PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College will host two presentations in its Distinguished Speakers Series on March 24 and March 26, featuring authors and scholars discussing the impact of electricity and the history of regional poverty.

 

Evolutionary Impact of Electricity

On Tuesday, March 24 at 4:00 p.m., author Steven Reed Nelson will present "How Electricity Is Affecting Human Evolution." Nelson, a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School, argues that electricity functions as a "new fire" that enables modern human evolution beyond natural selection.

 

Nelson's research, informed by anthropological work in the Peruvian Andes and his career in electrical technologies, suggests that human actions in an electrified environment can override Darwinian states of nature. The talk will address how this transition relates to surviving existential threats such as climate change.

 

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held at BCC and streamed on Zoom.

 

History of Poverty in the Berkshires

On Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m., Cynthia Farr Brown will present "Poor in the Berkshires: Poverty and Public Relief Before 1935." Brown, the president of the Board of Directors of the Berkshire County Historical Society, will use primary records to examine how the region supported or excluded those in need from the mid-18th century to the Great Depression.

 

Brown holds a doctorate in United States history and currently serves as Senior Associate Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Her presentation will analyze legal and customary responses to food and housing insecurity during the settlement of the region.

 

Admission is $10 for OLLI members and the general public. Entry is free for students and staff from BCC, MCLA, and Williams, as well as youth under 17 and holders of EBT/SNAP, WIC, or ConnectorCare cards.

 

Registration Information

Pre-registration is required for both events. Interested participants can register through the OLLI at BCC website at berkshireolli.org.