Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Weekly Announcements 5/7

May 7th, 2019
GOOD LUCK WITH FINALS, AND HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Remember to take photos for the 2019 photo contest! 

ENVS Summer Office Hours:
 Environmental Studies graduate assistant, Sarah Brandwood, will be in the main office M-F 9-3pm, in Devlin 213 and available over email (envstudy@bc.edu) to answer any questions you might have about courses or credits. You can also email the Acting Director Tara Pisani Gareau, tara.pisanigareau@bc.edu 
Summer 2019
Stay Involved with Environmental Issues!

New ENVS Professors and Courses
 
Events at BC
TODAY 5/7: Environmental Protection and Democratic Governance in Asia 
Events Off Campus
6/20-22: Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference

6/26-29: Attend the 2019 Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Conference 
Jobs and Internships
Apply by 5/30: SISE Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy 
 

Stay Involved with Environmental Issues! 

Summer 2019
Where ever you may be or what ever you may be doing this summer, take some time this summer to develop your knowledge and deepen your passion for working on environmental issues! Volunteer at a community farm, visit a farmer's market and talk to the farmers, attend a conference, get involved in community clean up, help out at your local parks department, explore the natural world, and read some environmental books!

Book Recommendations:
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Falter by Bill McKibben
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
The Way of Coyote by Gavin Van Horn
What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe
Mama's Last Hug by Frans Del Waal

 (See the AESS 2019 conference in Orlando, FL June 26-29

New ENVS Professors and Courses

Fall 2019
 We are excited to welcome two new Visiting Assistant Professors this fall who will be teaching exciting new core classes and electives for the Environmental Studies Program.   

Jessica Worl, PhD in Resource Policy and Behavior from Univ of Michigan will be teaching a new fall course in ENVS4005 Political Ecology, 9am Tu/Th (seats still available)

Yasmin Zaerpoor, PhD in Urban Studies from MIT, does research in water diplomacy and sustainable cities (look for her ENVS course next spring).

Political Ecology Course Description:
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.
 

Environmental Protection and Democratic Governance in Asia 

May 7th at 12PM 
BC Law School East Wing 200
Newton Campus

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.

UVM Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference 

June 20-22nd 
Free - Register Now
Vermont Law School is hosting the Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference, June 20-22, 2019, at our campus on the banks of the White River. Vermont is a lush and green place to visit in the summer, and Vermont Law School is the perfect setting for law professors to discuss the environmental law curriculum of the future. Register now to join us in June!

Attend the 2019 Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) Conference 

June 26-29th 
Orlando, Florida
Register Now - Scholarships Available
Our annual conference brings an interdisciplinary approach to environmental issues in an academic setting. We take a collegial approach where ideas are shared in small, informal sessions that are panel, paper, and presentation based and include roundtable discussions at meals. Students, professors, and government and industry professionals alike participate in lively and interactive sessions that cover topics across the conference theme, "Sustainable Futures".

For more information and to register, visit: https://aessconference.org/
Boston College Environmental Studies Program
Devlin 213
Graduate Assistants:
Isabelle Kennedy / Joseph Manning / Sarah Brandwood
ENVSTUDIES@BC.EDU

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Weekly Announcements 4/30

Remind your friends! ENVS Major Applications for the Class of 2022 are due THURSDAY MAY 2ND! 
April 30th, 2019
Events at BC
TODAY 4/30: Garbage Numbers: Accounting for Solid Waste in the US and Pathways to Sustainability 

TOMORROW 5/1: Senior Poster Session 

TOMORROW 5/1: Pop-up Thrift Shop 

TOMORROW 5/1: Fuel for the Planet from Sunlight and Water
Events in Boston
6/20-22: Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference
Jobs and Internships
DUE TOMORROW 5/1: Interdisciplinary Coastal MS Research Assistantship

Apply now: NYC Freshkills Park Climate Change Intern

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

Garbage Numbers: Accounting for Solid Waste in the US and Pathways to Sustainability 

April 30th 12-1 PM 
Devlin 201

Senior Poster Session

May 1st 3:30-5:30 PM

Pop-up Thrift Shop 

May 1st 11 AM-3PM

Fuel for the Planet from Sunlight and Water 

May 1st 4-5 PM
Devlin 008
Solar-fuel expert Harry Gray will be presenting a lecture on Wednesday (5/1), titled Fuel for the Planet from Sunlight and Water. Professor Gray is a leading research chemist at CalTech, but his lecture is designed so that all academic disciplines can understand it.

This event is open to anyone interested in hearing about solar-fuel technologies that may redefine our energy infrastructure in the coming decades

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.

NYC Freshkills Park Climate Change Intern

Apply Now
NYC Parks & Rec Department
Freshkills Park Climate Change Intern 

The Climate Change Internship offers a unique research opportunity to actively assist with the direction of park projects. The Climate Change Intern will aid the park development team in determining new and viable research based projects and in aligning our current projects with science-based climate change agendas.

CLICK HERE for the full internship description

CLICK HERE for a full list of NYC Parks & Rec internships

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.

UVM Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference 

June 20-22nd 
Free - Register Now
Vermont Law School is hosting the Emerging Environmental Law Curriculum Conference, June 20-22, 2019, at our campus on the banks of the White River. Vermont is a lush and green place to visit in the summer, and Vermont Law School is the perfect setting for law professors to discuss the environmental law curriculum of the future. Register now to join us in June!
Boston College Environmental Studies Program
Devlin 213
Graduate Assistants:
Isabelle Kennedy / Joseph Manning / Sarah Brandwood
ENVSTUDIES@BC.EDU