2017-2018 EVENTS
Spring 2018
Monday, January 29, 7 p.m. – Global climate, global health, and global culture in the Anthropocene
Please join the Geosciences Dept for a film screening of The Life and Death of Glaciers, followed by a panel discussion.
Location: Gannett Auditorium
Tuesday, February 6, 7 p.m. – Jeff Goodell: “The water will come”
Author and editor Jeff Goodell will speak about his recent book, The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized
World. He will discuss rising sea levels caused by climate change and their impact on society.
Location: Gannett Auditorium
Wednesday, February 7, time to be determined – Dr. Bernard Coetzee
Dr. Coetzee, a faculty member from the Organization for Tropical Studies program in
South Africa, will discuss his research in Kruger National Park.
Location: Tang Museum
Friday, March 2, 7 p.m. – Elizabeth Kolbert: “The sixth extinction”, co-sponsored with Saratoga Reads
Author Elizabeth Kolbert will discuss her book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, which was chosen as this year’s Saratoga Reads book for the year.
Location: Gannett Auditorium
Wednesday, March 21, 5 p.m. – ESS Advising Meeting
ESS faculty will give an overview of the ESS Program and talk about upcoming classes
for the fall, internship opportunities, and study abroad options. Afterward, we will
break into groups to talk about our 2 majors: Environmental Studies and Environmental
Science. If you are planning on majoring or minoring in ESS, don’t miss this session.
Location: Dana 285
Wednesday, March 7, 7 p.m. – “Inhabiting/Excavating/Sustaining: Understanding This Place”
Scholar Paul Mendes-Florh, archaeologist Jodi Magness, and international consultant
Michael Ben-Eli, founder of The Sustainability Lab, will lead a public conversation
about “this place” through three interrelated lenses.
Location: Tang Museum
Tuesday, March 27, time to be determined – Jason Houston
Photographer Jason Houston, a Senior Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and Senior Fellow at the Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University, will discuss his work at the intersections of social and environmental issues. His public lecture is part of a 3-day mini-residency with MDOCS on campus from March 26-28.
April TBA, time to be determined – Karen Coulter: “TBA”
Karen Coulter, a long-time activist, has dedicated her life to environmental and social justice causes. She will discuss Deep Ecology and Biocentrism as the guiding principles for protection of the wild.
Wednesday, May 2, 9 a.m. – Senior Capstone presentations
ESS seniors will present their capstone research projects.
Location: Filene Auditorium
Fall 2017
Tuesday, September 12, 5:30 p.m., ESS study abroad picnic
If you are interested in finding out about ESS study abroad programs, come to this
picnic and talk with ESS students who have recently returned from abroad. We will
serve international food to set the mood!
Location: Outside Dana Science Center
Friday, September 15, 3:30 p.m., ESS paddle on Fish Creek
All interested students are welcome to join us on an exploration of Fish Creek in kayaks and canoes, followed by a picnic dinner.
Tuesday, September 26, 6:30 p.m. – ESS Keynote speaker Judith Enck: “The Federal assault on the environment”
Judith Enck is a Senior Advisor at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.
She served as the Administrator of EPA’s Region 2 (which includes New York) for seven
years under President Obama. She also served as Deputy Secretary for the Environment
in the New York Governor’s Office. She recently finished a teaching position at Elisabeth
Haub School of Law at Pace University.
Location: Filene Auditorium
Tuesday, September 26, 5:30 p.m., informational tables from local environmental groups
Informational tables from local environmental and conservation groups will be set
up in advance of the keynote address. If you are interested in finding out about
internship or volunteer opportunities, please come by to talk to local representatives.
Location: Tang Museum
October 2-6, Jody Sperling Dance Residency on Climate Change
Choreographer Jody Sperling traveled to the arctic on a research ship. During her multi-day campus visit, she will share both her methods for dance-making in such an inhospitable environment as well as the science motivating the expedition.
Thursday, October 26, 5 pm – ESS Advising Meeting
In advance of registration for spring courses, the ESS Program will hold a meeting to introduce students to the ESS curriculum and answer questions about major and minor requirements and upcoming courses. ESS faculty will give an overview of the program, and then students will break into small groups to discuss the different tracks of the ESS major.
Saturday, October 28 – Community Farm Day field trip to Soul Fire Farm
Join interested students for a work day at an immersion farm for farmers of color. Soul Fire Farm is a fully organic farm that works toward food sovereignty and justice and has trained hundreds of new farmers over its tenure.
Friday, December 8 – ESS Holiday Party
Join ESS faculty and students in celebrating the end of the fall semester.
