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Conversations   

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Conversations aims to provide OLLI-UM members with a reprieve from digital devices and the outside world, offering opportunities to explore edgy and occasionally controversial topics that broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding. We’ll interview distinguished faculty members who are captivating and sometimes controversial. They are all helping shape the future through their interaction with students, our future leaders. Through interview-style discussions, we will feature a diverse array of guests, including individuals with real-world expertise, who delve into subjects and issues that have a personal impact on us. The interview will be one hour long with 30 minutes for audience Q & A.

Programs take place in-person only.

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Conversations: (3/17) When Good Intentions Go Wrong: Campus Activism vs. Academic Freedom - Schedule: 1 Session(s) | Tu | 3/17/2026-3/17/2026 | 10:00 AM-11:30 AM
  • Fee: $15.00
    Sessions: 1 | Days: Tu
    Dates: 3/17/2026 - 3/17/2026
    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    Building: Morris Lawrence Building- Washtenaw Community Coll
    Room: ML-150
    Instructor: 

    When do the noblest intentions betray the very freedoms they endeavor to safeguard? In this interview, we will probe the tension between zeal and expression, between cause and constraint. Can activism that aspires to justice become a form of silence? Join us in exploring the paradox inherent in protecting vulnerable communities while preserving open scholarly discourse.

    Jeffrey Veidlinger Ph.D., the inaugural director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan, is a distinguished scholar whose work bridges history, culture, and human rights. As the Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of History and Judaic Studies, he has authored acclaimed books such as In the Midst of Civilized Europe, which examines the pogroms of 1918–1921 and their role in the onset of the Holocaust.

If you do not see the "Add to Waitlist" or "Add to Cart" button, there are three possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a Membership to your cart or renewed your membership 3) You are not logged in:
 

Conversations: (4/21) Healing the Mind: The Role of Psychedelics in Depression Treatment - This offering is currently full please add yourself to the waitlist.
  • Fee: $15.00
    Sessions: 1 | Days: Tu
    Dates: 4/21/2026 - 4/21/2026
    Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: 

    What if the path to healing the mind isn't just about suppressing symptoms, but about rewiring the brain itself? Dr. Omar J. Ahmed's research challenges conventional wisdom by demonstrating that psychedelics can induce lasting neuroplasticity, even in regions previously thought unaffected. His work invites us to reconsider: Could a single dose of a psychedelic compound be the key to unlocking long-term relief from depression and possible other cognitive disabilities, reshaping our understanding of mental health treatment?

    Dr. Omar J. Ahmed is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, specializing in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Engineering. His lab, OmarLab, investigates how neural circuits, particularly in the retro splenial cortex, encode space, time, and speed. Using advanced techniques like optogenetics and AI-driven analyses, the lab explores how psychedelics can induce lasting neuroplastic changes, offering potential avenues for treating depression and cognitive disorders.


If you do not see the "Request Offering" or "Add to Waitlist" button, there are three possible reasons. 1) Registration may not be open 2) You have not added a Membership to your cart or renewed your membership 3) You are not logged in:
 

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