The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents:

Steam Engines: Mastering Water’s Third State with Buck Beasom

Online via Zoom

We take for granted that ships can carry us and our products across the seas. But while “Setting Sail” once literally meant billowing clouds of canvas, the Industrial Revolution transformed it into the simple problem of boiling water. Steam power changed everything, from how we powered our factories and propelled our ships, to a whole new method of transportation that conquered even our planet’s dryest and highest lands. This class explores the evolution of steam power, the ingenuity needed to maximize its potential and the transition from pistons to turbines – and from fossil fuels to nuclear power - that keeps steam relevant today.

Buck Beasom worked in the private sector for 40 years in accounting, finance, systems design, applications development and database administration. The last three decades of that career included 20+ years teaching Business and Economics courses to conventional and adult college students and a five-year stint teaching History in public schools. He teaches courses for OLLI Chapters all across the country. 

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Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.