Monday, February 6, 2017

9:30 – 10:30 WRITERS AND READERS

Minnesota: Mystery and Murder

Speaker: William Kent Krueger, Mystery and Crime Writer

Krueger brings the culture and beauty of northern Minnesota and the Ojibwa people alive in his meditative and thoughtful novels. The winner of numerous literary awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, Edgar Award, and Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, he has recently published Manitou Canyon, the fifteenth novel in his Cork O’Connor series.

10:45 – 11:45 HEALTH

New Approaches to the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s

Speaker: William H. Frey II, Senior Research Director, HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging and the Alzheimer’s Research Center, Regions Hospital

Frey is at the center of a potentially game-changing discovery in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. His intranasal noninvasive approach improves memory in both Alzheimer’s patients and normal adults. In addition, it is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s, stroke, MS, brain tumors, and other brain disorders. The Alzheimer’s Association former chair, Terry Barclay, said, “There is a ton of excitement” in this “totally novel, completely different way of approaching the disease through a different pathway.”

11:45 – 12:00 ANNOUNCEMENTS
12:00 – 1:15   LUNCHEON

1:15 – 2:15  OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD

Changes in Brazil: Why Should We Care?

Speaker: Dr. Kari Zimmerman, Assistant Professor of History, University of St. Thomas

As an expert in Latin American history with a focus on Brazil, Zimmerman will discuss current topics: the surprising political changes with the impeachment of their woman president, their economic crises after a soaring economy, and the larger social issues highlighted by the Olympic Games last summer. Zimmerman is currently working on a book manuscript concerning female Brazilian entrepreneurs.