Speakers' Bureau & Outreach

Learn what brought about the Golden Age of Carousels in the early twentieth century. Understanding the history of the magnificent classic carousels through discussion of the "anatomy" of the machine may take one back in time and enhance your enjoyment of that endangered magical ride.

The Atlantic slave trade began in 1444 when a Portuguese ship ventured down the west coast of Africa to the Senegal River, and discovered that black slaves were easily acquired. This presentation will trace the 400 year history of the Atlantic slave trade and slavery in America by means of images and maps.

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland and began to live as a free woman in Philadelphia. Life was good. But she was committed to helping others to escape. She returned to the South numerous times, at great risk to herself, and led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. I will share several stories and describe the life of this wonderful woman.

The Dutch colony of New Netherland was first settled in 1624, and was surrendered to the English in 1664. This course presents a history of New Netherland, and examines how the Dutch legacy in New York influenced what America would become in the nineteenth century.

When New Yorkers, led by DeWitt Clinton, constructed the Erie Canal in the early nineteenth century, it changed the state and the nation forever. Later on, two revisions of the canal were made: the enlarged Erie Canal and the Barge Canal, still in operation today. We will discuss all three canals and the remarkable "ruins" that we can all visit today from Albany to Buffalo.

Learn what brought about the Golden Age of Carousels in the early twentieth century. Understanding the history of the magnificent classic carousels through discussion of the "anatomy" of the machine may take one back in time and enhance your enjoyment of that endangered magical ride.

Thousands of "Freedom Seekers" left slavery and headed north. Their stories have been either forgotten or turned into myths. In this talk, we will discuss what is really known about this Underground Railroad with a special emphasis on New York and the Rochester area.

Bollywood films are a unique entertainment experience. On a continent with 1.2 billion people, every movie affords escapism on every level from romance, action-adventure, comedy and tragedy – a classic "masala" of genres, sets and emotions with enough plot twists to keep an audience in their seats for about three hours. But Bollywood [films originating in Mumbai (Bombay) and the most commercially successful] is just one of the eleven separate film industries of India which generates over a 1000 movies each year. If you would like an overview of all the separate industries; or if you would like a to show a specific movie with an overview of the actors and background on the movie; or if you would like a topic such as female Indian directors, Nita has a larger repertoire of Indian movies and a host of Power Point presentations to compliment the movies. All movies are subtitled in English and showing a complete movie usually takes two two-hour sessions to complete.

Medical practice, research, and public policy around medical issues are fraught with moral choices that result in ethical conflicts. The ethical concepts of autonomy, beneficence, paternalism, nonmaleficence and justice will be defined. Examples of dilemmas in physician-patient relations, patient autonomy, reproductive medicine (including abortion, pregnancy and assisted reproduction), end-of-life issues, organ donation, genetics and stem-cell research will be introduced, and a framework for ethical decision-making will be offered.

Downton Abbey is an enormously popular Masterpiece Theater program offered on WXXI. This past season was its third year. The story line includes several episodes where a neurologic illness plays a large part. These include: sudden death during intercourse, post-traumatic stress disorder, amnesia, foreign accent syndrome, spinal cord injury with paralysis and recovery, paralysis of an arm, and eclamptic seizures. These neurologic problems are discussed in the context of the story line, the accuracy of their depiction and modern interpretation. This is a 90-minute PowerPoint presentation with time for questions.

Geography is much more than memorizing the names of continents and reciting facts about South America. To understand the problems faced by our country and the world, one needs to be a geographically aware person. In this talk we will discuss how the physical and the human landscapes impact conflicts around the world.

OK, maybe you don't know about him. He was America's First Botanist. Truly a unique individual who is largely unknown to most Americans. A self-educated wonder, a true hero to America's plant life, and much much more. He knew and drew the respect of Franklin, Washington, Jefferson; a "who's who" off the famous and influential in this country as well as Europe.

Medical practice, research, and public policy around medical issues are fraught with moral choices that result in ethical conflicts. The ethical concepts of autonomy, beneficence, paternalism, nonmaleficence and justice will be defined. Examples of dilemmas in physician-patient relations, patient autonomy, reproductive medicine (including abortion, pregnancy and assisted reproduction), end-of-life issues, organ donation, genetics and stem-cell research will be introduced, and a framework for ethical decision-making will be offered.