Albert Lager series offers variety of informative lectures

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BY Melyssa Morris

February 5, 2009

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Trainor_Laurel1.jpg” caption=”Laurel Trainor, professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. File photo.”]The events that make up the 2009 Albert Lager Lecture Series prove that variety really is the spice of life. Whether you are interested in a day at Stratford enjoying a performance and discussion of the beloved musical West Side Story or learning the first steps to growing food in your own backyard, this year's lecture series has something for everyone.

The Albert Lager Lecture Series was developed in 1994 following a generous donation from alumnus Albert Lager '85. The goal of the popular lecture series is to expose McMaster alumni and friends to interesting learning environments and it has quickly become one of the most cherished McMaster Alumni Association programs.

“This series is among the most varied and appealing programs we have ever offered,” says event organizer George Koblyk '60, a member of the Alumni Adventures in Continuing Education Committee
. “As committee members, we try to consider activities that would appeal to McMaster alumni and the public at large. The lecture series is educational and informative, but it is also entertaining and interesting.”

The McMaster community is invited to enjoy two lectures this month, each hosted by a McMaster researcher.

  • Professor Laurel Trainor, director of McMaster's Institute for Music and the Mind, will answer questions about the relationship between music and infant language acquisition as well as discuss the concept that musical training affects brain development. Trainor will explain how music can be incorporated into children's lives to benefit their development. She will also discuss the profound impact music can have on our lives, beginning in infancy and throughout our lifespan. The lecture will take place on Thursday, Feb. 12 in the Great Hall, Alumni Memorial Hall from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  • Amateur sleuths can sharpen their skills and be entertained at a lecture entitled, Ancient CSI: The Black Death, taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The Black Death pandemic of bubonic and pneumonic plague in the mid-14th century killed almost one-third of the population in Europe and remains the subject of considerable medical, historical and sociological analysis. PhD student Kirsti Bos will lead attendees through her research of the pandemic and the forensic DNA technology that has aided her investigations. The lecture will take place in the Webster Room of the Hamilton Convention Centre from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

    • Both lectures are free to attend, but due to limited space, attendees must register beforehand.

    Other topics in this season's lecture series are a presentation about the influence of Lester B. Pearson and his government on Canadian politics, an introduction to the Ontario wine industry, a look into the use of content analysis in human communication, a session on advancements in the cause and treatment of cancers, and a session on growing food in your own garden.

    For more information and to register for events, please visit the McMaster Alumni Association website at http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/index.html.