Parker Arts Lectures is a series of free lectures supported by the Parker Cultural and Scientific Commission. The intent of the lectures is to increase the understanding of how arts, science and technology affect current and future issues facing our community, and provide the opportunity to learn and discuss a variety of trending topics. Lectures take place at The Schoolhouse (19650 E Mainstreet). Click the link to a lecture below to reserve your free tickets.
If you have a topic you would like to present to the community as part of the Parker Arts Lecture Series, please reach out to PACEedu@parkeronline.org. Simply email your name, topic, and how you are knowledgeable about the topic. You will be invited to present your idea to the Commission for consideration.
These free lectures are generously sponsored by Advent Health Parker.
Upcoming Lectures
September 6 | 6:30 p.m.| 3 Billion Birds Lost: How to Create Bird Friendly Communities
Speaker: Kate Hogan, Denver Audubon
Since 1970, we have lost over 2.9 billion birds in North America according to a study released in the journal Science, in 2019. But every community in Colorado can help! Now is the time that we can come together and take action to help inspire residents to live bird-friendly in 7 simple ways including gardening with native plants, avoiding single-use plastics, embracing darker skies, and drinking bird-friendly coffee. Let’s make some changes today to bring back the birds!
Reserve your free tickets here.
October 9 | 12:00 p.m. | Growing a Drought-Resistant Garden
Speaker: Robert Sanchez, Colorado Master Gardener, Douglas County Extension
Colorado coined the term “xeriscape” when water providers and garden specialists addressed severe drought facing the state decades ago. Since then, water-wise and sustainable gardening has spread as global gardeners learned how to successfully garden with limited resources. Robert will present the science supporting sustainable and water-wise gardening specific to the Front Range, including the effects climate change has on plants, the principles of xeriscaping, why native plants are important to native pollinators and how that affects sustainable gardening, and tips for growing in harsh Front Range conditions.
Reserve your free tickets here.
November 8 | 6:30 p.m.| The Front Range Through Time: Two Mountain Ranges and a Sea
Speaker: Louis H. Taylor, Geologist and Paleontologist, Friends of Dinosaur Ridge
The rock layers we see in the Front Range west of the Denver area reveal the geological and paleontological history of the area in which we live. This 1.5-billion-year history includes once molten rock now hardened into granite, the uplift and destruction of a mountain range, an extensive desert, a seashore, rivers among which dinosaurs lived, a vast sea with strange, monstrous creatures, and a second uplift and erosion to form the landscape we see today.
Reserve your free tickets here.
February 7 | 6:30 p.m.| The Adolescent Brain and Addressing Teen Behaviors
Speakers: Terri Tillis, RDH, MS, MA, PhD Professor Emerita at the University of Colorado school of Dental Medicine
Dr. Jesseca Manson, Assistant Professor in the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy at Regis, University teaching in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program
Dr. John O’Malley, Assistant Professor in the Division for Counseling and Family Therapy at Regis University teaching in the Clinical Mental Health master’s program
Children mature into adolescents earlier than in the past. Consequently, the age span of adolescence has elongated. Learn why and how this affects their brain development and risk-taking behaviors. Discover and discuss best practices for addressing common teen behaviors to offer valuable insights and strategies for parents, educators, and caregivers seeking effective ways to understand and manage the challenges often associated with adolescence. This comprehensive lecture provides practical advice and evidence-based recommendations to navigate common behavioral issues that teenagers frequently exhibit.
Reserve your free tickets here.
March 4 | 12:00 p.m.| Aging with Intention
Speaker: John Schuster
Vitality is about physical health and so much more. Learn from presenter John Schuster how brain changes, attitude, relationships, gratitude, playing games, and mentoring younger generations can provide vitality in the face of the aging process. While physical and mental changes are a part of the aging process, there are opportunities and strategies to aging with vitality and intention.
Reserve your free tickets here.
April 3 | 6:30 p.m.| Colorado’s Last Grizzly and Other Stories from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Speaker: John Demboski, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Curator Science Division, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
You may have visited the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to see its wonderful exhibits, but did you know that the museum also has over 4 million objects stored in an underground state-of-the-art collections facility? These collections, used heavily by the scientific community, are vital to understanding our planet’s history, particularly Colorado. John Demboski talk about the importance of these collections and present some truly interesting nuggets from the Museum’s zoology collections including the wild story of Colorado’s last grizzly bear, the 56-foot whale shipped to Colorado by a Gold Rush millionaire, and extinct species, just to name a few.
Reserve your free tickets here.
Past Lectures
Urban Coyotes
Speaker: Katie Doyle, District Wildlife Officer, Department of Wildlife
View the lecture by clicking here.
The Utes: Colorado’s Forgotten People
Speaker: Earnest House, Jr., Senior Policy Director, Keystone Policy Center
View the lecture by clicking here.
Climate Change: Permafrost Thaw in the Artic and Our Climate’s Future
Speaker: Merritt Turetsky, Director and Professor, Institute of Artic and Alpine Research
View the lecture by clicking here.
Crowdsourcing Coronavirus: Analyzing Experimental Data From One Epidemic to Understand the Current One
Speaker: Mike Edwards, CEO Bioinfo Solutions
View the lecture by clicking here.
The Curious Case of Colorado Cannibal Alferd Packer
Speaker: Dr. Erin Baxter, is Curator of Archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
View the lecture by clicking here.
Let’s Hike Douglas County (Our 1/2 14ers)
Speaker: Jackie Sanderson, Natural Resource Specialist Douglas County Division of Open Space and Natural Resources
View the lecture by clicking here.
Footpath to Busy Parker Road: Transportation Systems Along Cherry Creek
Speaker: Lee Whiteley, Parker Area Historical Society
View the lecture by clicking here.
From Antimatter to Wormholes: The Science of Interstellar Travel
Speaker: Dr. KaChun Yu, Curator of Space Science, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
View the lecture by clicking here.
The World According to Dogs
Speaker: Marie Seelmeyer, Canine, Feline Behavior Counseling, Senior Behavioral Counselor
View the lecture by clicking here.
Finding Common Ground: Bridging the Political Divide
Speaker: John Schuster
View the lecture by clicking here.
Understanding Palliative Care
Speaker: A panel discussion with Angela Wibben, MM, MT-BC, Jeanie Youngwerth, MD and Representatives from Parker Adventist.
View the lecture by clicking here.
The Truth Is, All of My Pictures Are Lies
Speaker: Eric Biggerstaff, Photographer
View the lecture by clicking here.
Beginning Birdwatching
Speaker: Kate Hogan, Denver Audubon Society
View the lecture by clicking here.
Buzztails and Bullsnakes
Speaker: Joseph Ehrenberger, MS, Senior Ecologist, Matrix Design Group, Inc.
View recorded lecture here.
The Sinking of the Titanic
Speaker: Chris Schutzneberger, Molly Brown House Museum Volunteer
View recorded lecture here.