copy of OLLI course proposal submission
Personal/Education/OLLI Account/Teaching

Rob Casserly 
Aug 11, 2017, 4:15 PM
 to me

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Below is a copy the information you submitted in your OLLI course proposal. If you find any errors in what you submitted, please do not resubmit it. Instead, contact Rob Casserly at casserlyr@sou.edu or 541-552-6048.

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Date and time submitted: 2017-08-11 23:14:58

OLLI Policy Certification

I certify that I understand that OLLI courses may not include medically therapeutic, nutritional, nutritional supplement, dietary or diagnostic advice in either oral or written form.: Yes, I have read the instructions and agree to follow OLLI's policy.|

Instructor of Record Contact Information

Instructor: Robert   Price

Address: Redacted
Medford  OR

Home phone: Redacted
Cell: Redacted

Email: pricerip(at)gmail.com

Have you taught a course at OLLI at SOU within the past 3 years? No

Section 1 - Information for Curriculum Committee

Course title: The EPA's RadNet Program : A Correction

Number of class sessions: 3

Is this a completely new course? Yes

If a previously taught course with new content, the new content is?

Course description for Curriculum Committee:
I intend this to be the first in a series of open ended discussions highlighting what we know versus what we understand, how we teach versus how we learn, and internal perception versus external reality. This particular three part invention explores EPA's RadNet program's failure to accurately report the beta activity in the air we breath daily, why we should be concerned, and what could be done to correct this error. I taught undergraduate general science through advanced physics courses for 35 years in Kearney Nebraska. I minimized lecturing in favor of peer teaching and seminar style interactions with my junior colleagues. I prefer a mix of interests and backgrounds in the classroom setting. I basic high school (circa 1968) understanding of the human condition should be adequate for this and any of my future offerings. My resume is rather simple: After spending 60 years in the classroom, I seek an opportunity to teach here in the Bear Creek Valley. UNK: Emeriti Faculty (2014 to Present) UNK: Associate Professor ( 1982 to 2014) KSC: Assistant Professor (1979 to 1982) ASU: Graduate Student (1973 to 1979) EOC: Undergraduate Student (1969 to 1973) BMCC: Undergraduate Student (1968 to 1969) Various: K-12 Student (1954 to 1968) UNK = University of Nebraska at Kearney KSC = Kearney State College ASU = Arizona State University : PhD Physics EOC = Eastern Oregon College (that's in the "other part" of the state) BMCC = Blue Mountain Community College (also in the "other part" of the state) Bullet Point Five: As we brainstorm the topics discussed we will create challenges to explore between classes.

Course outline:
The three sessions will cover: Part One: how RadNet developed from its predecessors. This session is a sketch of atmospheric monitoring from 1956 to the time the first RadNet program monitoring station went live. Part Two: how we can "understand" inherently unknowable processes. This session is designed to make esoteric physics (Particle Physics and Quantum Mechanics) accessible to a broader audience. This should be very interesting, as most people don't realize how much they can really understand about these topics. This material informs the content of: Part Three: how modifying RadNet's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Document is important enough to justify your concern. This session motivates action to be more informed about public policy with respect to supporting the scientific enterprise in general and for public health issues specifically.

Instructor qualifications for Curriculum Committee: 
I am a Particle Physicist with a PhD grounded in an experimental Nuclear Physics Dissertation. In addition to teaching general science and upper division physics classes for more than 40 years I often volunteered as a guide and interpreter at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary in central Nebraska. One of my favorite "games" is to show people they can understand far more than they know. Those that are willing to "step outside there comfort zone" get the most out of my classes. The clientele of OLLI are self-selected to be internally motivated and to have cultivated a wide ranging spectrum of interests.

Will this course be taught by two instructors? No

Name (Second Instructor):  

Address (Second Instructor): 
   

Home phone (Second Instructor): 
Cell (Second Instructor):

Email (Second Instructor):

Has the second instructor taught a course at OLLI at SOU within the past 3 years?

Qualifications for second instructor: 
Section 2 - Information for Course Catalog

Course category suggestion: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Course description for catalog:
I intend this to be the first in a series of open ended discussions highlighting what we know versus what we understand, how we teach versus how we learn, and internal perception versus external reality. Regarding this particular Three Part Invention: This presentation's raison d'^etra is to describe how the EPA's RadNet program severely underreports the beta activity in the air we breath daily, why we should be concerned, and what could be done to correct this error. While the subject matter seems a bit esoteric, it is actually very accessible. Trust me, I have been doing this for a very long time. Contact me if you have any questions: PriceRIP(at)gmail.com

Additional information for students:
This very subversive class is designed to encourage participants to question fundamental assumptions and cherished beliefs. As a result people will avoid you at cocktail parties and other social events. Come to class prepared to challenge, in a substantive way, anything I present.

Statement of instructor qualifications for the catalog:
Robert I. Price (RIP) entered kindergarden in 1954, and retired from university teaching in 2014. After these 60 years he is able to speak (american) English, LaTeX, and Quantum Mechanics for the Layperson. His favorite hobbies are contemplating multi-dimensional forms, meeting new people, and learning (understanding (actually)) something new as often as possible. If anyone knows a local source of Lindt EXCELLENCE 99% Cocoa, please contact me.

Section 3 - Scheduling Information

Location preference:
I want to teach two sections of the same course, one in Ashland and one in Medford.

Comments regarding location:

Maximum number of students: 30

Course start date: any date
Flexible on start date? Yes
Dates cannot teach, if any:

Day and time preferences
First choice: No preference.      No preference. 
Second choice: No preference.      No preference. 
Third choice: No preference.      No preference. 
Comments regarding day and time preferences:
Misc. Information

Host preference: I would like assistance finding a host.
Notes about class host: I am new here so I have no real sense for how this will work "in the real world" as we say. Most important I haven't a clue how many people, if any, will be interested in this class. So, when I return from my Solar Eclipse trip to Nebraska I will "get up to speed" with the details.

Do you have a financial relationship or interest related to course content? No
Describe your financial relationship or interest: