Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Weekly Announcements 4/23

April 23rd, 2019
The Environmental Studies Program is excited to announce that we have hired a new Visting Assistant Professor for next year, Jessica Worl, who will be teaching a new course for the fall: 

ENVS 4005 Political Ecology: Environmental Knowledge, Power, and Conflicts
Tu/Th, 9am, McGuinn 030
Faculty: Jessica Worl (new Visiting Assistant Professor, Core Fellow)
 
Course Summary:
What are the implications of understanding ecology as explicitly political? How do common assumptions about the nature of nature shape how we interact with and make decisions about the environment? And how do power and difference shape how and who can access, use, and control resources, and to what effect? Political ecology explores the politics underlying resource access, use, control, and management. By adopting political ecology as an explanatory framework for understanding resource conflicts, we begin to unpack how knowledge and power interact to shape resource allocation and conflicts. The course is broken down into three parts. In the first part, we will develop an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual lineages that make up political ecological research. In the second part, we will explore how political ecology interrogates relations of power, knowledge, and practice as fundamental for understanding resource conflicts. In the third part, we will examine key thematic debates (e.g., human-wildlife conflicts, conflict minerals and resource curses, resource rights, climate change and population pressure, poverty and environmental degradation, greenwashing) from both the Global North and South.
Prerequisites:
This course is intended for upper-level undergraduates (juniors and seniors).


Also, there is still space in ENVS3356 Environmental Law (Fowley M/W 6-7:15)!
Events at BC
TONIGHT 4/23: Courageous Conversations towards Racial Justice 

4/24: What Lies Ahead: the long-term impacts of rising disaster costs on social inequality

4/25-4/27: Arts Fest - "Beyond BC: Images of Changing Climates and Landscapes"

4/29: BC Dining Scraps Dinner & Film Screening
Events in Boston
4/26: Sustainable Mobility: What Can'(t) Tech Fix? 
Jobs and Internships
Apply by 5/1: Interdisciplinary Coastal MS Research Assistantship

Apply by 5/30: SISE Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy 
 

Courageous Conversations towards Racial Justice

April 23rd, 7 - 8:30 PM in Devlin 201
Pizza will be served!
RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2Gj42A5

What Lies Ahead: The Long-term Impacts of Rising Disaster Costs on Social Inequality

April 24th, 12PM McGuinn 521
The BC Sociology Department will be hosting their last seminar of the year this Wednesday from 12-1 PM in McGuinn 521. Jim Elliott from Rice University will be presenting his research on the social inequality surrounding disaster relief.
HERE is a link to an NPR story covering the research.
Abstract for Jim’s talk: In the years ahead, U.S. society faces two major challenges already underway:  rising social inequality and rising natural disaster costs.  This talk will discuss newly published findings on how the latter drives the former over individual lifetimes and the  extent to which federal disaster assistance is exacerbating rather  than reducing this social problem. Longitudinal data come from approximately 3,400 randomly selected Americans drawn from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics who experienced varying degrees of local disaster damage in their counties of residence during 1999-2013. Implications call for wider recognition of how disaster recovery should not just respond to pre-existing social inequalities but also minimize the growth of these inequalities in the years that follow.

Arts Fest - "Beyond BC: Images of Changing Climates and Landscapes"

April 25-27th, Higgins Atrium
Artist Talk April 26th, 12 PM

Sustainable Mobility: What Can'(t) Tech Fix? 

April 26th, 8 AM -6 PM
Tickets Required
Sustainable Mobility - What Can'(t) Tech Fix?
MIT is hosting the eleventh annual Sustainability Summit. This year's theme is Sustainable Mobility: What Can’(t) Tech Fix? Speakers and panelists will explore the limitations to technology in an increasingly technology-centric field, and pinpoint key sustainability priorities in the policy and investment realms that are under-considered--and ripe for innovation. Participants will have the opportunity to think about technology and its strengths in a different way, and leave with an understanding what criteria they should apply when evaluating mobility innovations and solutions for environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Join the discussion!

The MIT Sustainability Summit is an annual student-led event. Now in its 11th year, the Summit features discussions with academia, industry leaders, and expert practitioners. The day's unique focus and depth of content has led to the Summit's growing prominence, and it routinely sells out its 350-seat capacity.

For more event information, and to get tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-sustainability-summit-sustainable-mobility-what-cant-tech-fix-tickets-48545540017?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

BC Dining: Scraps Dinner and Film Screening

April 29th, Walsh Function Room
RSVP Required, $8 

Interdisciplinary Coastal MS Research Assistantship 

Apply by May 1st
unique coastal research assistantship opportunity is available at the University of Maine involving an interdisciplinary faculty team from Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, and Department of Communication and Journalism. We are seeking a highly motivated student with strong quantitative analysis skills that is interested in solutions driven, stakeholder engaged research focused on land-sea connections and estuary dynamics driving coastal pollution problems affecting shellfishing industries in Maine (see related AGU Blogosphere article). A more detailed description is provided in the attached announcement. Please contact Dr. Lauren Ross if you have questions regarding the position and/or research prior to the posted deadline of May 1, 2019.

Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy  

Apply by May 30th
The Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy (SISE) is a two-week "boot camp" for future decision makers eager to join the sustainability and energy revolution happening around the globe. Held annually since 2011, the program boasts over 400 alumni. During weekdays, SISE'ers participate in high-level talks, visit energy and sustainability sites, and network. During evenings and weekends, they work collaboratively on a research project and enjoy exploring Chicago.

Theme
This year’s theme, Implementation, moves beyond the “what” to the “how.” Building on the research of previous years, 2019 SISE Fellows will engage with Chicago communities and collaborators to develop critical strategies to help local neighborhoods realize their vision for their future. They will engage with theory and case studies, and then move to the streets and homes of our Chicago neighbors and communities where real change is made at the ground level.

Applicants
Participants (SISE'ers) from around the country join SISE at the University of Illinois at Chicago. SISE'ers are chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants from across the country. Diversity is one of the strongest features of the program, with participants representing a broad range of backgrounds and expertise. They live together. They research together. They become a part of our extended and international "SISE family."

Cost and Support
  • There is no program fee.
  • Lodging is provided for all participants.
  • Transportation support is provided to many participants.
How to Apply
  • Senior or Junior-level undergraduates, graduate students, recent graduates, and professionals working in the fields of sustainability and energy are eligible to apply
  • The application process includes: An online application, a resume/CV, one letter of recommendation & a short Skype/Google Hangouts interview
  • Applications are accepted through May 30; interviews must be completed by June 15

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the SISE Program Coordinator, Thomas Aláan (uic.sise.admissions@gmail.com), and visit the SISE website at uicsise.com.
Boston College Environmental Studies Program
Devlin 213
Graduate Assistants:
Isabelle Kennedy / Joseph Manning / Sarah Brandwood
ENVSTUDIES@BC.EDU

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