CES Newsletter
Welcome to 07-08
at the Center for Environmental Studies
September 4, 2007
In this newsletter
On Campus Events
NEW ES COURSES
New day, time and instructor for ENVS 171
Operation Wallacea presentation at UEL, noon, Friday 21 September
Off Campus Events
Conference: Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change
Conference: The Practice of Restoring Native Ecosystems
Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study
Winter & Spring Internships at the U.S. Department of Justice
TSETESE Gallery Photo contest
Check out New ENVS Courses for Fall, 2007
See Banner for more information
ENVS 1400 – Sustainable Design in the Built Environment
This course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of sustainability, as it relates to fields such as planning, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture and construction. Students will learn to examine planning, design and building problems holistically, by conducting economic and environmental analyses in comparison to the long-term costs of traditional development approaches. Interdisciplinary teams work on applied projects. Prerequisites: ENVS0110 or ENVS0410, or equivalent by permission of instructor. Kurt Teichert, instructor
ENVS 1455 - Marine Con Science + Policy
Students will develop an interdisciplinary understanding of ocean ecosystems and how human communities are connected to them socially and economically. Integration pf the scientific and human dimensions of marine conservation will be achieved through analysis of the current status, trends, and threats to ocean ecosystems; the range of individual-based and institutional solutions to mediate these threats; and case studies. Prerequisites include ENVS 11 or equivalent, ENVS 49, BIOL 42 or written permission of the instructor.
Heather Leslie, Instructor
*** NEW DAY, TIME AND INSTRUCTOR ***
for ENVS 1710
ENVS 1710 - Environmental Health and Policy
Examines scientific and public policy conflicts over how to address environmental factors impacting human health. Students develop a basic knowledge of risk assessment, including hazard identification; exposure assessment and fate and transport of environmental toxics; risk management and communication; principles of data interpretation and application to environmental policy-making. Prerequisite: ES11 or permission of the instructor. Sections to be arranged based on TA's class schedule. Students interested in taking this class should attend the first day in order to participate in a selection process for getting into the course. Students will then be notified if the were admitted prior to the second day of class. Christine Rioux, Instructor
WAS ‘J’ hour - NOW ‘N’ hour
Wednesday from 3:00 – 5:20 PM.
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Dr. Kathy Slater of Operation Wallacea will be giving a presentation at 12 noon on Friday 21 September in the Main Conference Room, Urban Environmental Lab, 135 Angell St.
The conservation group Operation Wallacea is currently looking for university students to assist in biodiversity assessment and conservation management projects in Indonesia, Honduras, Peru, South Africa, Mozambique and Egypt. Operation Wallacea employ university academics from the US, UK and Canada to conduct research on the population dynamics and behavioral ecology of a range of herpetofauna, bird, bat, primate, mammal, fish, and invertebrate species in remote forest and marine habitats in the tropics.
If you are interested in joining one or our expeditions or are thinking of pursuing a career in ecology, biology, oceanography, or conservation management and would like to find out more about research opportunities with Operation Wallacea then please come along to the presentation. If you can't make it to the meeting, but are interested in finding out more about our expeditions then please take a look at our website at www.opwall.com or contact the Operation Wallacea US office on 973 940 2040 and they can talk through the various projects with you.
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Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change, an annual gathering of environmental, industry and social justice innovators who have demonstrated visionary and practical models for restoring the Earth and its inhabitants. The conference will be held at UMASS Dartmouth October 19 – 21, 2007.
The conference will bring together a diverse audience of students, faculty, entrepreneurs, scientists and every-day people. We anticipate an audience of 2,000 people [including some 500 college and high school students] from all over New England – and perhaps further. The conference will feature world-renowned innovators such as:
*Bill McKibbin—organizer of Step It Up 2007! a National Day of Climate Action and author of The End of Nature
*Dr. Joia Mukherjee—a long-time health care access and human rights advocate in the U.S. and developing countries, co-founder of the HIV Equity Initiative, which served as a model for the Millennium Development Goals
*Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council
*Diane Wilson— co-founder of Code Pink and recipient of Mother Jones's Hell Raiser of the Month and Louis Gibbs' Environmental Lifetime Award
*Van Jones—founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, now working to wed the social justice and ecology movements by promoting the slogan “Green-collar Jobs, Not Jails”
*John Perkins—author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
*Simran Sethi— presenter for TreeHugger News and award-winning journalist
*Naomi Wolf—literary star of the third wave of the feminist movement
For more information on Bioneers by the Bay you can visit: http://www.connectingforchange.org/
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National Conference The Practice of Restoring Native Ecosystems 7th October 8 – 9, 2007.
Learn about the most progressive techniques being used in the restoration of a variety of ecosystems.
Study a variety of ecostsytems including: prairies, wetlands, forests, savannahs, rivers, and others.
Interact and share ideas with others who are involved in ecological restoration
Arbor Day Farm, Lied Lodge & Conference Center. Nebraska City, Nebraska
Fall 2008 EPA Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study
URL: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2008/2008_gro_grad.html
Open Date: 08/21/2007 - Close Date: 10/23/2007
Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) program, is offering Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Graduate Fellowships for masters and doctoral level
students in environmental fields of study. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is October 23, 2007 at 4:00 PM EST. Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 15 new fellowships by July 31, 2008. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years,
usable over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per year of support per fellowship.
Applicable Category(s): Grant/Fellowship Announcements
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Winter & Spring Internships at the U.S. Department of Justice
Please post to undergraduates who might be interested in applying for a winter- or spring-term environmental law internship with the Department of Justice. We are looking for highly motivated students with strong writing skills and interests in law, policy, and environmental issues. Feel free to contact us at (202) 305-0641 with any questions. Duties of the unpaid undergraduate intern position include: attending congressional hearings and reporting on environmental legislation; researching legal and policy issues; and providing support for the section's amicus litigation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, pass a mandatory drug test, and be willing to commit for a period of at least ten weeks.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but must be received no later than the following application deadlines:
- For Winter internships (January - March/April, dates flexible): November 1, 2007;
- For Spring internships (March/April - May/June, dates flexible): January 15, 2008;
To apply, please fax a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and 3-5 page writing sample (may be an excerpt from a longer paper on any topic) to Jacob Lipson at (202) 514-4231, or mail the above to:
Jacob Lipson
Environment and Natural Resources Division / LPS
P.O. Box 4390
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044-4390
The TSETESE Gallery in Providence is holding a competition for the best photographs or posters of scientific experiment that "combine scientific insight with a sense of wonder." The contest features cash prizes ($300 for first prize, $200 for second prize and $100 for third prize).
This RI-only competition is open to both high school and college students. There will be separate categories for each level to compete. Students who would like to enter the competition should submit the following:
(1) 8 x 10 photograph of lab project, or poster no larger than 14 X 36
(2) for photos: short description of what is shown and what we learn
from the image; for posters: short description of the theory or context
of the poster. Prose should not exceed 200 words.
(3) accompanying entry sheet with
(a) student's name, address, phone, email
(b) student's school
(c) student's class year
(d) name of teacher with whom the work was created
Submissions should be sent no later than October 15 to:
Theodora Speser, Art of Science Contest Coordinator, C/o Foresight Science & Technology Incorporated, 430 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906
All entries will be featured at a special opening reception at the gallery on November 9. For further information you may contact
Theodora Speser at 401.808.6790, or you may contact David Targan.