Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC San Diego

What does brilliance look like—and who gets recognized for it?

Osher members had the opportunity to explore these questions through Brilliance Exposed, a powerful photographic exhibition and educational initiative highlighting Americans of color whose achievements in STEAM are helping shape our future.

Presenter Alexis Dixon shared the vision behind this inspiring project, combining striking black-and-white photography with compelling personal narratives to illuminate often-overlooked contributions and challenge assumptions about excellence, representation, and opportunity.

More than an exhibition, Brilliance Exposed includes a 16-week curriculum designed to help students of color recognize, embrace, and express their own brilliance.

📝Registration is OPEN for the Summer Open House!🤝

RSVP Here: https://ucsdes.event451.sites.451.io/event/ucsdes.events.1308422

Invite your friends, family, neighbors, and gardeners to the Osher Summer 2026 Open House event!

Join us to explore the enriching opportunities that await you as part of our Osher community. This event is a wonderful chance to:

•Discover the range of classes and seminars available this summer, offered both on campus and live streamed via Zoom.
•Learn about the benefits of membership.
•Meet our volunteer leadership team and connect with fellow members.

This event is FREE and open to the public, both in person and virtually through Zoom.

•Date: Tuesday, July 7
•Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
•Location: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, UC San Diego, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, 3rd Floor

Online Option: Join us via Zoom (link to be provided upon RSVP)

Parking: Free parking available; please follow the signs on Villa La Jolla Drive and in the parking lot. You will receive a parking code upon registration.

🎓 Osher Lecture Recap
Topic: Eastern Religions
Speaker: Peter Bolland, MA
Date: May 11, 2026

🔍 What we learned:
In this lecture, Peter Bolland explores Daoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy and religion that still offers meaningful lessons for modern life. Throughout the lecture, the audience is introduced to the foundational figures of Daoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi, whose teachings focus on living in harmony with nature, finding balance, and letting go of unnecessary struggles. Bolland explains how these ancient ideas can still help people today manage stress, distractions, and the pressures of modern society, demonstrating how Daoist wisdom remains both relevant and inspiring in today’s world

👤 About the speaker:
Peter Bolland has dedicated more than thirty years to teaching philosophy, world religions, and humanities courses at Southwestern College. He earned his master’s degree in philosophy from San Diego State University and is widely recognized for making complex philosophical ideas approachable and meaningful for everyday audiences. In addition to his teaching career, Bolland wrote The Seven Stone Path: An Everyday Journey to Wisdom, a book that combines philosophical insight with practical guidance for personal growth and daily living.

💡 Stay tuned each week as we highlight the fascinating lectures happening at Osher!

🎓 Osher Lecture Recap
Topic: The History of UC San Diego
Speaker: Professor Stanley Chodorow
Date: May 12, 2026

🔍 What we learned:
The lecture explored how UC San Diego was founded during a period of major change in American higher education, shaped by the postwar baby boom, the GI Bill, and growing demand for STEM education after Sputnik. We learned how degrees shifted from primarily practical fields like agriculture and engineering toward liberal arts education, and how Roger Revelle helped shape UCSD’s vision by modeling it after Oxford and Cambridge—a research university made up of individual colleges—while assembling the land that would become the modern campus beginning with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

👤 About the speaker:
Stanley Chodorow is Professor Emeritus of History at UC San Diego. He served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Arts and Humanities from 1983-1994. He is a medieval historian specializing in the history of the western legal systems, constitutional ideas and institutions, and political thought. He received his BA and PhD from Cornell University.
💡 Stay tuned each week as we highlight the fascinating lectures happening at Osher!

🎓 Osher Lecture Recap
Topic: Returning to the Moon: NASA's Artemis Program
Speaker: Neil Farber, MD
Date: May, 13 2026

🔍 What we learned:
The lecture examined NASA’s plans to return to the Moon through the Artemis program, highlighting both the goals and the technological challenges involved. What stood out was the comparison to the Apollo program, emphasizing how modern missions face more complex obstacles despite advances in technology.

👤 About the speaker:
Neil Farber is a retired internal-medicine specialist from UC San Diego Health who now serves as a docent at the San Diego Air and Space Museum and a NASA Solar System Ambassador. With an MD from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, he combines medical expertise with a lifelong passion for space to educate the public through lectures and outreach.

💡 Stay tuned each week as we highlight the fascinating lectures happening at Osher!

🎨🌴 Last week, Osher members joined us for our very first Osher Paint Party! Filled with creativity, laughter, and plenty of island vibes, participants picked up their brushes and brought a beautiful tropical beach scene to life.

🤩Summer 2026 Memberships are OPEN!

The quarterly membership for summer 2026 is now live on the website. If you have been a quarterly member, now is the time to renew!

For our annual members, renewal will be required after the summer quarter. Don't worry! We'll remind you. 😉

Renew using the button below so you don't miss any upcoming news!
https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/olli/membership/information

🎓 Osher Lecture Recap
Topic: Green Building in the Age of Wildfires and Extreme Weather
Speaker: Drew Hubbell, Principal of Hubbell & Hubbell Architects
Date: March, 20th 2026

🔍 What we learned:
In this lecture, Drew Hubbell delivered a compelling perspective on the need to rethink residential design in fire-prone regions, blending personal insight with lessons from events like the Los Angeles wildfires to highlight the rising urgency of fire-resilient architecture. He brought the ideas to life by exploring innovative materials and home designs that merge sustainability with built-in fire resistance, offering a forward-thinking vision for safer living.

👤 About the speaker:
Drew Hubbell is a principal at Hubbell & Hubbell Architects, an award-winning San Diego–based firm known for its environmentally responsive and regionally inspired work. With decades of experience across residential, institutional, and sacred architecture, he is recognized for integrating buildings seamlessly with their natural surroundings, as well as for his expertise in sustainable design, passive environmental strategies, and material craftsmanship. His projects have earned numerous honors from the American Institute of Architects.
💡 Stay tuned each week as we highlight the fascinating lectures happening at Osher!

LAST CHANCE! Today at 1pm! Osher's Final event for the Spring!

🎭 Osher Theater World presents : "A Double Dose of Christie Mysteries". This production will present "The Rats and The Patient", two Agatha Christie one acts from her collection: "The Rule of Three".

“The Rule of Three” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Location: Room 350
TIme: 1-3pm