In the summer of 2020, after the racial justice protests around the country, a group of Houghton alumni came together to write and deliver an open letter to the Houghton-Portage Township School Board asking them to take actionable steps as a school district to address racism and discrimination. The letter was written because we believe … Continue reading Forum: Confronting Racism and Discrimination Through Education
Over the course of decades, traditional local news operations have been wrung dry. New models of journalism, including nonprofits, offer sustainability for community journalism that gives even tiny communities the possibility of deeply researched and socially-responsible news. Joshua Vissers will walk through several of the pressures that keep traditional, for-profit models from producing high-quality journalism … Continue reading A Reporter’s Odyssey
Although we are seeing hints of spring in the Copper Country, the snow won’t be gone for several more weeks. For emotional support, let’s take a quick look at the beautiful island of Bermuda, where the weather is always a pleasure. Jack Jobst will offer some post card snapshots and history of this exotic location … Continue reading A Reminder of Spring: Bermuda, It’s Weather and History
by Caryn L. Heldt Michigan Technological University Abstract: There are many different types of COVID vaccines in clinical trials and on the market. What are the differences? We will explore the different types of vaccines and why the compressed timelines for clinical trials is not compromising safety. Finally, we will explore current and future vaccine … Continue reading COVID Vaccines and the Future of Vaccine Manufacturing
The topic of Sunday’s Forum will focus on our responses to what happened at the Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6th. We will call upon our UU values to support us in a non-partisan discussion of this insurrection. We will move into break out rooms to process this week’s events. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9789104627 Meeting ID: 978 910 4627 Dial … Continue reading The Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Grounding in Our Unitarian Universalist Values
Have you wondered ‘Am I eating the right food?’ Meghan Jaszczak brings a grounded and realistic view to incorporating healthy eating habits into your lifestyle. Topics discussed include: diet vs. nutrition, metabolism, diet trends, fundamental components of nutrition, habits that can make a difference, and setting goals. As an example, this past summer, she co-hosted a virtual … Continue reading Good Food, Healthy Eating: A Balanced Approach to Nutrition
With all the buzz about renewable energy, you may wonder what constitutes a solar panel and how many are needed for each installation. Professor Meldrum, who teaches the Alternative Energy Enterprise class at Michigan Tech, will present highlights from his class at our Forum. Students from all disciplines study solar, geothermal, wind, fuel cell, and … Continue reading Solar Panel Sizing 101
Professor Slack addresses what has been called “the crisis of expertise” in American culture, in which the value and advice of “experts,” most notably in the sciences, are increasingly being challenged and disregarded. She will talk about the different kinds of challenges to expertise, the sources of these challenges, and their implications, particularly with respect … Continue reading The Crisis of Expertise and the Impact on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Our speaker, Suzanne Van Dam, lives in Ypsilanti, where she works for Friends in Deed https://www.friendsindeedmi.org/. For over 35 years, the agency has worked to help neighbors in need by filling in the cracks of assistance offered by other organizations and nonprofits in the community. Suzanne has applied her grant writing and organizing skills to help … Continue reading Forum, Circles: Building Community to End Poverty
Suffragists endured campaigns designed to divide and abolish their movement, yet there was also a growing contingent of female suffragists who wanted to expand their mission to include the rights of People of Color, men, women, and other “undesirables”. How did this goal conflict with the main tenets of the original suffragists? Join Zoom Meeting: … Continue reading Women’s Suffrage From an African-American Perspective
