CLIR classes are offered in two formats: single classes (one 90-minute class) and multi-week classes (two or more classes scheduled in successive weeks). To attend these classes, you can become a CLIR member by registering - note that there is a $30 registration fee per session. 
  • Spring session is April-June
  • Fall session is September-December
  • Winter session is January-March
All classes will be held at the Vernon Cottage on the Mansfield Depot Campus at the University of Connecticut. Please email CLIR@uconn.edu if you have any questions.

Cancellations

Notice of class cancelations will be posted to the website Home page; please be sure to check the website prior to attending class. In case of bad weather, CLIR follows the Mansfield Public Schools policy, announced on local radio and TV stations: If they cancel, we cancel; If they have a late opening, we cancel morning class; If they have early closing, we cancel afternoon class.
Please email clir@uconn.edu if you would like a PDF version of the Class Flyer for the current session.

Winter 2026

Memoir Group

Thursday mornings, January 8th to March 25th, from 11:15 to 12:45  

Write your memoirs to share in class. These can be short, unrelated pieces or part of a larger work. New members are welcome.
Facilitator: Cathy Belanger

January

January

 

 As the Mojave Gets Hotter, Will the Joshua Trees Adapt? 

January 6th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Joshua trees are iconic plants of the Mojave, but are imperiled by global warming and land use change.  This talk will discuss some of the threats they face, some new research shedding light on how Joshua trees may respond to these threats, and implications for their future survival. 

Karolina Heyduk, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, UConn 

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 A Samurai Killer’s Mental State Analyzed 

January 7th, 1:15 to 2:45 

On Memorial Day weekend in 2020 a UConn student with a Samurai sword in his backpack began a killing spree that would continue for six days, taking him across the state.  Two die, many others are injured, both physically and emotionally.  A psychologist examines this case to understand what happened, could it have been prevented, and she provides a discussion with the assailant. 

Cynthia Adams, Professor Emerita, UConn 

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From Isotopes to Mountain Slopes:  Building Mountains Amid Rising Seas in Patagonia 

January 13th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Plate tectonics and mountain building shape the Earth’s surface in complex ways, controlling the distribution of continents, climate patterns, and marine seaways through time.  In this presentation, the speaker will share her new isotope geochronology research from Patagonia, the southernmost region of South America, which elucidates the amazing story of mountain building, climate, and long-term changes in global sea level along the coastal margin. 

Julie C. Fosdick, Department of Earth Sciences, UConn 

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 Jane Austen and How to Grow One’s Genius 

January 15th, 1:15 to 2:45 

This presentation highlights aspects of Austen”s life that contributed to her greatness. 

From her family, home life, rich history of reading, and the exciting ideas of her times, 

Austen took it all in while mastering an emerging art form.  Come explore her life and what can be drawn from it that can also be useful for guiding our own. 

Maureen Crowley, Jane Austen Society member  

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Stories from the African Oral Tradition 

January 21st, 1:15 to 2 

Dr. Mama will blend storytelling with riddles, poetry, music, and dance.  He uses  native   morality tales from African countries to entertain and provoke emotion.  His repertoire includes recitations in English, French, Yoruba, and includes tales from Benin,  his native country.  He has received international attention and awards. 

Raouf Mama, Distinguished English Professor at ECSU and a CSU professor at ECSU 

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Has Partisan Animosity Increased? 

January 28th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Why do Democrats and Republicans protest more than other, nonpartisan Americans?  A series of survey-based studies shows that the reason is less about loyalty to one’s own party and more about the anger at “the other side.” In fact, in recent years, partisan animosity predicts protest participation almost as much as concern about the issues themselves.  These findings highlight how partisan hostility can fuel collective action in the United States. 

Seth Warner, Political Science Department, UConn 

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February

Detection and Prediction of Diseases Using Biomedical Signals 

February 4th, 1:15 to 2:45

This presentation will showcase recent advances in biomedical signal processing for the objective detection of pain, stress, emotions, neurological disorders and disease prediction.  It highlights wearable systems, electroretinography and deep learning models for real-time, non-invasive monitoring in both humans and animals, with applications in health care, neurodiversity, and animal welfare. 

Hugo Posada-Quintero, Biomedical Engineering, UConn 

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What is Their Story and Who Uses It? 

February 5th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Their Story is an oral history recording and project management platform created during the pandemic. The platform has grown and is supported by a nationwide network of universities and historical organizations from UConn to UCLA. Users can record, transcribe, index, curate, and share their oral histories.  Current projects include  stories from Bloomfield’s African-America, West Indian, and Jewish communities and the Caribbean Heritage Museum. 

Fiona Vernal, History Department, UConn 

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 The Benton Museum Discusses it’s Semiquincentennial Art 

February 10th 1:15 to 2:45 

This talk and the related exhibition draw on the Museum’s holdings of American art to discuss how the word “American” can be defined as an identity, a place, and an idea.  

Amanda Douberley, Curator and Academic Liaison, William Benton Museum of Art, UConn 

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How our Joints Reveal Injury and Aging 

February 12th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Our joints are alive, constantly renewing, adapting, and responding how we move.  This talk will be a fascinating exploration into the world of cartilage biomarkers and biomechanics.  Discover how these biologicals signals can indicate tissue injury, healing, and the early stages of osteoarthritis, and what this means for maintaining joint health from youth through aging. 

Julie Burland, Department of Kinesiology, UConn 

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 When Philanthropy Becomes Dark Money 

February 18th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Recently, we have seen the increased flow of money to nonprofits used as a way to hide and reduce the transparency of public services.  This has become particularly worrisome with the rise of police finance organizations, created to support police departments while skirting public budgets, accountability, and transparency laws. 

Simon Shachter, Sociology Department, UConn 

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 The Arctic Is Warming Up to Four Times Faster Than the Global Average 

February 19th, 1:15 to 2:45 

By using satellite-based monitoring of Arctic permafrost landscapes and communities increased vulnerabilities such as accelerated terrestrial and coastal erosion are shown. 

Significant threats to infrastructure and the destabilization of its vast carbon soil reservoir are shown. The speaker will discuss how satellite imagery and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to deepen our understanding of climate change, and the repercussions on Arctic permafrost landscapes and Arctic communities. 

Witharana Chandi, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, UConn 

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 Muscle as Medicine:  The Role of Strength Training in Healthy Aging 

February 25th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Research continues to show that maintaining muscle through resistance training is one of the most powerful tools for preventing chronic disease and promoting healthy aging.   

This presentation will highlight how strength training supports heart health, bone density, metabolism, mobility, cognitive function, and longevity.  Participants will learn safe, practical ways to incorporate strength exercises into their weekly routine safely and effectively. 

Allison Mackenzie, Department of Kinesiology, UConn 

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March

March

 

Beyond Pity: Abolitionist Images and the Struggle for Empathy 

March 4th, 1:15 to 2:45 

In the nineteenth century, abolitionists harnessed visual media: illustrated books, engravings, and early photography, to expose slavery’s brutality. Many images cast 

enslaved people as pitiable victims awaiting rescue. But some radical visual artists dared to shown something different: people shattering their own chains, resisting, and refusing to be broken.  This talk explores both approaches, the conventional portraits that sought pity, and the revolutionary visual works that demanded something more dangerous: true empathy between viewer and the enslaved. 

Martha Cutter, Professor of English, and Africana Studies UConn 

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Trial by History:  Countess Bathory, Countess or Killer? 

March 11th, 1:15 to 2:45 

Was she a sadistic villain, or was she made into one? Step into the dark corridors of early Europe from 1560 to 1614 as we explore the legend, and the record of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a noble woman accused of horrific crimes, and after immortalized as the “Blood Countess.”   Was she truly the most prolific female murderer in history, or the target of rumors, power struggles, and historical distortion?  Join us for a live, performative trial where history meets myth, and the audience becomes the jury.  The first half hour presents the fragments:  location images, records, testimonies, social context, and contested facts, Then the floor opens up to you, the witnesses and interrogators.  In short, historically inspired responses, you’ll help us unravel the truth or deepen the mystery.  Is this a tale of female power punished, or cruelty unchecked?  Come ready to decide:  guilty, innocent, or something far stranger. 

John Baron, local historian 

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 Imprisoned in a Second Skelton; When Soft Tissues Turn to Bone in Stoneman Syndrome 

March 17, 1:15 to 2:45 

This seminar will cover the day-to-day challenges faced by individuals with the ultra rare disease,, fibrodysplasia ossificanus progressive (FOP), and current research aimed at understanding the disease at the genetic and cellular levels.  Advances and setbacks in the development of treatments for (FOP)) and the current status of clinical trials will also be discussed. 

David Goldhamer, Molecular and Cell Biology Department, UConn 

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Looking Up! The How Neck Mobility Affects Balance and Fall Risk 

March 24th, 1:15 to 2:45 

mobility plays a role in navigating tasks in our environment.  This spans from the overhead neck injuries in athletes to the importance of neck mobility in older adults. 

Laurie Devaney, Head, Department of Kinesiology 

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 Twentieth Century Irish Poetry 

March 31, 1:15 to 2:45 

This presentation will discuss a handful of canonical poets writing in the Irish tradition from both sides of the border. Themes to be discussed include the loss and revival of the Irish language, the trauma of Irish history, the status of Irish women in Irish art and life, and the role of folklore and memory in Irish society. 

Mary M. Burke, English Department UConn 

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