Lunchtime Lectures

Unless otherwise noted, Lunchtime Lectures are free to OLLI Scholars. Registration required. Box lunches are $8.25 at the door. To register, please call Brenda at 244-9141.

• Geological Carbon Sequestration in the Illinois Basin: The Science, the Archer Daniels Midland Project and FutureGen
• Early Illinois in the Middle Ground, 1673-1778.
• Artifact, Relic, or Hoax? Case Studies in Archaeological Science

Geological Carbon Sequestration in the Illinois Basin: The Science, the Archer Daniels Midland Project and FutureGen

Wednesday, July 9, 12N-1:30pm

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), led by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), has investigated the options for the storage or ‘sequestration’ of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the 60,000-mile geological structure known as the Illinois Basin. Within the Basin, which underlies most of Illinois, western Indiana, and western Kentucky, are relatively deep and/or thin coal seams not likely to be mined, numerous mature oil fields, and deep, salt-water-bearing reservoirs, all of which are potentially capable of storing CO2. Sequestration capacity has been assessed through regional geologic mapping of target sinks and general assumptions regarding geological formations’ thicknesses, areas, and porosities---the ability of rocks to hold gas or liquid.

The objective of the MGSC research is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of using these geological sinks for long-term storage of some part of the Basin’s annual production of 304 million tons of CO2 emissions, ~ 90 percent of which are from coal-fired electric generation facilities.

Currently, MGSC research is focused on a deep, salt water-filled sandstone formation, the Mt. Simon Sandstone, which has the capacity to store billions of tons of carbon dioxide. MGSC is partnering with the Archer Daniels Midland Company in Decatur, which has supplied an injection site and will provide 1 million tons of pure CO2 derived from ethanol fermentation operations at Decatur. A 6000-foot deep injection well is scheduled to be drilled this summer and injection operations will commence in December 2009, following a complete evaluation of the site. The geology of the ADM sequestration site is similar to that of the proposed Mattoon FutureGen site, and this research would have provided important support to that project.

Instructor: William W. Shilts, Chief of the Illinois State Geological Survey and State Geologist of Illinois, is a noted expert on the deposits of continental glaciers. Dr. Shilts has published extensively on the physical and chemical characteristics of glacial sediments and environmental geochemistry. Since joining the ISGS in 1995, he has made detailed, three-dimensional geologic mapping a priority, recognizing that understanding the nature and distribution of the thick glacial deposits that blanket most of Illinois is critical to ensuring that earth science decisions are appropriate to support the state's economy and environment. He has also stressed research in environmentally sound energy production utilizing Illinois’ large energy resources.

Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign

Cost: $8.25 for a box lunch (to be paid at the door); registration required.

Registration: please call Brenda at 244-9141 to register.

Early Illinois in the Middle Ground, 1673-1778.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 12:00 - 1:30

This lunchtime lecture will portray Illinois three centuries ago, when tribes like the Illini and Potawatomi shared the land with French and English fur traders and missionaries. Richard White's influential book "The Middle Ground" provides a framework for understanding this era and its uneasy attempts at mutual coexistence between cultures. The Middle Ground was embodied in this period between Father Marquette's first visit in 1673 and George Rogers Clark's "conquest" of Illinois in 1778. This talk will include instructor-made videos of scenic and historic sites from Starved Rock to Kaskaskia, and the class will provide the background for the subsequent pioneer era under the United States when the Middle Ground came to an end.

For those who took last spring's "Early Illinois" class, this will be a refresher; for those who will take this fall's class, it will provide background information; and for all, it will focus on the Middle Ground concept as an important theme in early American history. Instructor: Fred Christensen

Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign

Cost: $8.25 for a box lunch (to be paid at the door); registration required.

Registration: please call Brenda at 244-9141 to register.

Artifact, Relic, or Hoax? Case Studies in Archaeological Science

Thursday, September 4, 12 Noon-1:30pm

 What do an Egyptian mummy, a Cahokia stone figurine, and the Shroud of Turin have in common? They are all time capsules, tangible records of earlier customs and technologies. By studying the composition and structure of these objects, we learn about the beliefs and technical abilities of the people who made them. By tracing an object's journey from raw material to finished product, we uncover ancient patterns of manufacture and trade—and sometimes modern forgeries.

In this lunchtime lecture, we will explore the fascinating world of archaeological science where specialists from archaeology, art history, museology, geology, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine work together to analyze artifacts and reconstruct history. Case studies are drawn from over twenty-five years of research conducted by our campus Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials. The talk also serves as an introduction to the OLLI course with the same name to be offered starting in January 2009.

Lecturer: Archaeologist Sarah Wisseman earned her degrees from Harvard University and Bryn Mawr College. As Director of the University’s Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials, a division of the Illinois Transportation Archeological Research Program (ITARP), Sarah participates in interdisciplinary research on ancient ceramics, Egyptian mummies, and North American stone artifacts. As a professor in the Campus Honors Program, Dr. Wisseman received the Broadrick-Allen Award for Excellence in Honors Teaching in 1998. She also writes archaeological mysteries.

Location: OLLI at the Research Park, 2021 South First Street, Champaign

Cost: $8.25 for a box lunch (to be paid at the door); registration required.

Registration: please call Brenda at 244-9141 to register.

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