Spring 2025 Schedule

January 8: James B. Flanegan, Professor Emeritus and former Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  "Challenge of Developing Next Generation Vaccines for Poliovirus Eradication."

January 15: Andrew Zimmerman, UF Professor of Geological Sciences "Biochar: Can Charcoal Save the World from Climate Change?"

January 22: Scott Darius, Executive Director, Florida Voices for Health "An update on Florida’s Healthcare Landscape."

January 29: Nancy Denslow, Professor, UF Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine. "Impact of Exposures to Environmental Contaminants."

 February 5: Leslie Hendeles, Professor Emeritus, UF College of Pharmacy "Why did Sudafed Stop Relieving Stuffy Noses?"

 February 12: William Troy Donahoo, Professor and Chief, UF Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, And Metabolism. "The Neurohormonal Underpinnings of Homeostasis and How a Hormone Eclipses the “Eat Less Exercise More” Adage."

February 19: Roger Fillingim, Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean, UF College of Dentistry "Individual Differences in Response to Pain and its Treatment."

February 26: Field trip Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College, James Albury, Director. Meet at Santa Fe College parking for the planetarium, 9:30 am

March 5: Eric Godet, CEO, Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.   "The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce:  The Greater Gainesville Chamber – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” 

March 12: Rob Ferl, UF Distinguished Professor of Horticultural Sciences and Inaugural Director, Space Institute at the University of Florida. "Flying to Space as a Scientist-Yes, the time has come for Researchers to go to Space."

March 19: Scott Darius, Executive Director, Florida Voices for Health. "An Update on Florida’s Healthcare Landscape."

March 26: Carol McCusker, Curator of Photography, The Harn Museum of Art. "A Brief History of Photography."

April 2: Steve Gird, Senior Director Research and Development, (Retired) Jim Beam Company.  "Bourbon: What is it? How do they make it?"

April 9: Peter Swaan, Dean, UF College of Pharmacy. "Membrane Transport Proteins as Drug Delivery Targets." 11:30-12:30 Judged Graduate Student Presentations  (ILR at Oak Hammock).

April 16: Spring Luncheon and Business meeting at The Village, Gainesville, 11:30 am.

Fall 2024 Schedule

September 4: Brian Jose, Director, UF Performing Arts “The 24/25 Season and How We Got Here.”

September 11: Kristen Stoner, Professor, UF School of Music “New Sounds for the Flute:  21^st Century Women Composers.”

September 18: Fall Luncheon at Oak Hammock beginning at 11:30 am. Katie Sieving Professor, UF IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation “Birdsongs.”

September 24: Carmen Diana Deere, UF Distinguished Professor Emerita, Latin American Studies and Food and Resource Economics “Women’s Rights and the Reform of the Marital Regime in Early 20^th Century in South America.”  

October 2: Andrew Warren, Former Federal Prosecutor, US Dept. of Justice, State Attorney, Tampa “Abortion and Marijuana: An Objective take on November’s Constitutional Amendments.”

October 10* (Thursday): Nancy Denslow, Professor and Acting Chair, UF Dept of Physiological Sciences, College of       Veterinary Medicine, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology “The Impact of Exposures to Environmental Contaminants.”

October 16: Field trip: The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, 837 SE 7^th Ave, Gainesville Vivian Filer, Narrator and Chair, Board of Directors.

October 23: Kenneth H Rand, Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, UF College of Medicine “COVID-19: Should we still be worried in 2024?”

October 30: Paul Broadie II, President, Santa Fe College “Impact: The Power of Education."

November 6: Adegbola T Adesogan, Director, Global Food Systems Institute, UF IFAS “Improving Global Food and Nutritional Security.”

November 13: Barbara Oberlander, Professor, Retired, Santa Fe College “The Mother of Social Security: Frances Perkins."

November 20: Gerald Kirkpatrick, U.S. Navy Captain and Attorney at Law, Retired “Great Power Competition and How to Manage it in the 21^st Century.”

November 27: Thanksgiving Week - no meeting

December 4: Robert Virnstein, Environmental Scientist, St. Johns River Water Management District “Ecology of Seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon: Why Should We Care?”

Spring 2024 Schedule

January 10: Thomas Pearson, Professor of Epidemiology, Retired, UF College of Medicine and College of Public Health and Health Professions: “The Epidemiology of Chocolate.”

January 17: Paul Ortiz, Professor, UF Department of History: “From the Great Depression to A New Deal: How America Got its Groove Back in the 1930s.”

January 24: Tongyun Yin, Curator of Asian Art, the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art: “Gateway to Himalayan Art: Symbols, Meanings, and Functions.”

January 31: John Hardeman, Retired Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UF College of Dentistry: “Saving Face: The OMFS spectrum of changing faces and changing lives.”

February 7: Joann Mossa, Professor and Associate Chair, UF Department of Geography: “Some Secrets of Southern Rivers.”

February 14: Scott Rivkees, former Florida Surgeon General, now Vice-Chair and Professor, Brown University School of Public Health, Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice: “Public Health in the Face of Denialism and Politics.”

February 21: Barbara Mennel, UF Professor of Film Studies: “The German Film “Girls in Uniform” (1931): Film Stars, Censorship, and the Rise of Fascism.”

February 28: Brian Phillips, Associate Professor, UF College of Engineering: “The Impact of Hurricanes on Civil Infrastructure.”

March 6: Andres Pumariega, Professor and Division Chief, UF Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: “From Immigrant Child to Child Mental Health Advocate: A Life Journey.”

March 20: Darby Guyn, Director, Sweetwater Wetlands Park: NB: Meet as usual at the Harn at 9:30 am, consolidate into as few vehicles as possible, and carpool to Sweetwater Park; entry fee $5 per vehicle.

March 27: Jason Alread, Professor, UF School of Architecture: “The UF Campus from Past to Future.”

April 3: Juan Gilbert, Endowed Professor and Chair and winner of the 2023 White House Presidential National Medal of Technology and Innovation, UF Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering: “Computing for Social Good: Elections Technology and Traffic Stop Safety.”

April 10: Special Extended Meeting. Scott Angle, Provost of the University of Florida: “UF and its Role in Feeding a Hungry World” (10:00 am to 11:00 am). ILR-UF Aging Science Research Finals, UF Doctoral Candidate Presentations. Presentations and judging (11:30 am to 12:30 pm).

April 17: Barbara McDade Gordon, President: “Reflection over 50 years”; Rick D’Alli, President-Elect: “Moving forward in our 50th year, 24-25." (RFUF Annual Spring Luncheon at Oak Hammock).

Fall 2023 Schedule

September 6 Ben Sasse, President of the University of Florida: “UF: Big Challenges, Bigger Opportunities”

September 13 Amy J Williams, Assistant Professor, UF Department of Geological Sciences: “The Curiosity to Explore and the Perseverance to Rove: A Decade of Discoveries on Mars”

September 20 Annual Fall Luncheon Meeting at Oak Hammock Maestro Evans Haile, Musical Director and Conductor, The Gainesville Orchestra: “Musical Droppings...a few thoughts on connecting the dots, the Arts, and late nights on a bike”

September 27 Norman Thagard, former NASA Space Shuttle astronaut and current Professor, FSU College of Engineering: “My Life in Space”

October 4 Kaitlyn Hof-Mahoney, Executive Director, Matheson History Museum: “Gainesville and Alachua County: From Frontier to Mid-Century”

October 11 Sean Adams, Professor, UF Department of History: “Business History is Your History: The Inquire Capitalism Program at UF.”

October 18 Stephanie Lynge, Artistic Director, Hippodrome Theater: “Spotlight on Hippodrome's New Season and Navigating Post-Pandemic Challenges of North Central Florida's Premier Professional Regional Theatre”

October 25 Michael Okun, Professor and Executive Director, UF Health Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases: “Ending Parkinson’s Disease”

November 1 Mary Wise, Head Coach, UF Women’s Volleyball “Gator Volleyball: How it Started…How it’s Going”

November 8 Jon Miot, Professor and Director, Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo: “Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo: Community connections to a world of conservation” NB: Meet at the Teaching Zoo for talk and guided tour

November 15 Bahar Armaghani, Associate Professor and Director, UF Green Building Learning Collaborative: “A post-Covid focus on sustainability with regard to human health and well-being”

November 29 Desmon Duncan-Walker, Gainesville Mayor Pro-Tem and City Commissioner, District I: “TBA”

December 6 Carol Lewis, Associate Professor, UF Department of Psychiatry: “The Art and Science of Mindfulness”

Spring 2023 Schedule

Jan. 11, 2023 Speaker: Joseph Meert, "When the Shields Go Down: The Importance of a Magnetic Field on Earth and Other Planets"  

Jan. 18, 2023 Speaker: Nicole Nesberg, "Indigenous Florida"   

Jan. 25, 2023 Speaker: Hub Brown, “What’s New and What’s Next in Mass Communications”  

Feb. 1, 2023 Speaker: Steve Spurrier, My Career and Coaching Highlights” 

Feb. 8, 2023 Speaker: Alyssa B. Cole, “Black Women’s Defense of Medical Facilities in Kansas City: 1900”

Feb. 15, 2023 Speaker: Shaney T. Livingston, “It’s Your Library” 

Feb, 22, 2023  Speaker: Harvey Ward, “The First 100 Days: Priorities as the New Mayor” 

March 8, 2023 Speaker: Stefan Moss, “Saltwater Underground Railroad Experience”  

March 22, 2023 Speaker:  Sarah Rockwell, “Improving our Public Schools: How you can help”  

March 29, 2023 Speaker:  Angela Melidosian, “From Students to Early Career Professionals: UF’s active learning program”