Winter 2026 Zoom Lectures

$10 per lecture or $50 for all six

In January and February, we bring you our winter lectures on Zoom. Grab a hot beverage and get cozy for these exciting lectures! Lectures are 90-minutes and begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursdays. Lectures are recorded and made available to those who register.

Membership is not required to attend, so encourage your friends to participate.

• Cosmic Update 2026 with Shelley Bonus, Thursday, January 15
• Madmen and Murderers with Mikita Brottman, Wednesday, January 21
• The Theology of Die-hard Christian Trump Support with Matthew D. Taylor, Thursday, January 29
• Understanding the Middle East Conflict Through Maps with Mitchell Bard, Wednesday, February 4
• The Science of Ha! with David Misch, Thursday, February 12
• Rose Tint My World: 50 Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Arnold Blumberg, Wednesday, February 18

Osher Online Starts January 14

Study with subject matter experts and learn alongside Osher members from across the country. Each six week course is $80. The deadline to register is January 2.

• Milestones in Medicine
• The Virtues
• Heroes of the Holocaust: Lights in the Darkness
• Invisible Intelligence: The Unseen Algorithms Reshaping Your Daily Life
• How the US Immigration System (Usually) Works
• The American Revolution Beyond the British Empire with Richard Bell
• The Noir Novel: Three American Classics
• Dealing in Futures: The Shape of Science Fiction
• Japanese History through the Lens of Shogun
• John James Audubon and the Birds of America
• Pharmaceuticals and Poisons: Chemistry at the Edge
• Brain and Behavior in the Era of Digital Technology
• The History of American Television
• Post Impressionism and the Birth of Abstraction
• Einstein without Tears: His Theories Explained without Math and in Everyday Language
• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Comparative Exploration
• Osher Integrative Health: Navigating Chronic Illness in a Complex Healthcare System

Osher Day Trip

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Monday, March 30, 2026
All Day
$152 per person

Enjoy the day viewing incredible works of art from the MoMA collection. Participants will have a guided “Masterworks of the Collection” tour. Lunch is on your own at one of the museum’s dining options. This trip is open to Osher members and guests. Bus departs at 7:00 a.m. from the Timonium Park and Ride located at 2299 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, MD 21093. The bus will return to the parking area at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Travel with Osher friends through Road Scholar

New England Maritime Sampler

Sunday, July 19–Friday, July 24, 2026
An exclusive learning adventure for Osher at Towson University & JHU Osher members and guests

On an adventure by land and sea on Boston’s North Shore, discover the stunning beauty of Cape Ann as you explore its quaint harbors, artistic charm and picturesque villages. Aboard a lobster boat, see a lobsterman hoist his catch from chilly seawaters. Learn about the famous Gloucester fishing fleet. Experience the Rocky Neck art colony and view seascapes created by Winslow Homer and Fitz Henry Lane, who called Cape Ann home. At the Essex Shipbuilding Museum craftsmen will lead you through the history of master shipbuilding. Bite into a mouthwatering fried clam. Experience a whale watch, learn about the witch trials in historic Salem and pass by gilded mansions on the shores of Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea. To reserve your spot, please contact Tracy Jacobs at tjacobs@towson.edu.

Have questions?

Attend the Road Scholar trip information session

Friday, December 19, 10 a.m.

NEW DATE: Tuesday, January 13, 7:30 p.m., Zoom
Free to Osher members

The Science Fiction Book Club will hold its first meeting online Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. The first book to be discussed will be Isaac Asimov's "Foundation," and the second and third meetings will talk about the next two books in the series, "Foundation and Empire" and "Second Foundation." If you've only seen the television adaptation of the series, please read the books! They're very different from the TV version. For more information, please contact Dori at SF_OsherTU@yahoo.com. Dori can provide information on how to get the books for low or no cost. You don't need to be a previous science fiction reader, just have an open and curious mind, which you already have since you're an Osher student!

While we work hard to provide accurate updates, please let us know if you are aware of an Osher friend’s passing by contacting osher@towson.edu.

• Carlton Greene
• Frank Margolis

If you would like to honor a friend or loved one with a donation in their memory, please consider supporting Osher at Towson University with a gift to the Osher Excellence Fund.

• When Did the US Start Issuing Green Cards?
• Why we have two nostrils instead of one big hole
• Will New DNA Confirm Jack the Ripper’s Identity?
• How to Live to 100, According to Dick Van Dyke
• Oliver Sacks put himself into his case studies. What was the cost?
• Does one drink make you dizzy? Why alcohol hits us harder as we age