SPARK Evening Programming
SPARK is an evening series that explores fun and intriguing topics. It’s the perfect opportunity for curious minds, empty nesters, and retirees to explore topics in a relaxed environment.
Quick Details
Each course meets once per week on TU’s campus for a total of six sessions per course. See course info below for complete details
Each course is $145 per person. Osher members pay $110 per course. Parking is included and located in adjacent parking garages.
Classes are taught by some of Baltimore’s top subject matter experts.
Membership fees are $50 per person, per year. Members can participate in Osher activities
and use TU’s Cook Library, University Store and campus dining facilities. You don't
need to be an Osher member to participate in the SPARK series.
Explore Osher Membership
Past SPARK Courses
Baltimore History—The Emergence of a Modern City
Instructor: Jack Burkert, senior museum educator, Baltimore Museum of Industry
Change has come frequently throughout Baltimore’s history, affecting its people and their lives and work. At no time was change more dynamic than in the hundred-fifty-year period that first made Baltimore an industrial giant. Learn about the rise and fall of industry and the prosperity that came with it. Examine Baltimore from the Industrial Age through its time as a thriving metropolis and reflect on where the city is today. Jack Burkert is a Baltimore native who lectures at Osher and at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, following a long career as an educator and consultant.
The Forensic Sciences—Thinking Outside the Box
Instructor: Dana Kollmann, clinical associate professor of anthropology
Ever wondered how realistic those true crime dramas are when it comes to the forensic crime scene processing? Gain insight into typical real world forensic science principles—and some that are not so typical. Learn how pacemaker data, rubber bands, seed pods, and atmospheric carbon-14 have solved crimes and how forensic science applications impact other disciplines including art, history, and archaeology.
Wonders of the Universe
Instructor: Jennifer Scott, professor of physics and astronomy
From its ancient roots to today’s modern developments including the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, this course will have you seeing stars—and other astronomical wonders. Topics include: the history of human understanding of the cosmos; the formation and evolution of stars and planets inside and outside the solar system; the structure and properties of galaxies; and the origin of the universe. Students will engage in telescope observing and other hands-on activities, and a visit to TU’s planetarium.