LAPSF News:
Great Conversations is an afternoon of delicious appetizers, wine and desserts with conversations led by one of 12 interesting and knowledgeable leaders on a subject.
All of the conversation leaders are locally or regionally known and are volunteering their time to support K-12 public education in Los Alamos.
The event raises funds to support the professional development of teachers, which is provided on an annual basis by the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation. The sixth annual event is 2-5 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at the Betty Ehart Senior Center.
This is the first in a series of four stories about the planned conversations.
Details about all 12 speakers can be seen at: http://lapsfoundation.com/greatconversations.shtml
REGISTRATION FORM: http://lapsfoundation.com/docs/GC_invite15.pdf
“The LAPS Foundation is honored to provide Great Conversations as a learning opportunity for our community,” LAPSF Director Joanna Gillespie said. “Attendees will find themselves feeling spoiled by the hospitality of the Foundation as well as the opportunity to enjoy an in-depth conversation, something that is all too infrequent these days.”
Reservations are first come, first serve basis and are not complete until payment is received. The reservation deadline is April 30.
Table # 1Bringing back the bald eagle from the brink of extinction, reversing ozone depletion, phasing out leaded gasoline; what do these things have in common? At one time, all of these seemed like impossible environmental challenges. However, the undaunted, like Michele Altherr, did not agree. Altherr has worn many different hats for Pajarito Environmental Education Center, including: program director, environmental educator, grant writer, webmaster, and Board President. Having aided the grassroots campaign to establishing a nature center in Los Alamos, Altherr, a Science teacher and community advocate, will guide a discussion about taking small steps that make a difference and the reward of watching an impossible idea take shape.
Table # 2Ward Hawkins was the Exercise Scenario and Control Team Leader for the Control Test Ban Treaty Provisional Technical Secretariat’s On Site Inspection Integrated Field Exercise 2014 in Jordan. He currently leads the Nuclear Testing Limitations Project for the LANL Global Security Directorate which develops and evaluates On-Site Inspection technologies for verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. You will discuss the history of nuclear testing and review of Nuclear Testing Treaties. Hawkins has been involved in many projects related to nuclear testing including: the Joint Verification Experiment, which led to the ratification of the Threshold Test-Ban Treaty and monitoring site selection for the Remote Seismic Test Network. Together, you will examine the pros and cons of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Monitoring and Verification.
Table # 3She is passionate about sharing stories of Los Alamos, from the Ancestral Pueblo people to the homestead era, the Los Alamos Ranch School, and, of course, the Manhattan Project. Heather McClenahan is a mom of three teenagers and executive director at the Los Alamos Historical Society. She will lead a discussion on one of the most significant events in the history of humankind, the Manhattan Project. Los Alamos history doesn’t begin or end with the Manhattan Project but incorporates a terrific cast of characters from many walks of life through many decades of history and includes homesteading, the Los Alamos Ranch School and even fortune hunters. The recent passage of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is one of the most significant events in our community’s recent history. Learn more about what the park will be like and what it will mean to our community.
