Meet Our Evergreen Forum Instructors
BERNARD ABRAMSON — EXPLAINING THE COVID VACCINE TO DARWIN
Bernard Abramson
is a retired corporate chief information officer with international management and consulting experience. He was an adjunct professor in the Master of Technology Management program at Polytechnic University. Educated in the UK, he has degrees in mathematics and astrophysics.
NAOMI BROWAR — MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Naomi Browar,
MSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Princeton, a former senior therapist at Princeton House, Jewish Family Services, and a teacher. Naomi’s cultural sensitivity is influenced by her years of living abroad, both in England and the Middle East.
DR. ROY CARMAN — MEDICINE: THE HISTORY AND THE MYSTERY
Roy Carman
, MD, is a retired gastroenterologist. He has taught the history of medicine to medical students. Dr. Seth Malin is a retired general surgeon who takes refuge in good literature and music. They have taught two previous Evergreen Forum courses: Medicine, the History and the Mystery and Visions of America.
MIKE CASTANEDA — DECODING AI
Mike Castaneda
has been an IT professional since 1987. He spent seven years in IT support roles for various global financial firms. Since then, he has supported small and mediumsized businesses (SMBs) through his own company and has been studying artificial intelligence intensively for the past two years.
ALAN CHIMACOFF — READING BUILDINGS: A PRIMER
Alan Chimacoff,
a Princeton-based architect and photographer, taught architecture at Cornell and Princeton for thirty years. He’s known for designing buildings at top institutions, receiving the NJ AIA Michael Graves Lifetime Achievement award in 2019. Exhibited nationwide, his photographs are in the collections of the Cornell and Princeton University art museums. He holds architecture degrees from Cornell and Harvard.
DR. DREW A. DYSON — BUILDING BRIDGES: RELIGIOUS LITERACY FOR COCKTAIL PARTIES
Drew A. Dyson,
PhD, is the CEO of the Center for Modern Aging Princeton and an ordained United Methodist minister. Drew received both his MDiv and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary where he focused his research in the discipline of Practical Theology. This is Drew’s second time teaching an Evergreen Forum course; he was previously on faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary and currently teaches as an adjunct at Princeton Theological Seminary.
CAROL FRIEND — EXPLORING FEMINIST WRITERS
Carol Friend
has more than forty years of experience teaching writing, literature, and English as a Second Language at both the community college and university levels.
DR. RUTH GOLDSTON — UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
Ruth Goldston
, PhD, has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in Princeton for more than thirty years. A graduate of Harvard, Hunter College, and Rutgers, she uses mindfulness practices with clients to address a variety of problems and issues.
LOIS HARROD — CHILDREN IN TRANSIT: THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
Lois Marie Harrod’s
nineteenth collection of poetry, “The Bed the Size of a Small Country,” was published September 2025. “Her Spat” was published in May 2021, and her seventeenth collection, “Woman,” was published in February 2020. Dodge poet, life-long educator and writer, she is published in literary journals and online ezines from “American Poetry Review” to “Zone 3.” More info at www.loismarieharrod.org.
HAROLD M. HEFT — SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
Harold M. Heft
is a retired automotive and defense industry executive whose academic research focused on biopsychology and philosophy of science. He is joined by a panel of physicians and scientists with wide experience and interests.
DR. STAN KATZ — DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW: FROM NIXON TO TRUMP
Stan Katz,
PhD, is a former Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School professor, trained in history and law.
DR. JOHN KUCICH — WILLIAM FAULKNER
John Kucich,
PhD, is distinguished professor emeritus in the Rutgers English Department and professor emeritus at the University of Michigan. He is a specialist in British Victorian fiction, though his first love was the American novel.
STUART KURTZ — SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES: THE SCIENCE
Stuart Kurtz
was educated as a chemical engineer and has taught at universities in the U.S. and Brazil, as well as at the Evergreen Forum on the courses "Science and Technology Failures" and "What Is Time?" He currently reflects on the future and believes that science fiction offers more valuable ideas than many national leaders.
HAROLD KUSKIN — PERSPECTIVES ON OPERA
Harold Kuskin
has been an opera lover and Metropolitan Opera subscriber for more than fifty years and served as a backstage tour guide at the Metropolitan Opera House for fifteen years. The year 2026 will mark his tenth year of teaching a course on opera at the Evergreen Forum.
JUDY LANGILLE — TOUR THE NEW PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM
Judy Langille
is a fiber artist who works with fabric, dyes, and stitching. She is also a docent at the Princeton University Art Museum and is delighted with the greatly expanded collections and stunning new museum building.
DR. IDA LAWRENCE and DR. GARY SYKES — EDUCATION IN AMERICA: CHALLENGES AHEAD
Ida Lawrence,
PhD, was trained in educational psychology and measurement and led the R&D division at Educational Testing Service for many years. She is currently a member of the instructor panel for the Evergreen Forum class, Science in the News.
Gary Sykes,
PhD, has a background in education and policy. A Princeton and Stanford graduate, Gary taught education policy for many years at Michigan State University, and researched key elements of teacher quality at Educational Testing Service. At Evergreen Forum, he previously taught An Inquiry Concerning Democracy in America, based on Alexis de Toqueville’s classic work.
DR. GEORGE LEVINE — BRONTE AND GASKELL: TWO VICTORIAN WOMEN WRITERS
George Levine,
PhD, is professor emeritus of English literature at Rutgers University. He has written extensively on Victorian fiction; the books most relevant to this course are “The Realistic Imagination” and several chapters of “Realism, Ethics, and Secularism.”
DR. BRUCE A. MALOOF — MEMORY: HOW WE REMEMBER AND WHY WE FORGET
Bruce A. Maloof,
PhD, did his doctoral work at Brandeis University followed by appointments to Dalhousie University, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School. Founder and CEO of Behavioral Solutions, P.C., he is a Buddhistinformed psychotherapist actively in clinical practice.
DR. FRAN MASCIA-LEES — THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT: ETHICS AND AESTHETICS
Fran Mascia-Lees,
PhD, is professor emerita of anthropology at Rutgers University. She has written widely on the Arts and Crafts movement and its contemporary revival.
ROBERT NOLAN — STORIES TO ILLUMINATE AMERICA’S CREATION
Robert Nolan
has a history degree from the University of Scranton, where he has been on the adjunct faculty, and a law degree from Harvard University. This is the fourteenth history course he developed for the Evergreen Forum.
DR. ALEX RANDALL — PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP AND DREAMING
Alexander Randall V,
PhD, is professor of digital media communication at the University of the Virgin Islands. He teaches “The Psychology of Sleep and Dreaming” and courses in interpersonal and intercultural communication and digital entrepreneurship, and is the author of “Dream Wizard Conquers His Knight Mare” and “Life Lessons from Louie Motherball, Margaret Mead, and the Good News Guy.” He obtained his doctoral degree at Columbia University under Dr. Margaret Mead and holds master’s degrees in international education development and educational technology, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton.
VICTOR RIPP — RUSSIAN MODERNISM 1900–1930
Victor Ripp
Victor Ripp was a professor of Russian literature at Cornell. He has written several books, most recently “Hell’s Traces,” a family history seen through the prism of Holocaust memorials.
DR. ROBIN SHAPIRO — BUDDHA MIND: HOLISTIC CONCEPTS FOR WELL-BEING
Robin Shapiro,
holistic physician, author, teacher, counselor and health advocate, has dedicated her life to studying and teaching the ways of the Buddha. She is best known for her contributions to the field of integrative medicine and uses Eastern methods in her practice
WENDY WORTH — THE EVOLUTION OF WESTERN ART, 1915–2015
Wendy Worth
Wendy Worth has taught many art courses for The Evergreen Forum. She came up in the New York City art scene and was a mentee of Andy Warhol.
DR. ROBIN YOUDIN — OVERCOMING ANXIETY
Robert Youdin,
PhD, is a practicing psychotherapist in Princeton. He is a former visiting research collaborator in Princeton University’s Department of Molecular Biology and an adjunct associate professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service.
Our Brochure
Check out our spring 2026 online printable brochure to find
all of our courses in an easily accessible document.
ALL PROGRAMS
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EVERGREEN FORUM
William Faulkner
Location • ETS
Date • 03/03/2026 - 04/21/2026
Time • 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Discuss William Faulkner's two greatest masterpieces, “The Sound and the Fury” and “Absalom, Absalom!”
Register Here -
EVERGREEN FORUM
Children in Transit
Location • SPB
Date • 03/04/2026 - 04/22/2026
Time • 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Featuring four novels and varied poems about childhood experiences. This lively discussion course considers works by immigrant writers from Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Register Here -
EVERGREEN FORUM
Overcoming Anxiety
Location • ETS
Date • 03/04/2026 - 03/18/2026
Time • 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Discover a new paradigm of neuroscience-informed psychological methods for understanding and eliminating anxiety.
Register Here -
EVERGREEN FORUM
Perspectives on Opera
Location • ETS-H
Date • 03/04/2026 - 04/22/2026
Time • 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Discover passion, drama, and artistry through musical storytelling as we explore how opera moves both heart and mind — from Verdi to Wagner and beyond.
Register Here -
EVERGREEN FORUM
Russian Modernism 1900-1930
Location • ETS
Date • 03/04/2026 - 04/22/2026
Time • 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Explore the explosion of the arts — painting, film, theater, prose, et al. — against the backdrop of political and social upheaval.
Register Here -
EVERGREEN FORUM
The Evolution of Western Art, 1915-2015
Location • ETS-H
Date • 03/05/2026 - 04/23/2026
Time • 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Explore the changes in Western Art in the last hundred years focusing on Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Land Art, and AI Art.
Register Here
The Schedule
CMAP thanks donors for targeted support of the Evergreen Forum:
The William and Nancy Lifland Evergreen Forum Steering Committee Chair
The Lee V. Harrod Evergreen Forum Literature Series
The Harold and Joan Kuskin Evergreen Forum Performing Arts Series
The Iona and Maurice Harding Evergreen Forum Natural Sciences Series
The Home Instead Evergreen Forum History and Political Science Series
Evergreen Forum Corporate & Sustaining Sponsors
Terms and Definitions
- NSK: Our location at Nancy S. Klath Center for Lifelong Learning at 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ.
- SPB: Our location at the Suzanne Patterson Building at 45 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ.
- In-Person: The course will take in-person at our NSK or SPB locations.
- Virtual: The course will take place virtually on Zoom
- Hybrid: The course will be taught in-person at our NSK or SPB locations but participants can register to attend in-person or virtually online.
- Max: the maximum number of people allowed to take a certain course.
