[Field Trip] UC Botanical Garden Tour

Special Event

[Field Trip] UC Botanical Garden Tour

Friday, June 20, 2025
Friday, June 20, 2025

Explore 34 stunning acres filled with more than 10,000 plant species, including many rare and endangered treasures, on a private tour of the UC Botanical Garden nestled at the top of Strawberry Canyon. Here you'll learn about the largest collection in North America of wild-collected plants from nearly every continent, with an emphasis on species from Mediterranean climates. Organized by OLLI’s Member Services Committee (MSC).

Details 🌱🌼🌳

  • Tour takes place Friday, June 20 at 1 PM and will last 1–1.5 hours
  • Please arrive by 12:45 PM
  • $20 per person (cash only) including for Botanical Garden members — MSC co-chair Joan Greer will collect at the ticket kiosk in front
  • Limited to 30 members
  • Location: 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley (view on map)
  • Parking ($1.50/hour) is available across the street and in overflow areas. Learn more.
  • Sturdy walking shoes are strongly recommended as we will be traveling uneven terrain with areas of paved and unpaved trails.

[For members only]

[Field Trip] UC Botanical Garden Tour

Summer Term Begins

Special Event

Summer Term Begins

Monday, June 2, 2025
Monday, June 2, 2025

Summer courses are ready to make a splash...but there's still time to sign up! Join us for deep dives into the Vietnam War at 50, contemporary Mexico, the Beatles at their height, the wit of Tom Lehrer, astrophysics, local government, David Lynch, and more. Plus, Summer Shorts — one-time events open to members and non-members. Each Short features acclaimed speakers discussing issues in the news and top of mind.

Summer Term Begins

[Vital Aging] Now What? When Someone You Love Needs More Care than You Can Give

Special Event

[Vital Aging] Now What? When Someone You Love Needs More Care than You Can Give

Thursday, June 12, 2025
Thursday, June 12, 2025

What do you do when someone you love needs more care than you can provide? At June’s Vital Aging Forum, a panel of experts and caregivers will explore the challenges, benefits, and resources available to help navigate this difficult decision. The discussion will be moderated by OLLI faculty member Sara Orem.

The event will be held in person only at the OLLI office at 1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley. Doors will open at 3:10 PM. Paid parking is available on site and on neighboring streets.

[For members only • In person only]

[Vital Aging] Now What? When Someone You Love Needs More Care than You Can Give

[Vital Aging] Anxiety! Transforming Distress into Action

Special Event

[Vital Aging] Anxiety! Transforming Distress into Action

Thursday, May 8, 2025
Thursday, May 8, 2025

Feeling anxious these days? In May's Vital Aging Forum, David Presti, Berkeley professor of neurobiology, psychology and cognitive science, will share how we might transform our distress into collective hope, empowerment and action. In addition to his work at Berkeley, Dr. Presti also teaches neuroscience to Buddhist monks and nuns in India and Bhutan. He is the author of Foundational Concepts in Neuroscience: A Brain-Mind Odyssey (2016). 

[For members only • Online]

[Vital Aging] Anxiety! Transforming Distress into Action

[Summer Short] The Dollar and Its Discontents, with Barry Eichengreen

Special Event

[Summer Short] The Dollar and Its Discontents, with Barry Eichengreen

Monday, June 30, 2025
Monday, June 30, 2025

Are predictions of the dollar's demise greatly exaggerated? Economist Barry Eichengreen, one of nation's foremost experts on the international financial system, will discuss the implications of the U.S. dollar in the age of cryptocurrency and government deregulation, and the forces propelling both. A facilitated Q&A will follow.  

About the Speaker

Barry Eichengreen is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Chair and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Political Science at UC Berkeley. His research lies at the intersection of economic history and international macroeconomics. His body of work — including more than 25 books — has generated some of the field’s most influential research on the Great Depression and the design of international monetary systems. He has held many prestigious appointments: Research Associate of the NBER, Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research, Senior Policy Advisor at the IMF, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Details

  • Monday, June 30, 1–3 PM
  • 1995 University Ave., Berkeley (the suite number will be shared at a later date.)
  • This is an in-person, livestreamed + recorded event
  • Doors will open at 12:30 PM
  • The Zoom livestream link will be shared with registrants closer to the date
  • The event will be recorded; participants will receive the link to view after the event

Cost

  • $20 for OLLI @Berkeley members (all types)
  • $40 for non-members

Not yet an OLLI @Berkeley member? Now is the time to join. Members receive exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, town halls, intergenerational dialogues, field trips, travel, socials, and more.

About Summer Shorts

Summer Shorts are one-time events open to OLLI @Berkeley members and non-members. Shorts feature speakers discussing issues impacting the state of our country, world, and shared humanity.

[Members, be sure to log into your OLLI account before registering to receive your $20 discount.]

[Summer Short] The Dollar and Its Discontents, with Barry Eichengreen

[Summer Short] Countering the Attack on the Rule of Law, with Erwin Chemerinsky and Bill Sokol

Special Event

[Summer Short] Countering the Attack on the Rule of Law, with Erwin Chemerinsky and Bill Sokol

Monday, June 30, 2025
Monday, June 30, 2025

Can the President deport legal residents to a prison in a foreign country or unilaterally dismantle government agencies? Can the Secretary of State revoke a visa based on someone’s speech or writing? Can the government cut university funding because of campus protests? Erwin Chemerinsky, one of the nation's leading constitutional law scholars, and interlocutor Bill Sokol will examine the attack on the rule of law in the Trump administration and propose how best to counter it.

About the Speakers

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean of the UC Berkeley Law School. He is the author of nineteen books, including leading casebooks and treatises about constitutional law, criminal procedure, and federal jurisdiction. His most recent major books are Worse than Nothing: The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism (2022) and Presumed Guilty: How the Supreme Court Empowered the Police and Subverted Civil Rights (2021). He also is the author of more than 200 law review articles. He frequently argues appellate cases, including in the United States Supreme Court.  

Bill Sokol is a Bay Area labor and employment lawyer, a lecturer at SF State University, a gubernatorial appointee to the CalSavers Retirement Investment Board, and was a talk show host on Pacifica Radio for 25 years. He holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Details

  • Monday, June 30, 10–noon
  • 1995 University Ave., Berkeley, Suite 202/204 (second floor).
  • This is an in-person, livestreamed + recorded event
  • Doors will open at 9:30 AM
  • The Zoom livestream link will be shared with registrants closer to the date
  • The event will be recorded; participants will receive the link to view after the event

Cost

  • $20 for OLLI @Berkeley members (all types)
  • $40 for non-members

Not yet an OLLI @Berkeley member? Now is the time to join. Members receive exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, town halls, intergenerational dialogues, field trips, travel, socials, and more.

About Summer Shorts

Summer Shorts are one-time events open to OLLI @Berkeley members and non-members. Shorts feature speakers discussing issues impacting the state of our country, world, and shared humanity.

[Members, be sure to log into your OLLI account before registering to receive your $20 discount.]

[Summer Short] Countering the Attack on the Rule of Law, with Erwin Chemerinsky and Bill Sokol

[Summer Short] "Every Day, Computers are Making People Easier to Use," with David Temkin and Paulina Borsook

Special Event

[Summer Short] "Every Day, Computers are Making People Easier to Use," with David Temkin and Paulina Borsook

Monday, June 23, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025

This exploration will trace the evolution of Silicon Valley companies, culture, and customers from the early days of marginal idealistic geekery to today — a world in which the Valley has redefined nearly all aspects of how we live, think, work and interact.

About the Speakers

David Temkin is the editor-in-chief of In Formation, a magazine focused on what tech is doing to us. He’s been a software engineer at Apple, a privacy leader at Google, and has co-founded three tech startups. Originally launched during the dot-com era, In Formation has always and solely been about serious and satirical critiques of tech culture. The magazine is being relaunched in 2025.

Contributing editor Paulina Borsook has been immersed in Silicon Valley culture since the mid-1980s. She is best known for her essay “How the Internet ruined San Francisco" and for her 2000 book Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech, a sharp dissection of high-tech culture and elites. Borsook's presience was recently examined in this article posted on Fake Soap.

Details

  • Monday, June 23, 10–noon
  • 1995 University Ave., Berkeley, Suite 365
  • This is an in-person, livestreamed + recorded event
  • Doors will open at 9:30 AM
  • The Zoom livestream link will be shared with registrants closer to the date
  • The event will be recorded; participants will receive the link to view after the event

Cost

  • $20 for OLLI @Berkeley members (all types)
  • $40 for non-members

Not yet an OLLI @Berkeley member? Now is the time to join. Members receive exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, town halls, intergenerational dialogues, field trips, travel, socials, and more.

About Summer Shorts

Summer Shorts are one-time events open to OLLI @Berkeley members and non-members. Shorts feature speakers discussing issues impacting the state of our country, world, and shared humanity.

[Members, be sure to log into your OLLI account before registering to receive your $20 discount.]

[Summer Short] "Every Day, Computers are Making People Easier to Use," with David Temkin and Paulina Borsook
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