Learning and Research

Wednesday, February 18th and 25th | 2pm - 5pm  | Harbor Hall 131

Member Price: $40 + $20 materials fee

Non-Member Price: $80 + $20 materials fee

Instructor: Elise Passentino

Class Description: Learn the basic skills needed to create a colorful mosaic wall plaque. You will practice cutting glass and ceramics and learn grouting techniques as you create your own beautiful mosaic plaque. Be sure to come to class with a very short inspirational phrase to use in your design. All materials and tools will be provided. $20 materials fee payable to the instructor at the first class.  

Instructor Bio: Elise Passentino is a mosaic artist and loves working with beautiful glass and tile. For the last nine years, she has been teaching adult classes in beginning mosaics as well as mentoring other glass artists at the Adult and Community Enrichment Center in Sarasota, FL.

Thursdays, February 19th and 26th | 10am - 11:30am  | Bayboro 205

Member Price: $30 

Non-Member Price: $60

Instructor: Anne Bolin

Class Description: The artist Ad Reinhardt once noted, “Looking is not as simple as it looks.”  So how do we approach a work of art?  What questions should we ask of a painting?  This participatory workshop provides an introduction to visual analysis for those who want to enhance their viewing skills and have some fun discussing and interpreting works of art with their classmates.  

Instructor Bio: Anne holds a PhD in Art History and has devoted her career to sharing her love of the subject with students of all ages.  She has taught extensively in museums, in lifetime learning programs and spent 15 years on the faculty of Sacred Heart University in CT before retiring to FL. 

Monday, March 9th | 6pm - 7:30pm | SLC 2100

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Victoria Beltran

Class Description: Join us for an open, lighthearted conversation about love, intimacy, and keeping the spark alive at any age. We’ll explore everything from physical changes to emotional connection—with honesty, humor, and zero judgment. Because desire doesn't retire.

Instructor Bio: Dr. Victoria M. Beltran, DrPH, MPH, CHES, CSE is a public health consultant at BME Strategies, holds degrees from NYU, Emory University and University of South Florida, and is an AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator. She has worked at the CDC, non-profit organizations, universities, and hospitals and has been teaching Psychology of Human Sexuality at USF since 2015.

Wednesdays, March 11th and 18th | 10am -11:30am | Heller Hall 208

Member Price: $30

Non-Member Price: $60

Instructor: Denise Shields

Class Description: Getting older has its ups and downs, and Mindfulness can keep you balanced and resilient, come what may. We'll explore five, easy to use, mind and body practices to help you thrive in your later years. You'll learn to use gratitude, mindful activity, mindful eating, meditation, and self-compassion to enhance daily life, and smooth out the rough spots. A few easy practice exercises will give you some new tools you can use to live your best life.

Instructor Bio: Denise Shields, PhD, Leadership, has served in corporate leadership roles in Health and Wellness, Sales and Account management, and Customer Service for more than 30 years. She is a certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC), an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach and an International Mindfulness Teacher Association (IMTA) certified mindfulness teacher. 

Thursday, March 19th | 1:00pm -2:30pm | SLC 2100

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Coach Tii Wood

Class Description: Experience a balance of fitness and learning designed to build strength in both body and mind. We’ll begin with a 45-minute workout combining mobility and strength, followed by a cooldown that restores energy and focus. Then we’ll have an engaging discussion about practical tools for healthy aging, mindset, and self-care that you can integrate into everyday life.

Instructor Bio: Coach Tii (like tie) is the owner of Burg Body Fitness, an independent fitness company in St Pete. She has military experience, a B.S. in Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology, and a number of fitness certifications giving her a well-rounded and holistic approach to helping people feel confident in their body!

Monday, March 23rd | 10:00am - 12pm | Campbell Park

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Josette Green

Class Description: Hidden behind the barrier wall of I-175, Campbell Park was St. Petersburg’s first “Negro Park.” It was home to the Negro Baseball League, where Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens played. While walking an easy half-mile route, historian Josette Green will share never-before-told stories aided by historic photos and maps. The history recounts fun, leisurely times along with the sobering reality of a park originally dedicated in 1950 “for the permanent use by Negroes.”

Instructor Bio: For almost 20 years Josette Green has studied the St. Petersburg Black history and created St. Petersburg Black History Tours five years ago to share her indepth knowledge. She conducts both a bike tour and a walking tour to advance racial equity for St. Pete.

Thursday, March 26th | 10:00am - 11:30am | SLC 2100

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Kerry Kriseman

Class Description: In this 90-minute class, participants will use food - recipes from family, or a favorite dish - as the spark for memory. The smells, tastes and textures will open the door to the past, and together we’ll capture those stories on the page. We'll also sample tastes that spark creativity and remind writers of events centered around food that can be a launching point for a memoir or personal essay. Think of our class as cooking your way into your memoir.

Instructor Bio: St. Petersburg native Kerry Kriseman is the author Accidental First Lady, her non-political memoir about 22 years as a political spouse. She has taught memoir writing for Keep St. Pete Lit, and OLLI programs at Eckerd College and USF-St. Pete. Kerry also has also spoken on writing and publishing to local and national audiences.

Monday, March 30th | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | SLC 2100

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Mark Luther

Class Description: Over 80% of land-based minerals critical to the manufacture of multiple strategically important technologies are controlled by potentially adversarial nations. Vast deposits of these minerals are found on the sea floor at depths exceeding 4000 meters, in the jurisdictional waters of the US and of allied nations as well as in international waters (the area beyond national jurisdiction). Technologies now exist to extract these minerals from the seabed responsibly but there are environmental concerns that must be addressed.

Instructor Bio: Mark Luther received his PhD in Physical Oceanography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982.  He is a Professor in the USF College of Marine Science and presently is President of the International Marine Minerals Society. 

Thursday, April 2nd | 10:00am - 11:30am| SLC 2100

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Kristin Simunac

Class Description: The Sun is far from quiet. Its outer atmosphere constantly releases streams of charged particles known as the solar wind, and at times it erupts in powerful solar storms that can disrupt satellites, communications, navigation systems, and even electrical grids on Earth. We will  introduce the Sun as a dynamic star, explore how scientists observe and forecast “space weather,” and examine both historical and modern examples of its impact on our increasingly technology-dependent society.

Instructor Bio: Kristin Simunac is part of the USF Student Success team. She earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of New Hampshire.  She was a member of the Natural Sciences faculty at St. Petersburg College from 2014 to 2023.

Monday, April 6th | 12:30pm - 2pm| Bayboro 205

Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $40

Instructor: Cary Hopkins Hall

Class Description: Public perceptions of crime and drug use are often shaped by headlines and social media rather than data. Let's go beyond the hype 
to explore what the evidence really shows about crime trends and substance use in America today. Participants will examine which crimes pose the greatest actual risks, how communities can focus on effective prevention, and what emerging challenges—such as synthetic and new psychoactive substances—mean for public safety and health.

Instructor Bio: Cary Hopkins Hall, MA, CAP is a passionate teacher and trainer – she has conducted international trainings on topics such as various substance use and mental health disorders, trauma, self-care for professionals, the role of shame in substance use, and motivational enhancement. She is now a Visiting Assistant Instructor in the Department of Criminology at USF-SP. She teaches courses on Forensic Psychology, Victimology, Drugs and Crime, Domestic Violence, Sex Offenders, and many others.