OLLI at BCC Announces Upcoming Distinguished Speakers Series Events

03:13PM / Wednesday, March 18, 2026Print Story | Email Story

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.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

ServiceNet Hopes to Open Pittsfield Warming Center in Nov.

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:48AM / Thursday, October 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A warming center is again planned in the First United Methodist Church for the cold months.

During last week's Homelessness Advisory Committee meeting, Erin Forbush, director of shelter and housing at ServiceNet, reported that they hope to begin operating the nighttime center in mid-November.

It would operate from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the church, which abuts The Pearl shelter. Forbush said the warming center would be the same program as in the past.

"Again it's a warming center, so there's no cots or beds, but it is certainly a place to come in, and we'll have a hot coffee or cocoa ready for folks," she explained.

"It will be a place to be inside and warm."

This year, ServiceNet hopes to secure full funding from the state so the warming center can open on Sundays at 5 p.m. In years past, they found that Sunday is the most challenging day for unhoused individuals because many community spaces aren't open.

The First Housing Resource Center, managed by Hearthway, opened earlier this year as a low-barrier option for people to rest and access amenities. It is open seven days a week, and Forbush said if people could come to the warming center on Sundays at 5, there would be a fuller day of coverage.

"It does still leave a little gap for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, as spaces like the library close at five, but we know that Sundays were something that people were looking for," she said.

View Full Story