PLATO Weekly Update

August 30, 2022

CURRICULUM

FALL COURSES

· Registration for Fall Courses continues! View our Fall Course Schedule of 39 in-person, virtual and hybrid courses

· Most Fall Courses begin the week of September 19

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR COURSES

Before attending in-person Fall Courses, check the Fall 2022 COVID Protocols for your specific host locations in the Curriculum Showcase.

SPECIAL EVENTS 

UPCOMING OCTOBER TRIPS
If you are interested in either or both of our October trips, please sign up now.  Registration deadlines are fast approaching. If we do not have enough registrants by these deadlines to make the trips financially feasible, they will be cancelled. 

Historic Pullman House Tour on Sunday, October 9 – Once a year residents of the Pullman Historic District in Chicago open their homes for their annual house tour. You will see beautiful homes, selected public buildings, exhibits and a video on the history of this unique landmark district, enjoying music, food, antique cars, and so much more. The registration deadline is September 8. Register, view photos, and learn more here.

Titanic The Musical on Sunday, October 16 – PLATO member Stuart shares, "I saw this fantastic production at the Milwaukee Rep and I was just so moved by the opening and closing numbers in particular, though the whole show is outstanding!" He's got a ticket to see the show again. The registration deadline is September 15. Register and learn more here.

WALKS OF DANE COUNTY
NEW! Join us for these morning Walks starting at 9am to take in the natural splendor of the season. Following each Walk we have suggested gathering at a local café to relax and socialize before returning home.

· Friday, Sept. 9 we'll walk the woods of Stewart Lake County Park on the edge of Mt. Horeb. Register and learn more here.

· Tuesday, Oct. 11 we'll stroll Pope Farm Conservancy and enjoy its beautiful scenery. Register and learn more here.

· Tuesday, October 25, we'll return to the equestrian trails and new park land of Donald County Park. Register and learn more here.

· Tuesday, November 8, we'll walk part of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, named "Best of Madison" for hiking/biking trails. Register and learn more here.

BREAKFAST GATHERING 
On September 9 at 9:30am, members and non-members are invited to enjoy coffee and conversation with Host Sharon at the UW Memorial Union Terrace. RSVP and learn more here, including parking tips and what to do if rain is in the forecast.

LECTURES
Please, WE NEED YOU! Many of you have enjoyed PLATO Lectures on a wide range of interesting topics. We need you now to help put together this year's lectures. Our current Lectures leader needs people to assist her in choosing topics and speakers, arranging dates and times of lectures and finally, assisting during their presentations. For the time being, lectures will continue to be presented virtually and most of the work required can be done via email and phone calls. Please contact Stephanie at info@platomadison.org to volunteer.

Enjoy archived PLATO Lectures on many interesting subjects.

FEATURED AGORA WORKS

Visit The Agora Features webpage for highlights from this past season, created and curated by fellow PLATO members for your pleasure. 

Our Biweekly Feature for August 23 – September 5 is Reflections and Deceptions, a photograph by Bill Eisinger, who draws an interesting analogy about the mysteries of human perception.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS

Select from a range of topics and formats 

for your late Summer reading, viewing, or listening, 

curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee.

DID YOU KNOW? for August 30 – September 12, 2022

Did You Know… Andrea Mia Ghez (b: 1965) is an American astrophysicist professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Ghez's research focuses on the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. In 2020 she became just the 4th woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, sharing the prize with Reinhard Genzel. Her Nobel was awarded for the discovery of a supermassive compact object, now generally recognized to be a black hole, in the Milky Way’s galactic center.

Visit the Social Justice Webpage for much more about Andrea Mia Ghez and past DID YOU KNOW? features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable contributions made by non-mainstream individuals you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).