There may be tens of thousands of Chinese characters, but every possible syllable that exists in the Chinese language can be written easily on a normal 8.5"x11" sheet of paper with size 10 font. Impossible, you say? Attend this seminar to learn about a tonal language and see some humorous misunderstandings that can come out of mispronouncing Chinese words.

How about a run today? When I ask a new friend this question, I never quite know what to expect. Will they casually agree and ask what time? Shake their head with a pained expression? Or laugh outright and tell me I'm a comedian? Some people run for fun, some for fitness, and some for speed. Today I run for all three reasons, but this wasn't always the case. At this seminar, find out how I went from a reluctant jogger to qualifying for the Boston marathon and get specific tips about going for your first run or improving your time from the 5k to the marathon.

How does a Chinese dictionary work if there's no alphabetical order? Is there such thing as cursive writing in Chinese? Is a Chinese word the same thing as a Chinese character? The Chinese writing system traces its origins back thousands of years. Come satisfy your curiosity and test your memory with this introduction to Chinese characters.

Have you seen any advertisements for the Smart Grid? Ever wonder why anyone would pay for that ad when it's not really selling anything? Climate change and energy security worries are pushing us to consider fundamental changes to the way the electric grid is operated. At this seminar, learn the basics of the way the grid operates now, see what could change soon, and who might make money in the process. Topics will include long distance transmission lines, smart meters, demand response, and phasor measurement units.