Thursday (Saturday) University Tonight In Gillette
Written by broebling on November 2, 2017
Press Release – Enjoy three intriguing lectures delivered by professors from the University of Wyoming and Wyoming’s community colleges. During the fall and spring terms, Saturday University visits locations throughout Wyoming discussing today’s most captivating topics. Complimentary lunch is provided, giving you an opportunity to engage with the speakers during a round table discussion following the three lectures. Saturday U events are FREE and all are welcome.
Campbell County Public Library
2101 S 4-J Rd | Gillette, WY
November 2, 2017 | 6:00 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM for a free, light dinner and snacks.
6:00 PM Tropical forests in Wyoming? Only 55 Million Years Ago
Dr. Ellen Currano, Associate Professor of Botany, Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming
Wyoming fossils are world famous, particularly those from the Paleocene and Eocene periods (66-34
million years ago). Using our trusty picks and shovels, we can travel back in time over 50 million years, to a
Wyoming resembling modern-day Florida, covered in palm trees and populated by alligators. This talk will
describe Wyoming’s fossil plants from this last great warm interval and discuss how they can be used to
reconstruct past climates and landscapes.
7:15 PM Bigger Than We Can Imagine: How Mathematicians Grapple with Infinity
Dr. Myron Allen, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Wyoming
From the time of the ancient Greeks, people have wondered about the infinite. During the past two
centuries, in resolving classical paradoxes involving infinity, mathematicians have discovered many surprising
and seemingly paradoxical facts about infinite sets. This presentation reviews this history and some of the
fascinating logic behind one of humankind’s most challenging concepts.
8:30 PM Finding Religion in a Globalized World
Dr. Mary Keller, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Wyoming
Since many of the world’s human cultures lack a word for “religion,” does that mean they are not religious?
Or is there a religious nature in humanity that needs no explicit name? Join me as we study actions and
cultural attitudes from the Crow Indian nation, the Caribbean Republic of Benin and the United States and
learn how to evaluate their implicit and explicit religious nature.
Saturday University in Gillette is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Humanities Council, Gillette College and the Campbell County Library.
