All University Park Courses   

Please note this course is rescheduled to Thursdays, July 10 and 17.

Addiction has enormous social, legal, medical, and personal costs.  Addiction might be a disease, and yet using is a choice. New data show that brain changes resulting from addiction perpetuate the cycle of relapse. Are children destined for addiction? How do we understand these contradictions? Discussion will range from the neurobiology of addiction to the effects of stress on relapse, and we’ll discuss how brain science informs this discussion.

Please note this course is rescheduled to Thursdays, July 10 and 17.

Addiction has enormous social, legal, medical, and personal costs.  Addiction might be a disease, and yet using is a choice. New data show that brain changes resulting from addiction perpetuate the cycle of relapse. Are children destined for addiction? How do we understand these contradictions? Discussion will range from the neurobiology of addiction to the effects of stress on relapse, and we’ll discuss how brain science informs this discussion.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Frost Entomological Museum, which houses the insect and related arthropod collections of Penn State. Learn about natural history collections and how people in the Department of Entomology are expanding their collective knowledge of arthropods.

Participants will take a tour of the Boal City Brewery in Boalsburg and learn about the basic brewing process and nuances that are specific to certain styles and objectives. Participants are invited to stay after the course for a drink at their own expense.

Founded in 1962 by Dr. Joel N. Myers in State College, AccuWeather is now the most recognized and most used source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the AccuWeather Global Headquarters. 

Special notes: The AccuWeather building has 3 floors, and as such, there will be a fair amount of walking and use of stairs during this tour. There is an elevator available for anyone unable to use the stairs, but use will require a separate chaperone, which may mean missing parts of the tour.
 

Come to Shaver's Creek to enjoy an evening with the hummingbirds. Learn about their natural history and how to attract them to your yard.

Special notes: Please dress for the weather. Participants will take a short walk around the grounds of Shaver’s Creek. Allow for an extra five minutes to walk from the parking lot to the Center.
 

We may think our current situation is unique in featuring partisan bubbles in which people mistrust information from the other side. But immediately after the Civil War, a toxic partisan climate caused racial violence to become politicized, with accounts dismissed as fictions to mask a political agenda. To fight this attitude, military officers led by Ulysses S. Grant mobilized the Freedmen’s Bureau to document crimes against African Americans. They needed hard data to counter the nineteenth-century version of “fake news.” The results fortified efforts to pass the Fourteenth Amendment.

We may think our current situation is unique in featuring partisan bubbles in which people mistrust information from the other side. But immediately after the Civil War, a toxic partisan climate caused racial violence to become politicized, with accounts dismissed as fictions to mask a political agenda. To fight this attitude, military officers led by Ulysses S. Grant mobilized the Freedmen’s Bureau to document crimes against African Americans. They needed hard data to counter the nineteenth-century version of “fake news.” The results fortified efforts to pass the Fourteenth Amendment.

Take a deep dive in the Palmer Museum of Art's special exhibition, Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper. 

Special notes: Paid visitor parking is through the HonkMobile app or pay station in the lot adjacent to the Lewis Katz Building. Parking is also available at the East Parking Deck, with a short walk to the Arboretum. Participants will be standing and walking for the duration of the tour.
 

The tour will include a presentation on the yearly life cycle of deer and animal care at the facility and an overview of past and current research. Participants will have the opportunity to view deer and participate in a question-and-answer session.

Special notes: Participants will be required to follow the bio-security policy; visitors do not wear footwear or clothing into the facility that has been worn in positive captive facilities or natural deer habitats (forests, agricultural lands, parks, etc.) within Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas. Participants will be provided with a pair of plastic disposable boots to wear during the visit. The policy will be shared in advance of the course. Participants will be standing for the duration of the course.

Have you ever met someone who has their Christmas shopping done, presents wrapped, and handmade ornaments made months ahead of time? If that is appealing to you, join us to make no-sew felt ornaments for yourself and to share with family and friends. In this course you will make ornaments using felt and a variety of materials to embellish your creations.

Special notes: Please bring a pair of scissors and a glue gun if you have one. Several glue guns will be available for use during the class. In this class you will make ornaments using felt and a variety of materials to embellish your creations.

Course fee includes $5 for supplies.

Join OLLI on Friday, August 22, for a trip to the Tall Ships Erie Festival to marvel at the tall ships in Presque Isle Bay, including Erie's local ship, the Lettie G. Howard.

Attendees will have the opportunity to sail for 90 minutes on the Appledore IV and walk around on the other ships that are open for tours. The Appledore IV is an 85 ft. topsail schooner that has been sailing out of Bay City, MI, since 1998. This year’s group of ships is expected to include Pride of Baltimore II and the St. Lawrence II. Empire Sandy is a possibility. Organizers have traditionally kept the visiting ships a secret, revealing them one at a time as the event draws near. 

There will be food and retail vendors on the festival grounds for your eating, shopping, and viewing pleasure.

Itinerary

6:00 AM — Departure from Fullington Trailways, 2101 Alexandria Dr., State College. Free parking for the day. Mid-way comfort stop.

10:00 AM — Arrive at bayfront area, 40 Holland St, Erie. Explore festival on your own.

Noon–1:30 PM — Sail on the Appledore IV.

1:30–4:30 PM — Walk around other ships that are open for tours and visit food and retail vendors.

4:30 PM — Depart for Fullington Trailways, State College. Mid-way comfort stop.

8:30 PM — Arrive in State College

Special Notes

• Physical activity level: Stairs involved. Moderate walking. There are benches for seating onboard the Appledore IV.
• This is a rain or shine event. Umbrellas are not permitted onboard ships. 
• Due to festival security, no outside food or drink is permitted.
• All personal belongings, bags, and purses will be checked. Large backpacks are not permitted.

Cost Per Person

$190 member

$215 nonmember

Cost includes: Bus transportation and sail and festival ticket. Meals at your own expense.

Enjoy a leisurely train ride through the heart of Central Pennsylvania! Visiting the East Broad Top Railroad Heritage Park is far more than just a train ride. It’s an immersive journey through the heart of America’s industrial past. The East Broad Top Railroad has been ranked the second-best scenic train ride in North America, according to USA TODAY’s 2025 “10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.”

The trip includes a scenic train ride over America’s oldest operating narrow-gauge railroad and a guided tour of the largest and most intact early-20th-century belt-driven machine shop complex still in existence.

One-Hour Scenic Train Ride

Ride the rails through rolling hills, forests, and pastoral farmland on a nine-mile, one-hour roundtrip. At Colgate Grove, the halfway point of your journey, enjoy the scenery during a 90-minute layover. As early as 1890, passengers could disembark trains at Colgate Grove to enjoy a shaded picnic. Colgate Grove is situated among the farm fields and forest, and is the perfect spot for a picnic lunch (included in cost). Two picnic shelters, picnic tables, and porta-potties are on site.

One-Hour Guided Tour of Historic Shop Complex

Explore the inner workings of a late-19th/early-20th-century railroad, which are frozen in time, with a one-hour tour. Led by a knowledgeable guide, you will visit the Roundhouse (home of the railroad’s steam locomotive fleet) and the largest and most intact belt-driven machine shop in the United States. Along the way, you will discover the rich history of the East Broad Top Railroad and the remarkable story that has allowed it to survive into preservation.

Itinerary

Physical activity level: Stairs involved. Museum/exhibit walking, accessible areas.

• 8:30 AM — Departure from Fullington Trailways, 2101 Alexandria Dr., State College. Free parking for the day.
• 10:00 AM — Arrival at East Broad Top Railroad, 421 Meadow Street, Rockhill Furnace
• 10:30 AM — Train ride to Colgate Grove
• 11:00 AM — Boxed lunch at Colgate Grove. Covered pavilion and restrooms available on site. This is a 90-minute layover. Walk around, bring cards to play, or chat with friends! 
• 12:30 PM — Train ride back to Rockhill Furnace
• 1:00 PM — Guided tour of Belt Driven Machine Shop Complex
• 2:00 PM — Free time for restrooms/gift shop, etc.
• 2:30 PM — Depart for Fullington Trailways, State College
• 3:45-4:00 PM — Arrive in State College

Boxed Lunch Options (sub options listed below, plus nacho strips, macaroni salad, and a bottle of water):

• Pulled Chicken Wrap
• Buffalo Chicken Wrap
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap
• Club Sandwich Wrap
• Mediterranean Wrap (Veggie)

** Information on lunch options will be sent to participants via email to make their personal selection.

Cost Per Person

$88/member 
$113/nonmember  

Included in cost: bus transportation, train ride, guided tour of historic shop, and boxed lunch