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AARP AARP States Virginia Events

AARP and Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech Partner on Free Lecture Series

LLI-LOGO

Join AARP Virginia for engaging, free lectures by issue specialists offered by the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech. LLI at VT provides intellectual, cultural, and social experiences for curious adults 50 and older in the New River Valley and beyond. AARP Virginia is excited to collaborate with them to provide a sampling of their Fall offerings to AARP members and the public! Sign up for one, two, or all three complimentary lectures by clicking on the lecture title below. You'll be sent the Zoom webinar link to attend. If you register but miss the lecture, you can watch the recording at a later time. 

Shenandoah National Park: Natural History Highlights
Friday, Oct 1, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
If a visit to Shenandoah National Park is on your list of future travel destinations, this preview of its many attractions may further whet your appetite. These ancient mountains harbor many secrets, encompassing geology, diverse native forests, wildlife, and a rich human history.

Naturalist Keith Tomlinson covers the big picture, from geological origins to present-day conservation efforts, providing an intimate appreciation for the unique natural history of the park

Keith Tomlinson managed Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia from 1998 to 2020 before his retirement. He worked as an interpretive naturalist and natural resource manager over forty years and studied wilderness areas and botanical gardens in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and Europe. He is author of numerous technical and popular articles on the conservation of plant diversity, public gardens and environmental education. 

Voter Suppression and the Future of Democracy
Thursday, Oct 7, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
CO-SPONSORS
League of Women Voters—Montgomery County
NAACP—Montgomery-Floyd-Radford Branch

Widespread charges of voter fraud in the 2020 election led many state legislatures to enact laws that make voting harder, especially for certain groups of people, justifying these actions as enhancing election integrity. These moves follow decades of voter suppression laws and gerrymandering to control election outcomes.

What will be the impacts of these acts? What should be the balance of power between states and the federal government in determining how citizens vote? How should we think about voting rights in the 21st century, and what actions can we take to ensure that all citizens can vote in convenient and reliable ways?

Rebecca Green is Herbert Kelly Professor for Excellence in Teaching and Professor of the Practice of Law at William and Mary Law School, where she co-directs the Election Law Program. She served as a member of the National Task Force on Election Crises in the years leading up to and during the 2020 election. Professor Green is regularly quoted in national media including the New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and Politico, and she provides commentary on C-SPAN, the BBC, and elsewhere.

Science and Cultural Heritage: From Michelangelo to Maya Blue
Friday, Oct 29, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Giacomo Chiari works at the nexus of science, art, history, and culture. It has taken him around the world to explore and preserve some of its most important cultural artifacts, from inside newly discovered pyramids in Mexico, to the intimacy of the Sistine Chapel Last Judgment. Join us to learn how he applies his scientific expertise to analyze and preserve ancient and valuable treasures.

Giacomo Chiari retired as Chief Scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute in 2013. Over his ten years at the Getty Museum, he pioneered new ways to use scientific instrumentation in cultural conservation, including non-invasive techniques to obtain information from an art object. Prior to his appointment at the Getty, Chiari had a 35-year career as Professor at the University of Turin, Italy, where he analyzed a large number of cultural heritage objects, including the censor panels of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo.

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