Center for the Environment

Events 2012

In addition to Georgetown University, local organizations that have presentations that regard our environment include those listed below under December (http://www1.georgetown.edu/centers/environment/261516.html). Just google their names to learn more.
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December 2012
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What: Annual Forest Ecology Poster Symposium
Who: Forest Ecology Students (Biol-255)
When: Tuesday, 4 December 2012, 2–5:40 p.m. and Thursday, 6 December 2012, 11–11:50 a.m.
Where: Villani Family Lounge, Fourth Floor, Regents Hall
Cost: Free, open to all of GU and others
Notes: 17 students in Forest Ecology 255 will present 8 posters on their semester research based on primary scientific literature and popular-style information regarding threats to Earth’s forests. Topics include agriculture, global change, invasive species, logging, pesticides, and population growth. Refreshments.
Contact: Edd Barrows, barrowse@georgetown.edu
More information: Poster guests are highly sought and asked to fill out a short form regarding each poster visited.
Sponsors: GU Department of Biology; GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Environmental Initiative
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What: Seminar: Estrogens in your backyard: Using frogs to parse suburban endocrine disruption
Who: Dr. David Skelly, Yale University
When: Thursday, 6 December 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free, open to all of GU and others
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
More information:
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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What: Talk: Asian Citrus Psyllid, Red Palm Weevil, and Gold Spotted Oak Borer – Serious New Invasive Pests for California
Who: Dr. Mark Hoddle, UC Riverside, Director of the Center for Invasive Species Research
When: Thursday, 7 December 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Insect Zoo, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, 10th and Constitution Ave., N.W.
Cost: Free, open to the public
Notes: California is acquiring breeding populations of new exotic arthropods at about 10 per year. Asian Citrus Pysllid, discovered in California in 2008 is the most serious pest threatening California's $1.2-billion citrus industry because of its ability to spread a lethal citrus disease, huanglongbing. In April 2012, the first infected citrus tree was detected in Los Angeles County. This vector-disease combination poses a significant problem for commercial and urban citrus production. Red Palm Weevil is considered by FAO to be the world's most devastating palm pest. Populations were detected in the wealthy enclave of Laguna Beach in Orange County in 2010 after ornamental palms started to die. This pest poses a signficant risk to commercial date production and native palm oases in California's deserts. Gold-spotted Oak Borer, native to mountains of southern Arizona, invaded the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County in 2002. This pest has killed tens of thousands of native oaks threatening unique oak-dominated ecosystems. This pest is spreading into new areas because of unregulated firewood movement. This presentation decribes these invasive pests and the hunt for natural enemies in Pakistan, Southeast Asia, and Arizona, for use in emerging biological control programs to suppress unregulated population growth of these insects.
Mark's amazing web-sites:
http://cisr.ucr.edu/goldspotted_oak_borer.html
http://cisr.ucr.edu/red_palm_weevil.html
http://cisr.ucr.edu/asian_citrus_psyllid.html
Contact: Dr. Matt Buffington, matt.buffington@ars.usda.gov
More information: A member of the ESW will meet you in the main (north) lobby of the Natural History Museum to take you to the lecture room.
Sponsor: Entomological Society of Washington (ESW)
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What: Dupont Summit
Who: many speakers
When: Friday, 7 December 2012
Where: Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
More information: http://www.ipsonet.org/conferences/the-dupont-summit/dupont-summit-2012
Sponsor(s): Carnegie Institution for Science
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What: Inaugural Meeting of International Council for Environmental Sustainability
Who: The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
When: Friday, 7 December 2012, 3–6 p.m.
Where: Organization of American States, 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Notes: The Council, composed of senior legal and environmental authorities and experts from around the world, will act as a global voice for environmental sustainability, giving guidance to UNEP, the OAS and other organizations on the implementation of the Rio +20 Declaration on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability. The OAS will host an open session from 15:00 to 17:00 EST (20:00–22:00 GMT) to establish a dialogue on how best to improve global environmental governance. The session will be presented by Sherry Tross, Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, and Bakary Kante, Director of the UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions, and will be attended by members of the Council. The agenda of the event and the authorities who will attend are available here. From 18:00-20:00 (23:00-01:00 GMT) the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza will host an evening reception to launch the first compendium on Principles of Caribbean Environmental Law, by Justice Winston Anderson of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Members of the Council and other participants will be available to meet with the press at 14:30 EST (19:30 GMT) in the Leo Rowe Room of the Main Building of the OAS. Interview requests should be sent beforehand to oaspress@oas.org
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American University
Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
Catholic University
Chespeake Bay Foundation (http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=1000)
Dumbarton Oaks, Garden and Landscape Studies (http://www.doaks.org/research/garden_landscape/)
Entomological Society of Washington (http://www.entsocwash.org/)
Environmental Film Festival (http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/)
Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/)
George Mason University
George Washington University
Howard University
Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org/)
Potomac Conservancy (http://www.potomac.org/site/)
Sierra Club (http://dc.sierraclub.org/)
The Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/maryland/)
University of Maryland
Virginia Native Plant Society (http://www.vnps.org/)
Washington Area Butterfly Club (http://leplog.wordpress.com/washington-area-butterfly-club/)
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January 2012
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What: Lecture: The Future of Conservation
Who: Peter Seligmann, Chairman and CEO of Conservation International
When: Tuesday, 17 January 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: 496 Walsh Hall, GU
Cost: Free, open to the GU Community
Notes: For more than twenty years, Conservation International (CI, http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx) has empowered communities in deserts, jungles, and other habitats to make conservation part of their livelihoods. In early partnerships with Patagonia and Starbucks, a later relationship with Wal-Mart, and so forth, CI worked with large and small companies to make conservation part of their business models. Governments, including Costa Rica and China, have worked with CI to make conservation a core component of their national policies. Throughout this process, actions and strategies have been guided by ground-breaking science.
Contact: Ceyda Erten, ertenceyda@gmail.com
Sponsor: GU Lecture Fund
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What: Lecture: From Sanitary to Sustainable Cities: Urban Ecology
Who: Steward Pickett, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
When: Wednesday 18 January 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-beling of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU
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What: Lecture: The Greatest Multi-taskers Ever: Urban Trees
Who: J. Morgan Grove, USDA Forest Service
When: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-being of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU
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What: Student Organizing and Training Workshop
Who: Ms. Mara Schechter (GU C’2011), Green Corps Field Organizer, 2012, and student facilitators
When: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 6:30–7 p.m., information session about Green corps for graduating seniors and interested underclasspersons to hear about jobs; 6:30–7:00 p.m. Green Corps Information Session; 7:00–8:15 p.m., communicating an effective campaign message; 8:15–9:00 p.m., working with and lobbying administrators.
Where: Mortara Center Conference Room, 36th & N Streets, NW, Georgetown
Cost: Free for GU students and the GU community.
Notes: Come to this community organizing workshop to learn to craft a compelling campaign story that will recruit and activate others, how to rally administrators to your cause, and how to organize a highly successful campus campaign.
Contact: Mara Schechter, 203-912-8418, mara@greencorps.org. Please contact Ms. Schechter to register.
More information: The training builds on and uses examples from Green Corps' 20 years of experience running environmental campaigns, such as the Sierra Club's Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign and shutting down coal plants and transitioning toward clean energy. Green Corps is the nation’s premiere environmental organizer training program, called a “West Point for organizers” by the Utne Reader and likened to the Highlander Folk School by climate activist Bill McKibben, with a track record of producing concrete grassroots victories and high caliber organizers and advocates. For more information: www.greencorps.org/findoutmore.
Sponsors: Green Corps (http://www.greencorps.org), GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE), EcoAction, the Program on Justice and Peace, and the Department of Communication, Culture, and Technology
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What: Talk, Landscaping with Native Plants to Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies, and Other Wildlife
Who: Ms. Christa Partain, horticulturist and plant ecologist
When: Tuesday, 31 January 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kensington Library, Kensington, Maryland, http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/libraries/branchinfo/kp.asp.
Cost: Free. Open to the public.
Notes: Local animals require food provided by gardeners due to extensive habitat loss. Learn the best native plants to attract the 3 B's: birds, bees, and butterflies. Christa Partain will bring insight into how to make your yard friendlier for wildlife.
Contact:
More information: Register at http://www.mdflora.org/events.html?eventId=425308&EventViewMode=EventDetails.
Coffee provided. Please bring your mug. Please bring some light refreshments to share.
Sponsor: Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org/)
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February 2012
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What: Lecture: City Blues: The Water Cycles of D.C.
Who: Sujay Kaushal
When: Wednesday 1 February 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-being of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU
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What: Talk: Population, health and environment: Critical links for our security
Who: Mr. Roger-Mark De Souz, Vice President of Research and Director of the Climate Program Population Action International
When: Monday, 6 February 2012, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Where: GU ICC, room 450
Notes: “With more than 20 years’ experience, Roger-Mark is a recognized analyst, author, and speaker on reproductive health, population, health and environment linkages, sustainable development, and demographic trends, linking social and policy aspects of these areas in research, advocacy, and evaluation. Roger-Mark’s experience also rests in building NGO and government partnerships, implementing field programs, and engaging the philanthropic community. From 2007 to 2010, as the Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at the Sierra Club, he planned, led and implemented a multi-million dollar foundation and corporate fundraising program for the Club’s climate recovery work. Prior to working at the Sierra Club, Roger-Mark directed the population, health and environment program at the Population Reference Bureau for 10 years where he designed and implemented research projects, capacity building programs, and communications initiatives in the United States, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, he worked at the World Resources Institute and the Pan American Development Foundation. Roger-Mark holds graduate degrees in international relations and development policy from the George Washington University and the University of the West Indies. He is fluent in French and Spanish. Born and raised in the Caribbean, he now lives in Virginia with his wife, two teenage sons, and dog, Boo Boo” (http://www.populationaction.org/What_We_Do/Staff_Bios/rm-desouza.php).
Contact: Prof. Patricia Biermayr, plb9@georgetown.edu
Sponsor: STIA
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What: Talk: Orobanche and the Botany of Yosemite
Who: Dr. Alison Colwell
When: Tuesday, 7 February 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Cathy Kerby Room (Room CE-340), Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. and Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC. Use the Constitution Avenue entrance; wait to be escorted up. All are welcome.
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Note: For more information, see Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
More information: As usual, light refreshments will be served prior to and after the presentation.
Sponsor: Botanical Society of Washington
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What: Seminar: Adaptation of the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, during invasion and Range Expansion: Life History and Molecular Physiology
Who: Dr. Peter Armbruster, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Georgetown University
When: Friday, 10 February 2011, 12 noon
Where: 1130 Plant Sciences Building, University of Maryland, College Park
Contact: Lewis Todd Swartz, lswartz@umd.edu
Sponsor: Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park
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What: Lecture: Impoverished or Wealthy: Biodiversity of Cities
Who: Christopher Swan, University of Maryland, Department of Geography
What: Lecture: Hot Spots and Hot Moments: Nutrient Dyamics in Cities
Who: Peter Groffman, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
When: Wednesday, 8 February 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-being of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU

February 2012
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What: Lecture: Climate Change and Ocean Acidification: Two Problems One Solution
Who: Prof. Dr. R. D. Schuiling
When: Wednesday, 15 February, 2012 13:30–14:30 p.m.; Q&A 14:30–15:00 p.m.
Where: Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar-LH3, Doha, Qatar
Notes: Two major problems, both caused by rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere threaten human society, namely climate change and ocean acidification. Whereas the first is widely known and internationally discussed, the second is hardly known outside a small group of experts, although its effect may in the end overshadow the effects of climate change. In geological history the CO2 level of the atmosphere was controlled mainly by the weathering of basic silicates, turning the greenhouse gas CO2 into the bicarbonate ion in solution. These bicarbonate solutions were then carried by rivers to the sea where they formed limestones and dolomites, the ultimate stable storage for CO2. At the same time these weathering solutions added alkalinity to the sea. Marine life in all its forms has adapted to the imposed levels of pH and CO2 pressure. There is disturbing evidence that the rapid rise of CO2 levels and the related drop in pH of the oceans are already negatively affecting many marine life forms, either directly or through the disturbance of their food web. It is proposed here to enhance the weathering process on a global scale, in order to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and the oceans, and restore the optimal pH in the oceans for marine organisms
Contact: Ahmad Hussain Al-Ajji Research Associate D + 974 4454 2859 M + 974 5555 8489 P.O. Box 5825 Doha, Qatar T + 974 4454 1540 F + 974 4454 1528 www.qeeri.org.qa
Sponsors: Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute of Qatar Foundation (QEERI)
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What: Learn how to identify native trees in winter by their bark, buds, and where they grow.
Who: Plant Ecologist Rod Simmons
When: Saturday, 18 February 2012, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Dora Kelly Nature Park, Alexandria, Virginia
Cost: Free. Open to the public, ages 16 and up. Register at: http://www.mdflora.org/events.html?eventId=442570&EventViewMode=EventDetails
REQUIRED through City of Alexandria alexandriava.gov. Registration limit is 25.
Notes: Mr. Rod Simmons will lead a walk at Dora Kelley Nature Park in the City of Alexandria, Virginia exploring the natural history of our local forests, with an emphasis on upland oaks of the fall line and inner coastal plain. Dora Kelley Nature Park stretches along Holmes Run at the eastern end of the Holmes Run Gorge and is one of Alexandria’s largest parks.
Contact: Call the Naturalist staff at the Ford Nature Center at 703-746-5559 for more information or contact Jennifer Millwood at Jennifer.Millwood@alexandriava.gov
More information: Hot cocoa will be provided.
Sponsor: Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org)
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What: Third Annual Fields of Green Internship Fair
Who: Many organizations
When: Saturday, 25 February 2012, 10 a.m. – noon.
Where: Bethesda Green Office located at 4825 Cordell Avenue (second floor above the Capital One Bank, suite 200), Bethesda, MD. This event is easily accessed via Metro train (Bethesda Station), bus, bicycle, or driving.
Cost: Free
Notes: “This event is designed to help area college and graduate students connect with green jobs. Over the past few years, Bethesda Green has connected students with hundreds of paid and unpaid internships and jobs in the environmental sector. We offer a wide range of internship opportunities (field-based work, engineering, science, technology, advocacy, policy and education). We hope to continue on this great success, and we could use your help.”
Contact: Sharon D'Emidio, sharon@bethesdagreen.org
More information: “This year we will host over 25 environmental employers from the DC metro area. Come to the fair prepared to impress as employers will be interviewing promising candidates on-the-spot.”
Sponsor(s): Bethesda Green. www.bethesdagreen.org
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Who: The Mayor of the District of Columbia and the presidents of all nine colleges and universities in Washington, D.C.
When: Wednesday, 29 February 2012, 10 a.m.
Where: American University
More information: The Major and presidents signed the Mayor’s College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP). This is the first initiative of its kind in the U.S. The Mayor’s CUSP is a voluntary, public affirmation between the District of Columbia’s municipal government and the local Higher Education sector to signify and support collective work toward a better, healthier, and more environmentally sustainable Washington, DC. Under the CUSP, each signatory is committed to developing an institutional sustainability plan by the end of the calendar year, to work toward selected goals and to report on progress in 2014. Each signatory will also designate staff to participate in a city-wide working group on sustainability in higher education.
Sustainability has been important to Georgetown University for many years. In the recent past, some of the University’s more important accomplishments have included:
(1) committing to reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions by half by the year 2020 and already achieving reductions of over 17% from a 2005 baseline, (2) offering our students at least 80 courses on environmentally-related topics and offering a variety of academic majors, minors, and specializations in areas related to the environment, (3) pursuing environmental-building standards in all new construction and major renovations, with a commitment to LEED Silver and already having four buildings at GU that have either received or are seeking LEED certification, (4) working with and supporting student initiatives through the creation of a Sustainability Advisory Committee and through working groups that have helped determine the feasibility of student-led sustainability initiatives such as recycling and renewable energy projects, and (5) diverting over 90% of GU solid waste from being sent to a landfill.
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What: Lecture: Environmental Justice and Redlining in DC and Baltimore
Who: Christopher Boone and Charles Lord
When: Wednesday 29 February 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-being of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU
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March 2012
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What: Talk: The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: Home Invader, Agro-urban Pest
Who: Mr. Doug Inkley, Senior Scientist, National Wildlife Federation and Ms. Tracy Leskey, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station
When: Thursday, 1 March 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Smithsonian Natural History Museum, 10th and Constitution Ave., N.W., Rose Room
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Contact: Dr. Matt Buffington, matt.buffington@ars.usda.gov
Notes: For the flier, see: http://entsocwash.org/. The recent invasion of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs is upsetting the equanimity of household residents throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. Doug Inkley will describe first-hand his incredible experience of fighting off 26,000 Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs in his home. Tracy Leskey will provide an overview of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug biology and its effect on agriculture.
More information: Before the meeting, a member of the ESW will meet you in the main lobby on the north side of the Natural History Museum to take you to the lecture room.
Sponsor: Entomological Society of Washington (ESW)
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What: Big Trees All Around Us. Spring lecture and membership meeting.
Who: Mr. Greg Zell, Natural Resources Management, Arlington County
When: Wednesday, 7 March 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Huntley Meadows Park Visitors Center, Virginia, about 15 miles from GU, 3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22306, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley/
Cost: Free open to the public
Notes: Greg Zell will lead a visual tour of some of the champion trees of Northern Virginia and discuss tree conservation. He'll describe how trees provide environmental services like storm water and erosion control, cleaner air and food and shelter for wildlife and help make our houses more efficient. The largest trees of each species are highlighted as champions and are often the oldest specimens. These special trees are living historical beings. Greg Zell developed a Natural Resources Management Plan for Arlington County and is now working on the plan's implementation. Join your friends and colleagues for this special evening and learn all about our area's big trees.
Contact:
More information: Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/).
Sponsors: Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/), The American Horticultural Society
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What: Lecture: Urban Sustainability in the 21st century
Who: Daniel Childers, ASU School of Sustainability
When: Wednesday 14 March 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
Sponsor: GU
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What: Without Walls Eco Practicum Information Session
Who: Ms. Eugenia Manwelyan
When: Wednesday, 14 March 2012, time TBA
Where: GU classroom, TBA
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Notes: Eco Practicum is a new summer environmental sustainability and action program that blends field work, internship, and academic study.
Contact: eugenia@ecopracticum.com
More information: http://www.ecopracticum.com/
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (CFE); GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
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What: Distinguished talk: Behavioral dynamics in a primate hybrid zone
Who: Dr. Susan Alberts, Director of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, Jack H. Neely Professor of Biology, Duke University
When: Thursday, 15 March 2012, 12:30 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss, GU
Cost: Free. Open to GU students and staff. Refreshments at 12:15 p.m.
Notes: Dr. Alberts has published widely on conservation, long-term social relationships, hormones, and genetics. http://www.biology.duke.edu/albertslab/
Contact: Professor Janet Mann, mannj2@georgetown.edu
More information:
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Department of Biology; GU Department of Psychology
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What: Talk: Cultural dimensions of salmonid diversity: Every salmon has a story
Who: Mr. Peter Berulf Johnsen
When: Thursday, 15 March 2012, 4–4:50 p.m.
Where: 264 Reiss Science Center, GU
Cost: Free, open to GU students and staff
Notes: Salmonidae (the Salmon Family) comprises over 200 species including Char, Grayling, Inconnu, Lenoks, Salmon, Trout, and Whitefishes. Human consume, most, if not all, of these species. There are over 16 salmonid species in North America, including 6 which we call salmons. Currently, due to overfishing and anthropogenic habitat alterations, many salmon populations are threatened in the North American Atlantic and some Pacific locations. Although salmonids are common fish in grocery stores and restaurants, few people know much about their biodiversity. This lecture presents the Great Salmon Tour Project and focuses on the nexus between salmon biodiversity and human cultural security. Where salmon and human ranges overlap, there is always a connection among the species. From this nexus has evolved numerous human cultures and traditions that are as diverse as the salmonids themselves. Thus, as we lose salmon biodiversity, we lose some of our own heritage. This lecture will use salmon as model organisms to explore the following concepts (1) biological diversity is not only about Tigers in India or some bugs that few people care about, (2) conserving biological diversity is not only about saving species, it is also a about our own well being and saving our cultural heritage, and (3) loss of species is loss of stability of ecological communities, and even parts of our own culture.
Contact: Edd Barrows, barrowse@georgetown.edu, RSVP
More information: www.greatsalmontour.org. We will have light refreshments of the salmonid kind.
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Department of Biology; GU Outdoor Education; GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
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What: 20th Annual Environmental Film Festival
When: Tuesday–Sunday, 13–25 March 2012
Where: In many places in the WDC Area.
Notes: More than 150 films over 60 venues with more than 150 filmmakers and special guests! dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org
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What: Film: There Once Was an Island, Environmental Film Festival, EFF
Who: Ms. Jasmina Bojic, United Nations Association Film Festival; CFE Intern Ms. Tory Lynch; CFE Intern Alkis Doward; and CFE Director Professor Edd Barrows.
When: Wednesday, 21 March 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: New Research Building Auditorium, GU (enter through the north door of the building), southwest corner of the GU Medical Center Campus, 3800 Reservoir Road, Washington, D.C.; map, http://maps.georgetown.edu/newresearchbuilding/. Free parking is on the street and paid parking is at GU (http://www1.georgetown.edu/centers/environment/67697.html).
Cost: Free, open to the public
Notes: What if your community had to decide whether to leave its homeland forever, and there was no help available? This is the reality for the culturally unique Polynesian community of Takuu, a tiny low-lying atoll in the South Western Pacific. As a terrifying tidal flood rips through their already damaged home, the Takuu community experiences the devastating effects of climate change first hand. In this verite-style film, three intrepid characters Teloo, Endar, and Satty allow us into their lives and their culture and show us first hand the human impact of an environmental crisis. Two scientists, oceanographer John Hunter, and geomorphologist Scott Smithers investigate the situation with our characters and consider the impact of climate change on communities without access to resources or support. Intimate observational scenes allow Teloo, Endar, and Satty to take us on their personal journeys as they consider whether to move to an uncertain future in Bougainville or to stay on Takuu and fight for a different, but equally uncertain, outcome. This film gives a human face to the direct impacts of climate change in the Pacific, challenging audiences everywhere to consider their own relationship to our Earth and the other people on it.
Contact: Ms. Leslie Byers, byersl@georgetown.edu
More information:
Sponsors: Environmental Film Festival (EFF); GU Center for the Environment (CFE); GU Department of Biology; GU Outdoor Education; GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA); GU Women’s and Gender Studies

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What: Lecture: Who You Know and What You Do: Stewardship Networks
Who: Michele Romolini, University of Vermont
What: Lecture: Science and Decision Making for Sustainability
Who: Beth Strommen, Baltimore City Office of Sustainability
When: Wednesday, 21 March 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Where: GU White-Gravenor, Room 208
Cost: Free. Open to the GU community.
Notes: This is part of the lecture series called On the Edge: Urban Sustainability presented by Georgetown University Washington, DC — Baltimore Urban long-term Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation.
Contact: Dean Ali Whitmer, acw39@georgetown.edu
More information: The global human population may reach 10 billion by 2050, making significant demands on natural resources that result in rapid, extensive, and pervasive changes in Earth systems. An understanding of the ecological processes that sustain life on our planet is central to maintaining the health and well-being of human societies. The consensus is clear: Solutions will emerge only from the integration of natural, computational, and social sciences. What is less clear is for whom the solutions will be derived. Who will benefit?
Sponsor: GU.
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What: Talk, The Flora of Virginia Project
Who: Professor Marion Lobstein
When: Tuesday, 27 March 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kensington Library, Kensington, Maryland, http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/libraries/branchinfo/kp.asp.
Cost: Free. Open to the public.
Notes: Plants enable human existence on Earth, yet people in general tended to have limited botanical knowledge. Virginia, for its landmass, has the greatest diversity of vascular plants of any state in the US, with Maryland not far behind. Virginia had the first flora (Flora Virginica) among the original thirteen colonies but has not had a flora published since. A mere 250 years later, the final editing of a modern Flora of Virginia is being completed in early 2012 for publication by Botanical Research Institute of Texas later in 2012. In this program Professor Marion Lobstein, an active member of the Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, will describe this exciting project and why the new Flora of Virginia will be important and useful to MNPS members. Marion Blois Lobstein is a recently retired Associate Professor of biology at the Manassas Campus of NVCC. Along with Ms. Cris Fleming and the late Ms. Barbara Tufty, she is a co-author of Finding Wildflowers in the Washington-Baltimore Area. Marion is on the Board of Director of the Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, a Fellow of the Virginia Academy of Science, and former Board of the Foundation of the State Arboretum (at Blandy Experimental Farm), and active member of the Virginia Native Plant Society. She is also a member of the Audubon Naturalist Society.
More information: Register at http://www.mdflora.org/events.html?eventId=425308&EventViewMode=EventDetails.
Coffee provided. Please bring your mug. Please bring some light refreshments to share.
Sponsor: Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org/)

What: Botanical Walk, Billy Goat Trail Area (Maryland)
Who: TBA.
When: Saturday, 31 March 2012, 9 a.m.
Where: Billy Goat Trail Area (Maryland)
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Note: For more information, see Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
Contact:
More information: http://www.botsoc.org/
Sponsor: Botanical Society of Washington
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What: Meeting of the Washington Academy of Sciences and its Affiliates — Capital Science 2012
Who: many scientists and others
When: Saturday 31 March – Sunday 1 April 2012.
Where: 900 North Glebe Road, new Virginia Tech facility (near the Ballston Metro stop), classromos of GWU and Marymount College just across Fairfax Drive.
Cost: registration fee, see http://www.washacadsci.org/capsci12/Registration.htm
More information: The meeting has several environmental presentations including the following.

The Spiritual Magnitude of Nature: from Shandigar to the Biodiversity Imperative.
Speaker: Keith P. Tomlinson, Manager and Interpretive Naturalist, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
The human-nature relationship is truly ancient, preceding the rise of virtually all "organized" religions by hundreds of thousands of years. Does this suppose a "predisposed divinity" of the natural world in human consciousness'? Many of the most basic traits and societal norms of interacting with nature suggest this. In the United States more people visit zoos, aquaria and botanical gardens than all professional sporting events combined. The pan-global use of plants and flowers to celebrate religious and cultural events is one example of the aesthetic pursuit of nature. Perhaps even more revealing is the use of funerary objects from nature. This practice may date back well over fifty thousand years. Even in the presence of various complex theological liturgies, human societies remain deeply mystified over death and consistently reach out to nature to process grief and bereavement. The first part of this presentation will review concepts in the nature-faith continuum from a historical perspective. This will focus on the global dispersion of liturgy based theologies during the Age of Discover to parts of the world where nature based reverence was dominant. The second part of the presentation will discuss the growing place of conservation as a moral imperative within global faith communities and the evolving views biodiversity conservation.

Title: Wind and Solar — the Past or the Future
Speaker: Kenneth Haapala, former Executive Vice President of the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) and current editor of The Week That Was (TWTW) — the weekly bulletin of SEPP
The political leaders of many European nations, such as Ireland, England, Germany, and Denmark, have committed their nations to programs of closing traditional sources of electricity, such as coal generation, and relying on alternative sources, such as wind and solar generation. To varying degrees, twenty-nine states in the US have made similar commitments. Generally, hard data are difficult to obtain, but that which are available indicates that these programs will be costly and economically destructive. The leaders committed to these sources before one-hundred-year old technological problems have been solved. One problem is low-cost storage of electricity on a commercial scale. A second problem, particularly in the US, is transmission of electricity from possible producing areas in the West and Midwest to the heavy consuming areas of the East. A brief overview of the history of wind-generated electricity in the US will be presented. The current experiences of wind and solar projects in diverse locations will be discussed to include critical assumptions that proved to be wrong. The selection of projects will be based on the availability of data, not projections from future endeavors. A robust, but proper, discussion will be encouraged.

Sponsors: Washington Academy of Sciences and its Affiliates
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April 2012, Earth Month
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April 2012, Earth Month
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What: Botanical Walk, Fort Connector in the Fort Circle Parks south of Fort Dupont
Who: Ms. Mary Pat Rowan and Mr. Lou Aronica
When: Sunday, 1 April 2012, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Directions: Take Pennsylvania SE in Washington DC to where it meets Branch Avenue SE. Turn south on Branch and travel about one long block to Fort Drive. Turn right onto Fort Drive and park on Fort Drive or on 32nd or 31st street where they meet Fort Drive.
Leaders: Mary Pat Rowan and Lou Aronica
Bring: Water and lunch.
Note: Easy to moderate walk. Trip will be cancelled if there is rain. If you have any questions, call Mary Pat in the morning of the walk before 9 a.m. to check to see if walk will go on.
Cost: Free. Open to the public.
Notes: Enjoy early spring wildflowers, singing birds, and life. We will return to the Fort Connector in the Fort Circle Parks south of Fort Dupont, where we will again concentrate on Oaks. We will distinguish among many upland Oaks using the bark, the twigs and the leaves and acorns on the ground around the tree to make identifications. We will also identify the other native trees and shrubs in this upland terrace-gravel forest. We will have an opportunity to view a soil profile of this upland terrace-gravel forest as well as travel along a path in this surprisingly intact forest.
Contact: Mary Pat Rowan, blair-rowan@starpower.net, 202 526 8821.
More information: http://www.mdflora.org/events.html?eventId=438643&EventViewMode=EventDetails
Sponsor: Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org/)
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What: Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States. Lecture and book signing.
Who: Dr. Mark Fiege, of Colorado State University
When: Tuesday, 3 April 2012, 4 p.m.
Where: 311 White-Gravenor
Cost: Free, open to the public
Notes: Professor Fiege’s research focuses on environment and the American West.
University of Washington Press (2012): “In the dramatic narratives that comprise The Republic of Nature, Mark Fiege reframes the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Revisiting historical icons so familiar that schoolchildren learn to take them for granted, he makes surprising connections that enable readers to see old stories in a new light. Among the historical moments revisited here, a revolutionary nation arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty. Abraham Lincoln, an unlettered citizen from the countryside, steers the Union through a moment of extreme peril, guided by his clear-eyed vision of nature's capacity for improvement. In Topeka, Kansas, transformations of land and life prompt a lawsuit that culminates in the momentous civil rights case of Brown v. Board of Education.” For this rest of this book review, please see
http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/FIEREP.html.
Contact: Professor Katherine Benton-Cohen, kab237@gmail.com
More information: http://www.colostate.edu/dept/Hist/faculty/fiege.html
Sponsors: GU Department of History; GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
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What: Lepidopteran diversity, pollinator composition, and invertebrate conservation on the southern New England sandplain
Who: Dr. Paul Z. Goldstein, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland
When: Thursday, 5 April 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Rose Room, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, 10th Street and Constitution Ave., N.W.
Cost: Free, open to the public. Refreshments after the meeting.
Notes: The above-water remnants of the Atlantic coastal plain are increasingly well-characterized entomologically, and serve as foci for North American lepidopteran diversity and invertebrate conservation studies. In southern New England, especially Massachusetts, where there is both a long tradition of entomology and a powerful but fragile framework of conservation legislation, the most obvious concentrations of regionally threatened invertebrate species, particularly Lepidoptera, are variously associated with the barrens and grassy heathland habitats near the coast. Several of the Atlantic offshore islands in particular support an unusually diverse insect fauna and represent refugia for regionally extirpated or globally rare moths and butterflies, beetles, and bees, many at the edges of their range. These insect occurrences reflect a mosaic of glacially deposited soils, disturbance-prone and fire-dependent plant communities, and a relatively recent history of land use punctuated by post-agricultural succession and fire suprression. As such they represent a combination of biogeographic remnants, ecological disjuncts, and refugees of mainland pesticide deployment and biocontrol efforts.
Contact: Dr. Matt Buffington, matt.buffington@ars.usda.gov
More information: A member of the ESW will meet you in the main (north) lobby of the Natural History Museum to take you to the lecture room.
Sponsors: Entomological Society of Washington (ESW) and GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE).
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What: Botanical Walk, Billy Goat Trail Area (Maryland)
Who: TBA.
When: Saturday, 7 April 2012, 9 a.m.
Where: Billy Goat Trail Area (Maryland)
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Note: For more information, see Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
Contact:
More information: http://www.botsoc.org/
Sponsor: Botanical Society of Washington
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What: Earth Month Biodiversity Walk at Turkey Run Park, VA
Who: Led by Edd Barrows, Director of the GU Center for the Environment
When: Saturday, 14 April, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Turkey Run Park, VA
Notes: The walk is limited to 25 people. We will be in a national park where it is illegal to disturb or collect anything. The hike is of medium rigor since we will walk down the zig-zag steps down a steep valleyside, walk up a hill, and cross 1–2 large rocky streams. Be prepared for different weather from light rain through a sunny day. Wear layers of clothes if needed, and bring a backpack to carry your lunch and extra clothes. We are likely to cancel our trip due to medium or heavy rain. There is a restroom in the park at the beginning and end of our walk. For forging the stream, you might find a walking stick useful. BYO lunch. At about noon, we will have lunch on the shore of the Potomac River across from Plummers Island, MD. Things to see, hear, or both, include Andrena bees, American Cancer-root, American Robins, Bladdernuts, Blue Cohosh, boulder forest, Canada Geese, Carolina Wren, Carrionflower, Chestnut Oak, craneflies, Dancing Whites, Eastern Sycamore, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, floodplain forest, invasive species, Great Blue Herons, Green Ash, Mallards, Nomada bees, Pawpaws, Northern Red Oak, River Birch, Spring Azures, sweat bees, Toad Trillium, Tuliptree, Twinleaf, views of the Potomac River, Troutlilies, upland forest, Virginia Bluebells, Western Honey Bees, and Woodland Geranium. This trip might occur at the height of the flowering of spring ephemerals, or later, depending on weather. An excellent field guide for our hike is Alden et al. (2008), National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States.
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Contact: barrowse@georgetown.edu, RSVP.
More information: For details and downloads, see http://www.botsoc.org/bswfieldtrips.html. We plan to meet in parking lot C1 at 9:50 a.m. A map of the Park, a vegetation map, and trip handout will be available through http://www.botsoc.org/bswfieldtrips.html.
Sponsor(s): Botanical Society of Washington; GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Department of Biology; GU EcoAction; GU Outdoor Education; GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
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What: Green Square 2012
Who: Georgetown Facilities and other groups
When: Friday, 20 April 2012, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (or later).
Where: Red Square of Edward B. Bunn, S.J., Intercultural Center Auditorium, GU Main Campus, 37th & O Sts., NW. The event will be indoors in case of inclement weather.
Cost: Free, open to the public
Notes: Many green student groups and other groups will have information tables regarding environmental topics. Free snacks, including burgers.
Contact: Ms. Audrey Stewart, GU Program Coordinator for Sustainability, ams399@georgetown.edu
More information: Come and discuss our environment with your colleagues.
Sponsors: Georgetown Facilities and Center for the Environment
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22 April. Earth Day.
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What: Notes from the Front Lines of the Climate Fight
Who: Mr. Bill McKibben
When: Sunday, 22 April 2012.
Where: Reiss 103, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free, open to the public
Notes: Bill McKibben is an environmental activist and the author of a dozen books about the environment, including The End of Nature, his groundbreaking 1989 book written for a general audience about climate change. Time Magazine has called him "the planet's best green journalist," and the Boston Globe has called him "probably the country's most important environmentalist." He is a founder of 350.org, a grassroots climate campaign that has coordinated 15,000 rallies in 189 countries since 2009. Most recently in the news, Bill led the charge on the Tar Sands Action Campaign to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, coordinating a movement that has so far resulted in 1,252 arrests, multiple rallies in Washington, D.C., at places such as the White House and the Capitol, and a massive grassroots-turned-media effort. Please join us for an evening with Bill as he shares with us his "Notes from the Front Lines of the Climate Fight"!
Contact: Ms. Michelle Dailey, mdailey92@gmail.com
More information: http://www.billmckibben.com/
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU College Democrats; GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)

There will also be many Earth Day events on the US National Mall on 22 April 2012.
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April 2012, Earth Month
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What: Second Poster Symposium on GU’s Ecology and Environment (and Even Beyond)
Who: 26 undergraduate students in the course G-Ecology (Biol-004)
When: Tuesday, 24 April 2012, 3–4:50 p.m., when students will man posters.
Where: The posters will be up in the ICC until 5 p.m. 26 April, and then they may be moved to the Reiss Science Center.
Cost: Free, open to the public. Refreshments on 24 April while students are manning their posters.
Notes: Attend to learn about GU’s air-quality, biodiversity, energy, green roofs, food, gardens, landscaping, Nature Deficit Disorder, partying, recycling, and other parts of its environment via about 16 student posters and the 26 students who created them. Each team needs at least 10 people to assess its poster using a short form. All visitors are cordially invited and welcome to assess posters and discuss them with student teams. You will likely learn many things that you previously did not know about GU and its environment.
Contact: barrowse@georgetown.edu
More information: This Symposium (24 April), Professor Slakey’s talk (25 April), Green Square (20 April), And Mr. Bill McKibben’s presentation (22 April) are among the major GU Earth Month events. Thanks to GU Facilities and others for helping with this Symposium.
Sponsor(s): GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE); GU Department of Biology; Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
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What: To the Last Breath: A Memoir of Going to Extremes, Lecture and book signing
Who: Professor Francis Slakey, Upjohn Lecturer on Physics and Public Policy and the co-director of the Program on Science in the Public Interest
When: Wednesday, 25 April 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: 103 Reiss, GU
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Notes: Registration at http://tothelastbreath.eventbrite.com/
Contact: Joshua Speiser, Director of Communications, Georgetown College, Georgetown University, js47@georgetown.edu
More information: "In the bestselling tradition of Into Thin Air and Born to Run, Francis Slakey takes readers on a physical and spiritual journey to the most extreme points on Earth and deep inside the human psyche. Before Georgetown physics professor Francis Slakey decided to climb the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean, he had arranged his schedule to match his personal life: completely detached from other people. His lectures were mechanical; his relationships were little more than ways to fill the evenings. But as his journey veered off course, Slakey was ambushed by guerrillas, survived a treacherous storm in Antarctica, confronted a fatal decision on Everest—and every escape from death brought him closer to life. A gripping adventure of the body and mind, To the Last Breath depicts in crystal-clear prose the quest that led Slakey around the globe, challenged his fiercely held beliefs, and opened his heart. Expanding his tale with riveting science and arresting insight into our relation to the Earth and one another, Slakey takes readers across the plateaus of Tibet, into the heat of Tanzania, to the desolate edge of the Arctic, and beyond." Amazon.com
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE), GU College, GU Department of Biology, GU Department of Chemistry, GU Department of Physics, GU Lecture Fund, GU Program on Science in the Public Interest
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May 2012
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What: TBA. Spring lecture and membership meeting. Damselflies and Dragonflies.
Who: TBA
When: Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Huntley Meadows Park Visitors Center, Virginia, about 15 miles from GU, 3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22306, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley/
Cost: Free open to the public
Notes:
Contact:
More information: Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/).
Sponsor(s): Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/)
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June 2012
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What: Talk: Orchids of Western Australia
Who: Mr. Tom Mirenda (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Tom-Mirenda-on-Orchids.html)
When: Tuesday, 5 June 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: Cathy Kerby Room (Room CE-340), Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. and Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC. Use the Constitution Avenue entrance; wait to be escorted up. All are welcome.
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Note: For more information, see Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
Contact:
More information: As usual, light refreshments will be served prior to and after the presentation.
Sponsor: Botanical Society of Washington
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July 2012
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August 2012
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September 2012
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October 2012
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What: Lecture and Chocolate Tasting
Who: Kallari Association of Cacao Growers
When: Monday, 1 October 2012, 7–9 p.m.
Where: St. Mary's 126
Cost: free with RSVP
Notes: Please join us for a chocolate tasting and lecture on the importance of sustainable community development in third world countries.
Contact: Please RSVP to gucfeinterns@gmail.com
More information: More information can be found on our Facebook page (GU Center for the Environment) or Twitter (@GUCFE)
Sponsors: GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE), GU College, GU Department of Biology, GU Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program (STIA)
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What: Seminar: Female Chimpanzee Competition
Who: Dr. Carson Murray, George Washington University
When: Thursday, 4 October 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free
Notes: This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty, and staff
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
Sponsor: Department of Biology

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What: Seminar: Conservation medicine, ecohealth & one health: Emerging paradigms to address the impact of globalization on wildlife, human, and ecosystem health.
Who: Alonso Aguirre
When: Thursday, 11 October 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free
Notes: This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
More information: Dr. Aguirre is the Executive Director of the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation based at Front Royal, VA (http://smconservation.gmu.edu/) and Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University (http://esp.gmu.edu/people/facultybios/aguirre.html).
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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What: Joint Information Session
Who: University of California at Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment & Earth Sciences, the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources, and Environment and Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
When: Tuesday, 16 October 2012, 6–9 p.m.
Where: Hotel Monaco, WDC
Cost: Free
Notes: “This event will be the perfect opportunity for students to learn about graduate opportunities in the environmental field from the Nation's top environmental schools. All four schools will make a brief presentation and will be available to answer questions throughout the gathering. All disciplines are welcome to attend.”
Contact: If you are interested in attending, please RSVP at the following link:https://apply.environment.yale.edu/register/?id=a8320b1f-c5bd-43de-bb1f-2b7f142937a1
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October 2012
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What: Pambassadors
Who: CFE, Chengdu Panda Research Base
When: Wednesday, 17 October 2012, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Where: Red Square
Cost: Free
Notes: Join the CFE and Chengdu Panda Research Base to learn more about Panda conservation.
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What: Seminar: Trees grow on money: Environmental justice perspectives on urban canopy cover
Who: Dr. Chris Boone, Arizona State University
When: Thursday, 18 October 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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What: Majors Fair
Who: Many GU departments
When: Friday, 19 October 2012, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: ICC Galleria, GU
Cost: Free
Notes: CFE Interns will man a table and have information on the Environmental Studies Minor and other GU environmental academic programs.
Sponsors: College Academic Council, GU Center for the Environment (GUCFE)
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What: Seminar: Global environmental change and the water challenges of cities'
Who: Dr. Nancy Grimm, Arizona State University
When: Thursday, 1 November 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free
Notes: This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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November 2012
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What: Talk: The Genus Rhynchospora: Conservation and Taxonomic Revisions
Who: Amanda Treher of NatureServe
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m., 6 November 2012
Where: Cathy Kerby Room (Room CE-340), Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Use the Constitution Avenue entrance; wait to be escorted up. All are welcome. As usual, light refreshments will be served prior to and after the presentation.
Cost: Free, open to the public.
Note: For more information, see Botanical Society of Washington (http://www.botsoc.org/)
Contact: Contact Robin Everly (everlyr@si.edu) by Monday, November 5th to arrange for a badge for the November meeting.
Sponsor: Botanical Society of Washington
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What: Seminar: Reconceptualizing Urban Ecology
Who: Dr. Steward Pickett, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
When: Thursday, 8 November 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Science Center
Notes: This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
More information: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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What: Talk: Ensuring Chemical Safety
Who: Jim Jones, MA, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Environmental Protection Agency
When: Friday, 9 November 2012, 9–10 a.m.
Where: 112 Reiss Hall
Cost: Free
Notes: This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff.
Contacts: Professor Laura Anderko (la266@georgetown.edu) and Professor Paul Roepe (roepep@georgetown.edu)
Sponsors: Professor Paul Roepe and Professor Laura Anderko
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November 2012
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What: Lecture and membership meeting. Dyke Marsh's Varied Human History
Who: Matthew Virta, Cultural Resources Program Manager, U.S. National Park Service
When: Wednesday, 14 November 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Huntley Meadows Park Visitors Center, Virginia, about 15 miles from GU, 3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria, VA 22306, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley/
Cost: Free open to the public
Notes: Over the years, Dyke Marsh has been called everything from Hell Hole and Impassable Swamp to "one of the most extensive and valuable... pocosins in this country," and this wetland hideaway has witnessed quite an interesting parade of human activities. Goings-on have included hunting, fishing, boating, railroad development, underground vice activities, sand and gravel extraction, parkway development, and preservation and restoration efforts. The marsh is acknowledged today as a significant natural resource in being the largest freshwater tidal Narrow-leaf cattail marsh in National Park Service jurisdiction and is currently under study for restoration.
More information: Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/).
Sponsor(s): Friends of Dyke Marsh (http://www.fodm.org/)
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What: STIA Loewy Lecture: How Humanity Came to Dominate the Planet
Who: Ruth Defries, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at The Earth Institute at Columbia University (www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2470)
When: Wednesday, 4–5 p.m., 14 November 2012, reception at 5 p.m.
Where: Mortara Building 3600 N St., N.W., Washington
Cost: Free
Contact: RSVP: defries.eventbrite.com
More information: Humans are obviously now a dominant species on Earth. How to explain this phenomenon? We have made a large impact on our threatened planet, and it is unclear how Earth will feed up to 9 billion, increasingly affluent, people in the future. Dr. DeFries will examine human transformation of the landscape and its consequences for climate, biodiversity, and biogeochemical cycling and other ecosystem services that enable us to live on Earth. Her work is based on the premise that land use change involves tradeoffs between human necessities such as food and unintended environmental consequences such as greenhouse gas emissions and habitat loss. Her focus is tropical deforestation and its impacts on atmospheric carbon emissions. DeFries examines land use changes over broad scales through the lens of satellite observations. She is actively involved in linking scientific information with policy decisions.
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What: Seminar: Sustainability science, education, and action: Tales of water from a desert city
Who: Dr. Dan Childers, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University
When: Friday, 16 November 2012, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Where: 264 Reiss Science Center
Cost: Free
Notes: Dr. Childers is a systems scientist with a focus on urban ecosystems, wetland ecosystems, and sustainability science. He seeks to understand how human actions and decisions control the distribution of water, biogeochemical elements, and primary production in cities (http://weel.asu.edu/WEEL/Home.html). He is the Director of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project (http://caplter.asu.edu/). This event is limited to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff
Contact: Department of Biology, 202-687-6247
Sponsor: Department of Biology, GU Environmental Initiative, GU Center for the Environment
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What: Do the Math Event
Who: Bill McKibben and 350.org
When: 18 November 2012, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Warner Theater, Washington, D.C.
Cost: FREE for GU Students
Notes: We will meet at 11:30 a.m. at the D6 bus stop by Darnall Hall (Reservoir Rd.). Bring SmarTrip!
Contact: mkd49@georgetown.edu for tickets
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What: Talk, Oak Tree Anatomy
Who: Richard Murray, arborist
When: Wednesday 27 November 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kensington Library, Kensington, Maryland, http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/libraries/branchinfo/kp.asp.
Cost: Free. Open to the public.
Notes: As an arborist practicing in lower Montgomery Co, Richard finds that 90% of his work with oaks involves only a handful of species. He will profile these trees, revealing overlapping features of other oaks and trees in general. Among other things, we'll investigate protection wood and branch attachments and touch on bark and root elements.
More information: Register at http://www.mdflora.org/events.html?eventId=425308&EventViewMode=EventDetails.
Coffee provided. Please bring your mug. Please bring some light refreshments to share.
Sponsor: Maryland Native Plant Society (http://www.mdflora.org/)
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