Education events to mark sesquicentennial weekend

Learning is at the heart of many public events Sunday, Aug. 22, at the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

See also: Sesquicentennial Celebration parking tips

Free talks, tours and exhibits will feature topics ranging from monkeys to African stories to Wisconsin plants:

• Do Fathers Make Good Mothers? Primate Family Values: Can monkey business teach us about family business? Psychology professor Chuck Snowden discusses his studies of the cotton-top tamarin, an endangered species that has been successfully bred in Madison for more than 20 years. In families of these monkeys, fathers and older brothers compete to care for infants, parents show long-term fidelity to each other and young monkeys learn parenting skills by helping with younger siblings. See photographs of cotton-top tamarins and find out how their behavior provides lessons for human families. 1 p.m., Red Gym, Arpad L. Masley Media Room, 716 Langdon St.
• The Future of Storytelling: Noted storyteller and African languages and literature Professor Harold Scheub will present two special programs at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the first floor Riegel Reading Room of the University Club. Scheub will regale people of all ages with two fascinating presentations from cultures near and far, sharing the human experience and sharing his vision of the future of storytelling. Cookies will be available at two presentations. 2-3 p.m. and 4-5 p.m., University Club, 803 State St.
• Wisconsin State Herbarium Open House: Take an informal tour of the 150-year-old Wisconsin State Herbarium, a museum collection of dried, labeled plants used for scientific research, teaching and public service. This international resource contains the world’s largest collection of Wisconsin plants (one-third of its 1,005,000-specimen collection), with most of the world’s flora also well represented, particularly those of the upper Midwest, eastern North America and western Mexico. 1-5 p.m., main lobby of Birge Hall, entrance to the Herbarium, Room 160, 430 Lincoln Drive.
• Back to School at the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing. Wisconsin teachers and educators are invited to this tour and open house, with workshops on the library, media and technology services of the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing. Call (608) 263-4754 to register in advance as required. 1:30-3 p.m., 301 Teacher Education Building, 225 N. Mills St.
• Mini Mini-Courses: Short presentations leave lots of time for questions that give you a chance to learn while meeting instructors. 1:30-4 p.m., Memorial Union Lakefront Cafe, 800 Langdon St.
• Education Programs for All Ages: Learn about educational opportunities at UW–Madison as a degree or non-degree candidate. 1-5 p.m., On Wisconsin Room, Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.

The sesquicentennial weekend gets underway Saturday evening with live music and dancing on the Memorial Union Terrace and a program at the Elvehjem Museum of Art. The celebration continues through Sunday and concludes with a live 20th anniversary broadcast of Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Simply Folk” on the Memorial Union Terrace, 5-8 p.m. Other entertainment, tours, open houses and educational activities also are planned.

Parking in university lots will be free Sunday, Aug. 22, and buses will shuttle visitors between events along special routes connecting all the major activities.