~~Six Professors. One Morning.  Sunday Morning University.
(St. Petersburg, FL) -  Sunday Morning University, the third annual lecture program held jointly by St. Petersburg synagogues Congregation B’nai Israel of St. Petersburg and Temple Beth-El, will be held on Sunday, January 22 from 9:45 am to 1:00 pm, featuring six college professors lecturing on a variety of topics.
The program will take place at Congregation B’nai Israel, 300 58th St. N., St. Petersburg. This year’s lecture series includes sessions on medicine, music, and more.
What Makes the Sun Shine? Larry Green, Ph.D.: This simple question has challenged human understanding for centuries.  We will see that the answer opened a window onto the composition of the universe as we know it, and that we are made of the stuff of dying stars.
Storytelling and Identity in American Jewish Fiction, Elizabeth Unruh, Ed.D.: Long before the beginnings of a secular Jewish literature, indeed since the earliest days of Hebrew scripture, storytelling served the Jewish people as a means of building community and defining the specifics of Jewish identity.   In this session, we will examine how self-reflective narratives of Jewish American literature over the past century have enabled readers to examine their own identity as Jews.   Through readings and discussion, participants will examine the identity of the Jewish people as presented by several authors and engage in a process of self-examination.
Obstruction of Justice: Home Run or Strikeout? Ellen S. Podgor: What happened to baseball players Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds following an investigation of the illegal use of steroids, and what role did the law of obstruction of justice play or not play in their lives?

The Atomic Nucleus:  Fission, Fusion, and Uranium Enrichment, Stephen R. Cantor:  We shall discuss the structure of the atomic nucleus, including the scientists and their experiments that led to its discovery.  We shall also discuss the concepts of nuclear fission and fusion, what is meant by a nuclear chain reaction, and what is meant by enriched uranium, which will lead into an explanation of why the USA and Israel have been so concerned with the level of uranium enrichment Iran might be pursuing.
Jewish American Composers of the Great Depression, Joan O. Epstein: Most of the up-and-coming Jewish American composer-performers of the 1920s – from George Gershwin, to Aaron Copland, to Irving Berlin, to Marc Blitzstein and a very young Benny Goodman – went on to achieve their greatest and best-known work in the 1930s and early ‘40s at the peak of the Great Depression.  By exploring these musicians’ life stories and music during this period, we’ll consider how Jewish identity and values played out in such works as Porgy and Bess, Quiet City, The Cradle Shall Rock, and even “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
When Your Z-Pak Can Kill You:  How Antibiotic Misuse and Overuse is Causing a World Health Crisis, David Wein, M.D.: Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to public health globally. The European Union and the United States each estimate between 20,000 and 25,000 deaths annually as the result of antibiotic resistance. We will spend time discussing the threat and its causes, as well some interventions to improve the situation.
The Sunday Morning University will be split into two sessions with participants able to opt for one of three lectures in each session. The cost is $18 per person and includes lunch.  There will be an opportunity to socialize and ask further questions of the lecturers over lunch after the two sessions.
To register, visit http://bit.ly/sundaymorningu or call 727.381.4900.