BEMIDJI, Minn. – Dragonflies, religious icons and the life and death of languages will be among the topics covered by this spring’s Tuesday morning Academy of Lifelong Learning lecture series, sponsored by the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation (CRI). Beginning Feb. 26 and ending April 15, the 90-minute lectures begin each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the CRI, an off-campus facility located at 3801 Bemidji Ave. N. in Bemidji. Academy of Lifelong Learning lectures are free and open to the public.

Speakers for the spring lecture series include Bemidji State President Emeritus Dr. M. James Bensen, Professor of Psychology Dr. Russ Lee, Professor Emeritus of Political Science Dr. Alexander Nadesan and Professor Emeritus of Music Dr. Fulton Gallagher.

2008 ALL Lecture Series Schedule
• Feb. 26 — Father John Husband, an Episcopal priest and former vicar at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Bemidji, will discuss “Religious Icons and Their Impact on our Lives.” Our society has its icons and iconoclasts, but what do they really mean to the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches?

• March 4 — Retired high school history teacher Marty Leistikow got hooked on diaries after reading her great-grandfather’s diary of the year 1900. Her talk, “Women’s Diaries: A Literary Window into History,” will reveal the fascinating voices of women through the past two centuries.

• March 11 — Half the world’s languages may die by the end of this century. In “Language death, language birth: The life cycle of human languages,” Professor Curt Rice of the University of Tromso in Norway will explore what is lost when a language disappears. He will also look at whether new languages are ever born.

• March 18 — After Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms fell, Islam rose in Indonesia. Dr. Alexander Nadesan, professor emeritus of political science at Bemidji State, will talk about the impact of Islam on Indonesian culture in “Indonesia (Islam) Religion and Culture in Southeast Asia.”

• March 25 — Bemidji State University President Emeritus Dr. M. James Bensen will present “The Impact of Emerging Technology on Our Lifestyle.” The application of knowledge is fueling tremendous change in society. Technology offers incredible opportunities when making decisions about health care, economy, lifestyle, education and quality of place.

• April 1 — While not directly exposed to initial crises, disaster workers can become traumatized from listening to the stories of those who did. They can suffer “compassion fatigue,” involving anxiety, tension and preoccupation with the crisis victim. Dr. Russ Lee, professor of psychology at Bemidji State, will talk about “Assisting the Assisters after a Disaster.”

• April 8 — “Dragonflies of Northern Minnesota” will introduce the audience to dragonflies that inhabit our part of the state. Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian, teacher-consultant for the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education and the National Geographic Education Foundation, will also look at conservation issues and the role dragonflies play as indicator species in habitat surveys.

• April 15 — Come hear “Opera – For Real!” Dr. Fulton Gallagher, professor emeritus of music at Bemidji State, will bring in singers to demonstrate the appeal of live operatic vocal music without using amplification. He will compare and contrast German, Italian and American operas.

The spring weekly lecture series is sponsored by the Academy of Lifelong Learning and coordinated by the BSU Center for Research and Innovation.

ALL offers humanities-based programs that are made possible in part with private donations and BSU support. More information about ALL is available by contacting the Center for Research and Innovation at (218) 755-4900.