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OLLI=Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Sonoma State University
"For those 50 years old or better"

PDFs of OLLI lectures will be posted here after each presentation
Click here for more information & to register for OLLI classes

Nicole' Future OLLI Courses through SSU

OLLI Fall 2024
Natural History of the Hawaiian Islands

Registration opens Thursday, August 8th & OLLI Preview is August 8th at 10am

3-week series on Fridays 1:30-3:30pm from September 20th - October 4th
HYBRID! In Person at SSU & via Zoom
The Hawaiian Islands are forged by volcanism and waves. Magma from deep inside the Earth rises, burns through the crust and builds the islands that are eventually claimed by the ocean waves. Learn about the geologic formation of the Hawaiian Islands and seamounts, the National Parks on the islands, the volcanic eruptions that continue to build some of the current and future islands, and how the evolution of plant and animal life has created the environment that is uniquely Hawaii. We will delve into how lava, storms, rivers, snow, waves, and human influence has created the islands in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.

Course Materials

Course materials will be posted here

​Past OLLI Courses I Have Taught at SSU
  • Fall 2017: The Dinosaur Revolution: Fossils Finds & Avian Genetics
  • Fall 2018: Catastrophism: How Natural Disasters Have Affected Earth and Human Evolution
  • Fall 2019: Geology of California
  • Spring 2020: Geology of the National Parks (cancelled due to the pandemic)
  • Spring 2021: Volcanic Cataclysms That Changed The World
  • Fall 2021: Geology of the National Parks
  • Summer 2022: How Geology Formed California
  • Spring 2022: The Story of Earth Conveyed by Rocks
  • Fall 2022: Age of the Reptiles - Evolution of Scales & Feathers During the Mesozoic Era
  • Spring 2023: Climate Change
  • Summer 2023: Pangaea Supercontinent
  • Fall 2023: Journey of the Continents
  • Winter 2024: Catastrophism & Civilization
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