the institute and its role in defining the new frontiers of stem cell research.
Weather and Human Health: Present Realities and Future Possibilities
Weather is responsible for thousands of deaths in the United States each year. Excessive heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, and blizzards combined, and this has major implications if the Earth warms, as many expect over the next century. Learn about the work Laurence Kalkstein, research professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Studies, has been doing with the National Weather Service to develop sophisticated warning systems that can alert meteorologists, health practitioners, and other stakeholders of impending negative health outcomes from extreme weather.
Lunch Session: Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Flying High: New Dean, New Direction
After nearly 15 years, the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science has new leadership. Dean Roni Avissar, a dynamic atmospheric scientist and award-winning hydroclimatologist, reveals his plans to take the school to new heights in research, education, and outreach. He also shares details of his environmental work in the Amazon River Basin, the helicopter platform he pilots that allows his team to make weather observations just inches above the lush jungle canopy, and OLAM, the intricate new climate model developed in his lab.
SESSION 3: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Tour of the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center
The Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center is scheduled to open in September 2010, but this is your opportunity to tour your new “home away from home” while it’s in the finishing stages of construction. Come hear about the exciting plans we have to celebrate the achievements of our alumni and welcome them whenever they return “home” to the beautiful space designed for us by renowned architect Michael Dennis and MGE Architects, led by UM alumni Rolando Conesa, BARCH '82, and Jorge Alonso, BARCH ’84.
Remember your favorite classes at UM? Do you miss having stimulating discussions with interesting faculty member and fellow students/ Return to those days by enrolling in this year’s Audrey R. Finkelstein UM Experience. Planned especially for you, this educational program features some of the University’s most fascinating faculty and lecture topics.
For more information, call the University of Miami Office of Alumni Relations at 305-284-2872 or toll free at 1-866-UMALUMS (862-5867), or e-mail us at alumni@miami.edu, subject line “UM Experience.”
Click here to view photos and comments from the 2008 UM Experience Program.