Upcoming ECI Activities
View Past Events here. ECI frequently co-sponsors lectures and events with affiliated departments. IInterested in co-sponsoring a seminar with ECI? Contact Marty Downs.
View the whole calendar of upcoming seminars and events.
Highlighted events for 2010-2011 academic year:
May 4 at 3:00 p.m.
Science Center - 3rd Floor of the Science Library - 201 Thayer Street
Environmental Policy in an Era of Polarization: The Prospects for Conflict and Consensus
Juliet Eilperin, Environment Reporter for the Washington Post, Author of Demonfish (2011) and Fight Club Politics (2006)
Eilperin keynotes a celebration of the Brown Environmental Fellows Program, introducing the 2011-2012 class of fellows. Welcome and lecture at 3 pm. Booksigning at 4:15 pm.
Since April of 2004 Eilperin has covered the environment for the national desk of the Washington Post, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. In pursuit of these stories she has gone scuba diving with sharks in the Bahamas, trekking on the Arctic tundra, and searching on her hands and knees for rare insects in the caves of Tennessee.
During her first year at the Post Ms. Eilperin was the most prolific writer on the news staff, writing more than 200 stories. In the spring of 2005 she served as the McGraw Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, teaching political reporting to a group of undergraduate and graduate students.
Following the talk, Eilperin will be signing her new book "Demon Fish" and her 2006 book "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives.”
March 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Smith Buonanno Hall, Room 106
The Risks and Rewards of Science Communication
Nancy Baron, Director of Science Outreach for Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS)
Public confusion and scientific anguish over Climategate, the Gulf Oil spill and other events reveal the need for society to be better informed by science. Part of the solution is for for scientists to speak up, delivering a clearer message to policy makers, the public and the media. Yet, some scientists raise important questions: Is this part of a scientists’ job? Are the risks worth the rewards? And how does one do this effectively?
Nancy Baron, science outreach director for COMPASS and the lead communications trainer for the Leopold leadership program is the author of “Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter.” (www.EscapefromtheIvoryTower.com) Over the past decade she has coached thousands of environmental scientists and led workshops in 9 countries.
Light Reception and book-signing to follow.
“No one understands scientists the way Nancy Baron does. This book helps connect the worlds of science, journalism, and policy in very entertaining and insightful ways. If you care about linking science with action, this is the book to read."
--Pam Matson, Scientific Director of the Leopold Leadership Program
Event co-sponsored by Brown Environmental Fellows, The Woods Lectureship, Environmental Change Initiative, Center for Environmental Studies, The Science Center, and Career Development Center
March 15 at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for socializing and refreshments)
Petteruti Lounge, Stephen Roberts Campus Center
Reflecting on Rhode Island’s Lakes & Ponds: 20 Plus Years of Water Quality Monitoring
Linda Green, Program Director, URI Watershed Watch, URI Department Natural Resources Science
Rhode Island may be the Ocean State but our inland landscape is dotted with lakes and ponds–hundreds of them. For nearly 25 years URI Watershed Watch program volunteers have been monitoring many of them. These landscape features provide habitat for plants, animals, and insects, scenic vistas, recreation opportunities, and a sense of place. Join us to learn what years of volunteer monitoring tells us about our lakes and ponds. What have been the big issues and what are the emerging ones. Consider with us whether monitoring will ever be done?