Announcements- October 17th

The Boston College Career Center is hosting its annual Externship Program.

We are currently inviting employers in the Boston and New York areas who would be interested in hosting a student (or two or three) for a one-day job shadow experience during Winter Break. We would like to ask for your help in finding externship hosts who could provide Boston College students with a valuable career-related experience.The Externship Program is a one-day job-shadowing and mentoring experience during the week of January 9th-13th, 2012. By offering BC students the opportunity to participate in activities such as sitting in on staff meetings, observing client interactions, touring facilities, and conducting informational interviews, you help the student gain invaluable insights that could aid them in discerning their future career path.

If you are interested in participating, please visit our website for more details about the program and the application process. If you have any questions or know of other Boston College Alumni who may be interested in participating in the program, feel free to contact Gopi Dhokai at externship.employer@bc.edu.

Please note that the deadline for Externship Host applications is Friday, October 28, 2011.

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Belize Study Abroad
The deadline for our great winter courses is October 31st.  Some of those courses are beginning to fill up, so please let Cynthia Reece, our Program Manager, know if you are interested, creece@isisbelize.com.  
Application forms and complete information can be found on our website,
http://www.isisbelize.com/apply-now/download-forms.html, or http://www.isisbelize.com/winter-courses-2011.html.

Summer programs application deadline is March 1, 2012.   There is still time to apply for the Gilman International Scholarship for summer, http://exchanges.state.gov/globalexchanges/gilman-scholarship-program.html. We look forward to welcoming you to Belize, where education is an
adventure.

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Growing Green

Majora Carter, eco-entrepreneur and president of Majora Carter Group

On Wednesday, November 2, the Museum of Science will be hosting Peabody Award-winning broadcaster and MacArthur "genius" fellow Majora Carter.  A pioneer of “green-collar” jobs and local eco-entrepreneurship, Ms. Carter will share her innovative ideas about the role sustainability should play in modern urban planning and her groundbreaking food distribution systems that improve public health and build economic opportunities in neighborhoods across America.

  

Wednesday, November 2; 7:00 p.m.

Admission $15

Health Hero. Prophet of Local. Eco-Industrial Strategist. Economic Pioneer. Intrepid Boundary Breaker. These all apply to one person—Peabody Award-winning radio broadcaster and MacArthur “genius” fellow Majora Carter.

 Tickets on sale beginning Thursday, September 1 (Tuesday, August 30 for Museum members). Purchase tickets in advance at mos.org/events

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Whole Terrain, Antioch University New England's journal of reflective environmental practice. 

Position: Development/Communications Intern

EnvironMentors National Office, Washington, DC

EnvironMentors (EM) seeks a creative and committed individual for a part-time (10 hours/week) Marketing and Communications internship. The ideal candidate will have experience and skills in Internet research, writing and communications, program administration, and maintaining a sophisticated internal social networking website. The position will include working as part of a national office team located in Washington, DC and Boulder, CO, as well as with Directors and Coordinators at 13 university-based chapters nationwide.  The position’s primary emphasis is to assist with fundraising, communications research/development, maintain/update “EnvironMentors Online Community,” with occasional program support for EM’s university-based chapters.

To apply:

Send resume and cover letter to:

Jessica Soule

Subject/Attn: EM Intern Application

Electronically to: jsoule@ncseonline.org

Or via fax: 202-628-4311                                               

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The Maine Humanities Council has awarded  the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust a $1000 grant for a community outreach project to  help Maine historical societies and the general public learn about and interpret early tide mills in their area. 

Working in collaboration with the Tide Mill Institute, the Trust will hold a conference November 18 and 19th at its headquarters in Kennebunkport, where tide mill historians from Europe and from Maine will present the heritage and technology of this example of the use of tidal power.   One presentation will lay out legal issues that affected early tide mills and confront those seeking to make use of tidal energy today.  An open forum will allow Maine’s coastal historical societies to share information and to study the tide mills that existed in their back yards.  Participants will also have the opportunity to hear about and see first-hand the current archaeological work being done by the Trust at its 1740’s James Perkins tide mill site in Kennebunkport.

 An informal reception will be held at the Trust’s headquarters in Kennebunkport from 6 to 8  PM Friday evening November 18, where displays and video presentation about tide mills can be viewed.  Saturday's activities start with registration at 8:30AM; presentations begin at nine o'clock.  There is a $20 conference fee.  For more information contact Bud Warren at budw@myfairpoint.net (373-1209) or Lisa Lassey at lisa@kctofficd.com.

Letter from Christchurch

Greetings from Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand! As most of you know, I am on sabbatical this academic year and living here with my wife and our two young sons. I will be back at BC next summer.

A few nights ago we had our first good shake after six weeks in Christchurch—a magnitude 5.5 earthquake just offshore of Sumner, the coastal town we had visited earlier in the day. We felt a 4.9 during our first few days here and many other small ones since then, but this one went long enough and was loud enough to give my wife and I a bit of a scare. It was the eighth largest earthquake since it all began on 4 September 2010, and the largest since June.

We are living in a city still recovering from a major trauma. For Christchurch, the big event was the magnitude 6.3 earthquake on 22 February 2012, which was followed by many more aftershocks later that day and on, including several large ones in June. The epicenter of the February quake was about 10 km southeast of the city and quite shallow, and it devastated the Central Business District. It also caused liquefaction (saturated sandy soil sometimes loses strength when subjected to shaking) in large areas on the east side of the city and massive landslides in the Port Hills suburbs (including Sumner) to the south. Many of those areas are now in the “red zone,” which is off limits, in some cases even to homeowners. The September 2010 quake was larger (magnitude 7.1), but on a different fault far enough (40 km) west of the city that the damage was less significant in Christchurch.

We live on the less-damaged west side of the city, in a little house owned by the University of Canterbury (UC) that is situated right next to campus. Several of the university buildings suffered structural damage to the point where they must be demolished, but none were knocked down directly, unlike many of the buildings in the CBD. Throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, the signs of the earthquake are there, mostly in the form of fallen-down brick walls and some blue tarps covering parts of damaged houses, but the roads are all intact and the vast majority of the buildings had only very minor damage, which has already been repaired.

Although local nerves are frayed by the aftershocks and by the uncertainty regarding the future of homes and neighborhoods, in my view as an outsider the impression is one of a city that is functioning and has a functional recovery process. New Zealand has a strong government that provides excellent social services, and the citizens largely lack the anti-government culture that pervades the United States. Importantly, the country has only two layers of government—national and city. About one month after the February quake, the two governing bodies created a new entity, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), which was tasked with managing the recovery effort. CERA is now working feverishly on a plan for how or whether to redevelop the red zone areas, and how to compensate property owners. The pace of the process is of course causing frustration, particularly to red zone homeowners, but from my perspective it is amazingly rapid. Already, CERA and the Christchurch City Council have sent mailings soliciting opinions on a draft recovery plan for the city. The plan was on display at an events tent set up next to the Rugby World Cup Fanzone in the city’s main downtown park. This week, the CCC is holding hearings on the CBD recovery plan.

This all stands in remarkable contrast to the best recent analogy in the United States, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. My wife and I watched first season of David Simon’s HBO series Treme during the first month we were living in Christchurch. We hadn’t planned it this way, but it was remarkable watching a television show about New Orleans six months into the post-Katrina recovery while living in Christchurch six months into its recovery. The narrative of Katrina is the failure of government, and that is one of the central themes of Treme. I don’t think any impartial observer would say that about the Christchurch case. There are certainly parallels. Treme has lots of conspiracy theories in it that were well covered in the national news after Katrina. Christchurch residents have aired out a few of these, too. Both cities also had some level of looting immediately after the events. However, in both of these instances, the similarities are in type, not degree.

My most direct view of the recovery process is at the university. I sat in on a presentation to the Geological Sciences Department by the Vice Chancellor of the College of Science one day in September. UC is facing difficult challenges. To house classes and offices displaced by the unusable buildings they quickly put up a new village of prefabricated buildings on a rugby field. More importantly, they face the near certainty of declining enrollment in 2012 (the February quake happened during the first week of classes for the 2011 academic year), which means a very difficult financial situation in the years to come. Like all U.S. universities, BC faced challenges after the 2008 financial crisis. However, the degree of belt tightening at UC will be far greater than was necessary at BC. The Vice Chancellor mentioned that they are looking at similar recovery situations, such as Cal State Northridge after the 1994 earthquake, and expecting 3-7 years before enrollments return to pre-earthquake levels.

The irony of natural disasters for earth scientists is that these events represent excellent learning opportunities. I have been guest lecturing in various undergraduate and graduate courses in the department (having a relief pitcher is most welcome at this time), as part of my UC Erskine Fellowship. The engagement of the students in the material is quite remarkable. Having lived through a geological event, they have little trouble seeing the importance of understanding how floods and landslides work. The spring semester here in the Southern Hemisphere ends this week. For the rest of our time in NZ, I will remain working out of the department and will be involved in some earthquake-centered research. I will also continue watch and learn about the process of a city recovering from a major environmental disaster.

I hope you are all having a good semester at BC. Until next time,

Noah

--

Noah P. Snyder

Director, Environmental Studies Program

Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Boston College

On sabbatical September 2011 - June 2012

Dept. of Geological Sciences

University of Canterbury

Christchurch, New Zealand

Shipping containers protecting a Sumner street from continued rockfalls.

View from Sumner Head of the Avon River estuary, Christchurch city and the Southern Alps in the distance.

Announcements- September 19 & September 26

Dear ESP minors,

Welcome back to BC! I hope that the first weeks of your semester are going well. As you know, Dr. Snyder is away for the school year and I will be the point person for the ESP program. So if you have any questions, concerns, or anything at all, please come find me in Devlin Room 213 and I will do my best to help you out. My hours this semester are as follows:

Monday: 8:30-12:00
Tuesday: 8:30-3:00
Wednesday: 8:30-12:30
Thursday: 8:30-11:30

You can also always email me at this address: envstudy@bc.edu. Now here are some announcements! Take care and happy fall!
Kristina
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Practicing Plentitude Symposium: Social Innovation for Sustainable Lifestyles

October 21, 2011: 9am-5pm
Boston College
McGuinn 511

RSVP by October 14 to ila@bc.edu
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The Coolidge Corner Theatre kicks off a new season of its popular Science on Screen series on Monday, October 3 with a special showing of B-movie maestro Roger Corman’s 1960 horticultural cult classic The Little Shop of Horrors paired with a pre-screening talk on carnivorous plants by Aaron Ellison, Senior Research Fellow in Ecology at Harvard Forest. The program begins at 7:00 pm.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS tells the tale of a hapless plant-shop clerk who breeds a new species of plant named Audrey Junior that not only talks, but also needs a special kind of food to survive: humans. Famous for having the shortest shooting schedule on record – two days and a night – this hilarious black comedy helped establish director Corman as an underground legend. Starring Jonathan Haze, Mel Welles, and Jackie Joseph, the film also features an iconic cameo by a young Jack Nicholson as a gleefully masochistic dental patient.

Unlike Audrey Junior, carnivorous plants in nature don’t actually devour people – or bellow “Feed Me!” But because these plants grow in habitats where soil nutrients are in short supply, they must rely on animal prey for sustenance. They catch their dinner using a variety of strategies, from snapping their leaves shut on unsuspecting insects to snagging snacks with sticky tentacles to sucking in their prey like a vacuum cleaner.

Before the film, Dr. Ellison sheds light on the curious world of carnivorous plants and on how these fabulously complex plants can further our understanding of how a complete, functioning natural ecosystem works.

At Harvard Forest, Harvard University’s 3,500-acre outdoor classroom and ecological research laboratory in Petersham, Mass., Dr. Ellison studies the evolutionary ecology of carnivorous plants, food web dynamics and community ecology of wetlands and forests, and other phenomena. He has received the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Faculty Fellow award for excellence in research and teaching.

Science on Screen is co-presented by The Museum of Science, Boston and made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Tickets are $9.75 general admission, $7.75 for students, seniors, and Museum of Science members, and free for Coolidge Corner Theatre members. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.coolidge.org/science. Tickets are also available at the Coolidge Corner Theatre box office, located at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline. Phone: 617/734-2500.

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The Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia

The Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy is a twelve-month program that combines the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University’s hands-on approach to teaching public policy and administration with the Earth Institute's pioneering thinking about the environment, educating today's environmental leaders for a sustainable tomorrow.

A representative from the program will be attending the Boston Idealist Grad Fair today Monday, September 19 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The fair will be held at Boston University, George Sherman Union, Metcalf Ballroom, 2nd Floor, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215.

For questions about the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program, please contact Sarah Tweedie at (212) 854-3142, or by e-mail at st2745@columbia.edu, or visit our website at http://mpaenvironment.ei.columbia.edu/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Harvard Graduate School of Design fall lecture series...

Visit our event calendar for a full list of our upcoming events in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning, art, sustainability, engineering, industrial design, social activism, and more. Nearly all of our events are free and open to the public, and several will be webcast live and posted to our school's YouTube channel, so stay tuned. This year, the Graduate School of Design also celebrates its 75th anniversary - check out the GSD 075 website for information on the related exhibition and events. We hope to see you at Gund Hall!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Fall-semester internships to BC students at Environment Massachusetts

...working on our Clean Air, Healthy Families campaign. This is a unique opportunity, as students will have first-hand experience organizing grassroots support for the campaign as well as media coverage and coordinating volunteers:

If you want to spend the semester learning how to make a real impact on the decisions that affect the energy we use, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the places we love, apply for an internship with Environment Massachusetts.

Environment Massachusetts is one of 29 state groups that make up Environment America, a national environmental advocacy group. With nearly 100 professional staff and 1 million members, activists and allies in the states and in Washington, D.C, we make the case and build the support necessary to overcome the opposition and win real results for the environment.

Internship Description

Each semester, Environment Massachusetts runs an internship program that gives students like you the opportunity to learn how to make a real impact on critical environmental issues.

You’ll learn how to analyze environmental problems, advocate for smart solutions, and build public support.

An internship with Environment Massachusetts gives you the training and the experience you need to land a job in the environmental movement after graduation. Each year, Environment Massachusetts and the other groups in Environment America hire passionate, talented and committed recent college graduates to join our two year Fellowship Program.

Qualifications

We are looking for current college students who care about our environment and are driven to preserve it for the future to work in our Boston office. We look for strong leadership skills, academic excellence, problem solving ability, top-notch written and verbal skills, eagerness to learn, and a sense of humor. We have a great training program, so no prior organizing experience is necessary, although if you have some that’s great!

To learn more and apply online, visit: http://www.environmentmassachusetts.org/jobs/internships, or send an e-mail directly to ajames@environmentamerica.org
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Belize Study Abroad

ISIS Belize, the Institute for Sustainable International Studies, is pleased to offer adventurous field schools in Belize during the summer and winter breaks. Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America and is an amazing natural classroom for some many disciplines. Come south and enjoy the warm weather, the incredible bio-diversity and earn academic credits while making international friends! Space is limited, so put a reservation in at applytoday@isisbelize.com to save your spot. More details on the courses can be found at http://www.isisbelize.com/winter-courses-2011.html. Syllabi are available upon request.

We look forward to answering your questions and reserving your spot in Belize this winter … where learning is an adventure!
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Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Greetings from the Office of Admission at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies! We hope this email finds you well, and we are excited to meet many of you this fall either on campus or at our recruiting events across the country. We wanted to let you know about some important information that should be helpful to you as you continue to think about pursuing graduate studies at FES. Feel free to keep up with us through our admissions blog, which will be updated throughout the fall with important application and financial aid information, advice, and announcements!

Application & GRE Update

As promised, our online application for admission will go live tomorrow, September 1, 2011, at 9 AM EDT. You should be able to access the application at that time, through the online application website. As a reminder, our application deadline is December 15, 2011, and we encourage you to submit as early as possible.

For those applicants who choose to take the GRE instead of the GMAT, ETS is currently offering 50% off exam registration fees for those who take the test in the month of September. A little extra incentive to take your exam early! We will accept both the old and new format exams, as long as the test is taken before the December 15, 2011 application deadline and is no more than 5 years old.

Upcoming Admission Events

We will be kicking off our recruiting season on September 14, and will be busy hosting recruiting events through November. Many events are up on our admission events website, so please check it out to see if we will be in your area this fall and to RSVP to an event. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming September events are as follows:

Boston Fall Idealist Fair: Monday, September 19

Boston Information Session: Tuesday, September 20

As always, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid staff are available and happy to answer any questions that you may have about our programs, the application process, and the Yale community. Please don't hesitate to email us at fesinfo@yale.edu and we will get back to you as quickly as possible!

Announcements- May 24

Hello all and happy summer!

I will be gone for the month of June, but if you have any questions, do send them to the envstudy@bc.edu email address, and they will be responded to by me or Noah. Also, be sure to check out your fellow students, Natalie and Nick, highlighted here on the Environmental Studies Program blog!

Thank you and take care,
Kristina
envstudy@bc.edu

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Announcements- May 24, 2011
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Seniors: we have a listserv of ESP alumni. Please email your permanent email address to Kristina at envstudy@bc.edu if you would like to be added to that list. We use it to keep in touch and send occasional announcements of events of interest to you.

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Hello ESP Seniors,

For all of you graduated this Monday, congratulations! As you all have an interest in environmental issues, the Boston College Energy and Environmental Alumni Network (BCEEAN) would like to officially invite you to become a member of this quickly growing and dynamic group. We welcome any BC graduate interested in energy and environmental issues to join BCEEAN—now almost 500 members strong—by e-mailing us at envrn@bc.edu. Please provide your name, class year, job title and company (if applicable), geographic location (city and state), and preferred e-mail address in the body of the e-mail when signing up.

BCEEAN is an incredible network of alumni, and hosts a number of events throughout the year. There are many ways to get involved, and opportunities to meet other alumni that share similar interests, career experience and can help to offer advice. Also, if you know alumni who might enjoy participating in BCEEAN, please circulate this website address to them and invite them to join us too! For more information on BCEEAN, visit our website:www.bc.edu/bceean.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me as well at: ebarthelmes@gmail.com. Best of luck to everyone!


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Intern for Green Trade Association

Are you interested in an exciting and flexible internship opportunity for a not for profit national organization that operates in every sector of the Green Economy? The Green Trade Association, endorsed by Bill McKibben, 350.org, and Van Jones, is a community of green employers committed to creating a just and inclusive green economy. The Green Trade Association is in need of an intern who’s interested in sustainability and social justice. You will help to further our mission in preparation for our public launch in September 2011. This will include: coordinating with fundraising; event planning; communications; membership recruitment and more. Specific skills desired include social media (Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn), well-developed writing, solid computer and administrative skills. With the possibility of this leading to a permanent position, this is an opportunity to participate in a rapidly growing, socially conscious entrepreneurial environment where creativity, hard work and passion are highly valued. This is an unsalaried position. However, as the organization develops, there will be opportunity for paid employment.

If you are interested in a ground floor opportunity to grow with our organization, please contact us at: Laurie.GTA@gmail.com or call 617-251-8781. Our website address is:
http://greentradeassociation.org. Please cite the word INTERN in the subject portion of your email.

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GREEN Educational Adventure Programs in Costa Rica

The GREEN Educational Adventure Programs in Costa Rica offer a unique way to satisfy your intellectual curiosity while experiencing unforgettable adventures, gaining a cultural experience, and giving back to the community though socially responsible projects. The Programs in Costa Rica are focused on Renewable Energy Education, Adventure, Culture, and Social Responsibility.

The 12-day trip gives students a chance to explore the topics of RENEWABLE ENERGY and SUSTAINABILITY through interactive lectures and exclusive hands-on site visits to functioning power plants, like wind farms and geothermal plants, and residential facilities, such as organic sustainable farms and green-centric housing developments. The benefits of the educational component are enhanced by the excitement of the adventure and cultural excursions that make Costa Rica the epicenter of EcoTourism and travel.

Students who attended this program in the past have cited it as "one of the best experiences of their life". Some have returned to Costa Rica for summer internships in the renewable energy sector. Others applied their experiences to succeed in internships and jobs in the United States.

The Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) inspires University students to explore the fields of renewable energy and sustainability. In doing so, we aim to assemble motivated collegiate minds in engineering, business, policy, ecology, and other related fields, to spark a flame of though and passion centered around renewable energy, sustainable living, and improved societal standards. Our objective is to do so by pipe-lining these students into the GREEN industry through an intensive educational program.

For additional details please visit https://greenworknow.com to watch our program video featuring students and their experiences.

Student Profile: Natalie Isaksson

What has been your favorite class? Why?
I’ve taken many interesting classes as part of the Environmental Studies minor, most notably perhaps the Environmental Law and Policy class (as my first and probably only glance into US law and judicial procedures), and Bible and Ecology. The Bible and Ecology class has been particularly interesting because the professor (John Darr) is a biblical scholar and reads the Bible very much in the context of how, why, when, and where the Bible was written, which in turn is incredibly enlightening and refreshing. Other interesting classes included: Women, Nature and Ecology; Environmental Genomics.

A professor who has particularly motivated or inspired you?
Prof. John Darr, for the way he critically approaches religion and its texts, the questions he asks, and the way he encourages confronting the problems with a text instead of either shirking them or simply rationalizing them away.

What are some other projects/ clubs/ groups you are involved with at BC that enable you to put what you are learning as an ESP minor into practice?
I am involved in undergraduate government (UGBC) and as such get the opportunity to be involved in student initiatives associated with environmental issues, such as informing the student body about conflict minerals or bringing “environmental” artists to campus such as Climbing PoeTree.

What are some internships/ research projects/ labs you are working on or involved with at BC that relate to the ESP minor?
I work in a lab that I got into because of Environmental Genomics, and where I focus on what effects environmental stressors might have on the genomics of shrimp, and how shrimp pathogens such as Taura Syndrome Virus might reflect this.

Have you studied abroad, gone on an immersion trip/ alternative spring break in which you were able to address topics that you have studied as an ESP minor?
I am international student, so I consider myself “abroad” pretty much all the time :). But in the sense that this question is asking, then no.

How has your experience of the Senior Seminar been? What has it been like to be among so many other students from different departments and academic majors?
The senior seminar is very interesting and all the more so because it is very interdisciplinary. Many of the topics are controversial and have no easy answers, which makes the class intellectually stimulating. Interacting with people from all different majors makes approaching any topic very insightful because we all have different perspectives and bring different skills and mindsets to the table. In a way, this is reflective of the environmental movement in general and is conducive to productive discussions and dialogue where solutions to hard problems are sought.

How has your experience as an ESP minor prepared you to be a college graduate?
I think it has made me a more well-rounded, well-informed person who feels comfortable asking questions and taking the time and effort to ascertain whether the goods/services I am consuming are detrimental to the environment or not. I feel that many people are indifferent to issues which either threaten to take them out of their comfort zone and/or involve actual engagement with the subject (meaning: there are no easy answers to the problem and finding out the truth might be uncomfortable). The ESP minor has definitely left me motivated, interested, and aware of relevant issues and how I might make a positive difference. In terms of careers and such, taking the ESP minor has only solidified what I’ve known for a while, which is that I’d like to eventually pursue a masters in Conservation Biology and get involved on a scientific level with the environment and conserving it.

What do you wish you could have become involved with earlier in your time at BC as an ESP minor?
Probably organizations such as RealFood BC or Sustain.

Student Profile: Nicholas Ochi

What has been your favorite class? Why?
My favorite ESP class was probably Philosophy of Health Science East/West because it gave such a holistic viewpoint. Though I struggled in the class with grades, I thought it was very rewarding overall. Ironically, my second favorite class was probably Watershed Geomorphology, my most advanced science course, and far removed from Philosophy of Health Science. If not for the intriguing science behind geomorphology, I benefitted from learning how to prepare/present a scientific report.

A professor who has particularly motivated or inspired you? Why
Noah Snyder has inspired me because of his passion for what he does. It is refreshing to see a professor who is interested in his work and that passion becomes contagious. You want to do well for him, and what’s more, I know that he seriously considers all of my work and gives meaningful, helpful feedback with every assignment. Each time I get something back, I feel I become a better student and more prepared to hand in good work. It also does not hurt that he used to be a ski bum at Snowbird, UT (that is about as good as it gets credentials-wise in my book).

Have you studied abroad, gone on an immersion trip/ alternative spring break in which you were able to address topics that you have studied as an ESP minor?
I went on an SIT program to Vietnam entitled “Delta Ecology and Resource Management.” The program featured field-based learning so we got to travel up and down Vietnam and even into Cambodia via the Mekong River for two weeks. As long as we were outside talking about our environment, nature became the classroom which made for a truly incredible experience. In general, my time in Vietnam connected me to the distant world that we often forget is marginalized by our actions here in the U.S. While science, data, and graphs alone won’t do the job in convincing us to change our actions and curb climate change, time spent abroad can. By travelling, seeing other parts of the world, and getting to know people on a personal level, the effects suddenly become real and the problem becomes urgent.

I also hoped to share a particular story that, again, encourages us to do something to protect our environment. While in Vietnam, my group visited the Can Gio Biosphere, a massive mangrove forest about 40 km outside of Ho Chi Minh City - the nation’s largest city. On top of supporting local livelihoods, the forest acts as HCMC’s buffer against coastal damage and cleans the water coming in and out of the city. During the Vietnam War though, American planes dropped enough Agent Orange to effectively destroy this massive forest. The people there were devastated, as an important ecosystem and the source of many local livelihoods was no longer there. Estimates for the time of recovery were in the hundreds of years - making apathy an easy choice. But the Vietnamese chose hope. They worked to accomplish restoration and developed a plan immediately. Collectively, citizens from the area literally scoured the area and planted seeds for new trees of an entire forest hand by hand. It was an enormous project that easily could have seemed pointless at the time, but they payoff was great. As I visited some 30-40 years later, I looked out over the mangrove forest from a watchtower, and as far as I could see, there were enormous, healthy-looking trees that now acted as an effective ecosystem – a truly beautiful sight all things considered. All of this just goes to show that even when the problem seems too big, there is no better time to act than the present, a mindset that will have great benefits down the road.

How has your experience of the Senior Seminar been? What has it been like to be among so many other students from different departments and academic majors?
I enjoyed this seminar and hearing the opinions of students from various academic backgrounds.I think the class would be beneficial earlier in our time at BC and would be a good course for all students here

Indoor Urban Farming: Project

Interested in learning about cutting edge environmental technologies and how to work with stakeholders from venture capitalists, environmentalists, scientists, and educators in improving everyone’s access to healthy food?  If so please read on.

In collaboration with local industries, schools, and nonprofits the Lynch School of Education Professor Dr. Barnett is starting up an indoor urban farming program with the generous support of I. A. Backmann and Associates.  The indoor urban farming project has three interrelated goals, (1) Scientific Research and Development, (2) Educational, and (3) Community Engagement. 

We have set up hydroponic and aeroponic systems in Higgins 270 and are currently starting to research the effectiveness of the different systems on growing crops and how different lighting systems effect growth.  There are nearly an infinite set of research questions that can be asked regarding the effectiveness of indoor crop growth. For example, one potential research study we envision will be determining what frequencies of light are best for growing food crops and whether the frequencies need to be shifted as the plants mature. What makes this an exciting opportunity is the current research literature in indoor food production is quite limited (i.e. lighting, type of system, natural vs. artificial light levels) regarding the conditions that impact crop yields. Therefore, the scientific research that one can conduct is not only cutting edge but also offers ample opportunity for independent research studies that will likely lead to publications. 

In terms of the educational aspect of this project we engaging high school students and their teachers in the same scientific research investigations that hydroponics researchers are currently exploring.  In addition to science education aspect of the project we also need to determine the economic feasibility of such systems and as such will also be developing studies that evaluate the cost of producing food using indoor hydroponics compared to more traditional urban gardening spaces (we will be working with a venture capitalist on the aspect of the project).  In this way, the scientific and educational aspects of the project are quite integrated and offer ample opportunities for additional research.

In terms of community outreach the food that is produced through our investigations will be either giving away to Boston College Dining Services or given away to local school children who are at or below the poverty level.  We are also exploring the possibilities of working with the Food Project in Boston and other farmer markets regarding the creation of local area farmer market where the produce will be sold and revenue generated will be used to grow and expand the program on campus.

We are looking excited individuals who are looking to work on a project that is truly interdisciplinary and with a team of scientists, educators, engineers, businesses, and nonprofits to conduct scientific research while developing a mechanism to provide healthy food to those who have difficulty to afford fresh food or do not have easy access to fresh food.  The expectation is that you will be able to work with our team and either support an existing research project or develop and implement your own research project (under the guidance of our team) with the goal of moving the project forward and to expand our understanding of how to maximize crop growth in environmental friendly ways.

We are envisioning several ways in which someone can get involved with our indoor urban farming project.  First, work on this project can take the form of course credit through independent studies. Second, we could work with you to develop an appropriate internship opportunity during the summer or during academic year or as part of independent research project that could be used to complete a thesis or other course requirement.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Michael Barnett 
Associate Professor of Science Education and Technology 
Lynch School of Education 
Campion Hall, Room 123 
cel: 781-367-2337 
e-mail: barnetge@bc.edu

Announcements April 27

Announcements: April 27

Visiting Professor Public Lecture This Thursday April 28
 3-4 pm, Devlin 201
Dr. Martha Carlson Mazur (University of Michigan):
“Ecohydrology of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland System: Implications for Response to Climate Change”

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Real Food BC’s Garden Day (flier attached)

Come to the garden on Brighton Campus and help plant this season’s seedlings! Plus: Plant your own marigolds, listen to music, and enjoy a potluck lunch.

Saturday, April 30^th 11am-2pm

Questions? Contact Anabelle McLean : mcleanan@bc.edu

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StEP E-waste Summer School 2011

Following the huge success of the E-waste Summer Schools in 2009 and 2010, the United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) has announced the call for applications for StEP E-waste Summer School 2011. Now in its third edition, this year’s School will take place from 11 – 22 September in Eindhoven/Netherlands, Antwerp/Belgium and include participation in the World Resources Forum in Davos/Switzerland.

The StEP E-waste Summer School is a pioneering concept in research and education on waste electrical and electronic equipment, looking at the e-waste issue in its entirety, rather than through the lens of one specific academic discipline. The Summer School provides the foremost platform to young scientists involved in e-waste related research to share their knowledge, interact with experts and develop collaborative partnerships fostering cutting-edge scientific research on all areas related to e-waste - from policies and technologies to economics and social aspects. 

The Call for Applications is now open, deadline for applications is 1 May 2011. We are inviting applications from doctoral students, final year master students and early career post-docs currently researching on e-waste and related areas to come together and share knowledge, interact with experts and gain a holistic view on e-waste. A focus is placed on e-waste in emerging economies, thus researchers in developing and emerging economies and/or exploring the challenges and solutions of e-waste management in these countries are especially encouraged to apply.

For more information, check out the website  www.step-initiative.org/summerschool or contact us at summerschool@step-initiative.org.

Colorado Ecosystem Field Studies

* Study, hike, and camp in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains *

* Earn 3 undergraduate credits through University of Colorado at Boulder *

* Gain valuable skills in ecosystem field methods & research *

…at the private 1,200 acre Cal-Wood Education Center near Jamestown, Colorado, 30 minutes NW of Boulder)

June 20- July 5

Download a course syllabus at: www.coefs.org

Or email Steve Johnson, Course Director, at: steve@coefs.org

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Science Club for Girls

Science Club for Girls, a non-profit organization committed to increasing the self-confidence and science literacy of K-12th grade girls, now has 3 open positions. 

If you are someone passionate about mentoring and developing urban teen girls, I strongly encourage you to apply.

Please visit our website at http://www.scienceclubforgirls.org/staff.php or Idealist at http://www.idealist.org/view/nonprofit/GtgfNMK3s2fP if you would like to learn more. You can also email me for more information, I am happy to answer any questions. eobannon@scienceclubforgirls.org

Announcements April 20, 2011

Two Visiting Assistant Professor Public Lectures:

The search for a Visiting Assistant Professor in ecohydrology to be associated with the Environmental Studies Program and Earth and Environmental Sciences Department is continuing later this month. Each of the two candidates will give a public lecture on her research, and I encourage all of you to attend. Snacks will be provided at the talks.

Tuesday, April 26, noon-1 pm, Devlin 201

Dr. Christine Hatch (University of Nevada- Reno): Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) as an ecological assessment tool in stream environments

Thursday, April 28, 3-4 pm, Devlin 201

Dr. Martha Carlson Mazur (University of Michigan): Ecohydrology of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland System: Implications for Response to Climate Change

Also— I am looking for 2-4 students to take each of the candidates to lunch. The lunch with Dr. Hatch will be 1:00-2:15 pm on April 26. The lunch with Dr. Carlson Mazur will be noon-1:30 pm on April 28. The ESP will pay for the lunches. Please let me know if you would like to participate.

 ---------------------------------------------------------

Public Talk: Natalie Jeremijenko- Environmental Health Clinic

Natalie Jeremijenko, is an artist who works at the intersection of contemporary art, biochemistry, physics, neuroscience, and engineering. Her work takes the form of large-scale public art works, tangible media installations, single channel tapes, and critical writing.

She'll be at BC on April 26th.  Her evening public talk:

The coming new entertainment system ... 
(or how pleasure, health, creative production, wonder and yumminess can organize and drive environmental performance)

Will take place in Higgins 300 at 7 pm!

Dr. Jeremijenko will also host an afternoon clinic (aka workshop) to address a local environmental health concern.  You might be making and deploying AgBags, setting up a solar chimney clinical trial, or developing "howstuffismade/ howitcanchange" documentaries (see the Environmental Health Clinic XRx site for details).  Let me know if you are interested in the clinic!

Many of Jeremijenko’s works investigate our disposition toward and impact on other species and the larger ecology. Her Uphone Sparrow Report used mobile phone networks to capture live data on the vanishing populations of sparrows around New York and London, while her robotic geese encouraged human controllers to learn about, and interact with, wild geese, instead of hunting them. Jeremijenko’s large-scale public artwork OneTree is 1,000 genetically identical micro cultured Paradox Vlach clones grown with the goal of providing a “public platform for ongoing discussions around genetic engineering.” A related software component measures the C02 in a computer’s immediate microenvironment, while Stump is a printer queue virus that counts the number of pages consumed by the printer; when the equivalent of one tree’s worth of pulp has been consumed, it automatically prints out a slice of tree.

------------------------------------------

John Petroff Talk!

Devlin 201

Weds, April 27 at noon

Announcements April 14, 2011

Announcements- April 14, 2011
---------------------------------------

THIS WEEKEND!
"Excelling at Sustainability: Leadership for Others,"
the first university-wide conference on sustainability, headed by the BC Energy and Environment Alumni Network (BCEEAN), will take place on campus 

Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16.

Join faculty, student, and alumni leaders for career reflection, alumni-student mentoring, and ground-breaking research analysis.

On Friday, BC Theology Professor, James Keenan, SJ, will lead a career reflection: "Am I Making the Difference I Set Out to Make?" Alumni will help students explore career opportunities following the talk. Internationally acclaimed pediatrician and "Children's Environmental Health Champion," Philip Landrigan '63, Chair of Mt. Sinai Medical Center's Department of Preventive Medicine, will present the latest research on how environmental contaminants impact children's health. We will conclude with cocktails and informal networking.

Saturday offers a "community showcase," moderated by BC Trustee and former Standard & Poor's President, Kathleen Corbet, in which administrators, faculty, students, and alums highlight the varied ways they are responding to the sustainability challenge. Vice President for Facilities Management Daniel Bourque will outline BC's latest sustainability initiatives. Faculty innovators will discuss their cutting-edge environmental research. Faculty and alumni business, financial, and legal leaders will explore opportunities presented by the emerging "green economy." The day will conclude with additional opportunities for informal networking and a green products and services fair.

Students can view a complete schedule of the conference by visiting the BC Career Center's calendar: http://bc.edu/offices/careers/events.html

Student can register for these workshops (for FREE) for individual and/or multiple conference sessions on Friday, April 15 and/or the morning program on Saturday, April 16 through EagleLink.  Log onto your EagleLink account using your Agora portal login information.  Click on the "Events" tab at the top of the EagleLink homepage to select individual and/or multiple sessions. Space is limited due to room size.

To register on EagleLink:  https://bc-csm.symplicity.com/students/

The BCEEAN conference is sponsored by: BC Energy and Environment Alumni Network (BCEEAN), Environmental Studies Program, Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, SustainBC, Ecopledge, Environmental Affairs Law Review, Real Food BC and UGBC.

 -----------------------------------------------------

Two Visiting Assistant Professor Public Lectures:

The search for a Visiting Assistant Professor in ecohydrology to be associated with the Environmental Studies Program and Earth and Environmental Sciences Department is continuing later this month. Each of the two candidates will give a public lecture on her research, and I encourage all of you to attend. Snacks will be provided at the talks.

Tuesday, April 26, noon-1 pm, Devlin 201

Dr. Christine Hatch (University of Nevada- Reno): Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) as an ecological assessment tool in stream environments

Thursday, April 28, 3-4 pm, Devlin 201

Dr. Martha Carlson Mazur (University of Michigan): Ecohydrology of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland System: Implications for Response to Climate Change

Also— I am looking for 2-4 students to take each of the candidates to lunch. The lunch with Dr. Hatch will be 1:00-2:15 pm on April 26. The lunch with Dr. Carlson Mazur will be noon-1:30 pm on April 28. The ESP will pay for the lunches. Please let me know if you would like to participate.

 ---------------------------------------------------------

Public Talk: Natalie Jeremijenko- Environmental Health Clinic

Natalie Jeremijenko, is an artist who works at the intersection of contemporary art, biochemistry, physics, neuroscience, and engineering. Her work takes the form of large-scale public art works, tangible media installations, single channel tapes, and critical writing.

She'll be at BC on April 26th.  Her evening public talk:

The coming new entertainment system ... 
(or how pleasure, health, creative production, wonder and yumminess can organize and drive environmental performance)

Will take place in Higgins 300 at 7 pm!

Dr. Jeremijenko will also host an afternoon clinic (aka workshop) to address a local environmental health concern.  You might be making and deploying AgBags, setting up a solar chimney clinical trial, or developing "howstuffismade/ howitcanchange" documentaries (see the Environmental Health Clinic XRx site for details).  Let me know if you are interested in the clinic!

Many of Jeremijenko’s works investigate our disposition toward and impact on other species and the larger ecology. Her Uphone Sparrow Report used mobile phone networks to capture live data on the vanishing populations of sparrows around New York and London, while her robotic geese encouraged human controllers to learn about, and interact with, wild geese, instead of hunting them. Jeremijenko’s large-scale public artwork OneTree is 1,000 genetically identical micro cultured Paradox Vlach clones grown with the goal of providing a “public platform for ongoing discussions around genetic engineering.” A related software component measures the C02 in a computer’s immediate microenvironment, while Stump is a printer queue virus that counts the number of pages consumed by the printer; when the equivalent of one tree’s worth of pulp has been consumed, it automatically prints out a slice of tree.