If you're looking for something educational and entertaining to do this winter, check out the Saturday Morning Science series at UT. There's a free breakfast (bagels & yogurt, etc.) at 9:00 a.m.
This Saturday, 2/18, the topic is "The Geometry of Certain Biological Cells" by Prof. Vayo of the UT Math and Statistics department.
Next weekend, 2/25, features "The Far Side of Evolution."
The presentations are great for kids, adults, seniors, anyone with an inquiring mind. The shows start at 9:30 a.m. in Bowman-Oddy Hall, Room 1059. It's on the main campus, with free parking in the west ramp parking garage. Call Joe Schmidt at 419-530-1512 for more information. Email: Joseph.Schmidt(at)utoledo.edu
So... I'm assuming is it basically a lecture you go listen to? If so, that's pretty cool. I've actually pondered on a number of occasions the possibility of just walking into a lecture hall at UT and seeing if I could get away with it, just to sit through some topics. Auditing a class for free, basically. I like learning, and sometimes it's more fun having somebody explain it than trying to read about it.
It's better than a lecture, only because the UT science department uses these talks as a way to show younger people that science/math careers can be a lot of fun. With that in mind, the speakers create presentations that appeal to nonscience types, while still mentioning the straight-up STEM aspects.
I have enjoyed all their topics: crime scene science, astronomy, the economics of wind power, water quality and chemical treatment, nutrition ... this year they'll also be covering Three Mile Island in light of the Fukushima tsunami. It's all good!
Some years ago when I was in St. Louis, I sat through Washington University (St. Louis)/Barnes Hospital "Mini Medical School". They had 3 tiers (I, II, & III) and if you attended the full slate of each lecture series (I think they were 8-10 weeks long), you got a little certificate saying you "graduated" from their "Mini Med School".
I loved it. I could never go to real med school, but I loved learning about cancer, heart disease, stroke, advanced preventative medicine, etc., from the researchers actually working on those problems.
The reason I bring this up: UTMC has a version of 'Mini Med School'. Looks like it's only 1 series (so far). Cost is $50 ($35 for seniors), so not free :( However, I'm sure the medical knowledge is top notch. If you're interested, check it out. Next round is coming up April 22 - May 20th (Wednesday evenings).