Issue 1: Harvesting Ideas and Olives in Yeni Foça Turkey

It is fitting that Rich Blatchly of Keene State College in Keene, N.H. and Patricia O’Hara of Amherst College in Amherst, MA, begin their 2014 sabbatical in Yeni Foça, where their interest in olives began more than 4 years ago.  In the summer of 2010, both professors were invited to consult with a group of scholars brought together by Zeynep Delen, Part Time Faculty in Chemistry at Boğaziçi University and Director of Ege’de Atölye.  Our task in 2010 was to create a workshop centered on the olive, Zeytin, that utilized the type open inquiry and interdisciplinary learning that is at the heart of liberal arts education.
The first Zeytin workshop came into existence in 2011 and Pat and Rich came back to Turkey to teach in the program in both 2011 and 2012.  They brought their own special knowledge of the chemistry of olives.  Today, after almost a half dozen more workshops later, Zeytin program is well established and Pat and Rich are in Turkey for five months to enjoy the fall harvest

To read more, here's the Yenifoça Newsletter.