Feed your curiosity at one-day camps
Published on June 13, 2005
Do you need a vacation, but can't get away?
We all need time off to reenergize our work and play, and summer is the perfect time for a little adventure! Yet an estimated 30 percent of Americans don't use all their vacation days. This summer you can take an on-campus vacation, and just one day will do.
Curiosity Camp is a series of daylong retreats designed to engage your mind and refresh your spirit. All feature prominent University faculty and unique campus resources, and U staff receive a 20 percent discount.
Check out these events and remember how much fun learning can be:
- Rolling on the River, June 16. Learn about the development and ecology along the banks of the Mississippi with urban studies professor Judith Martin and environmentalist Deborah Karasov. After lunch, travel the river road and tour the U's fascinating St. Anthony Falls Lab.
- Balancing Humans and Nature, June 30. Step foot in three major biomes of North America--prairie, hardwood, and conifer forests--all at the Cedar Creek Natural History Area with its director David Tilman. Watch an experimental time machine predict Minnesota's ecological future and create a "sustainability bouquet" from native plants.
- The Importance of Being Wilde, July 14. Take a revisionist look at the life and times of Oscar Wilde. Hear from scholars of gay theory and European theater, meet the director of The Importance of Being Earnest, and then climb aboard the Showboat for a matinee performance of "the greatest stage comedy of all time."
- Puppy Love: Exploring the Animal-Human Bond, July 28. Learn how to enhance the enduring bond with a beloved pet with advice from animal behaviorist Petra Mertens and take a behind-the-scenes tour of an extraordinary facility dedicated to all creatures great and small.
- Book Smart: Publishing in Minnesota, August 11. Examine Minnesota's flourishing publishing industry cover to cover. Hear engrossing stories from a noted historian and the founding editor of the nation's largest independent press. In the afternoon, board the bus for lively tours of Open Book and U of M Press headquarters.
All camps run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and take place at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the St. Paul campus. Each includes lunch and a field trip. U of M faculty, staff, and students may attend these camps at a discounted price of $95. For more information, visit www.cce.umn.edu/curiosity or call 612-624-4000.