Program News and Events:

2-3-10

Lecture Series: Facing the Gap in Geographical Theory

Robert D. Sack, Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Facing 'the gap' in Geographical Theory: What It Tells Us About Self, Society, and Nature"
Date: Fri., Feb. 12, 2010, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Category: Nature & Culture Seminar
Location: Commons, Spooner Hall

Robert Sack is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is one of the foremost contributors to geographic philosophy in which discussion of the self, society, nature, place and morality figure prominently. His most recent books include Homo Geographicus: A Framework for Action, Awareness, and Moral Concern (John’s Hopkins University Press), and A Geographical Guide to the Real and the Good (Routledge). His latest book project offers a geographical approach to understanding The Gap, that which lies between causality in the natural/physical world, including our biological selves, and Reason, our capacity to reflect and attach meaning to causality.

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1-25-10

Clinton Lake and Perry Lake: Summer Park Ranger Positions

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for currently enrolled students to fill some available temporary full-time ranger positions, beginning April 11 and terminating in September. Please view the Clinton Lake announcement and Perry Lake announcement for further details on the available positions.

Interviews for these positions will be held on Thursday, February 4th. Students interested in these positions will need to contact Jan Elder in 2045 Haworth Hall (jelder@ku.edu or 864-5883) to arrange an interview time on that day. All applicants must submit a resume and ARTS form at the time of the interview.

For questions about this process, please contact either Jan Elder with the information above, or David Rhoades at 843-7665.

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1-22-09

GeoCorps America 2010: Paid Geoscientist Opportunities on National Parks, National Forests, and BLM Lands

GeoCorps America is a program of the Geological Society of America, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. The program offers paid short-term geoscience positions in some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world. Read the experiences of those who have participated in the past ( http://www.geosociety.org/geocorps/stories). Discreet project areas include geology, hydrology, paleontology, mapping and GIS, minerals, soils, glaciology, geo-hazards, karst, and education.

Application deadline Feb 1st! See http://rock.geosociety.org/g_corps/2010/allJobDescriptions.asp for descriptions of available positions. Fall/Winter 2010 positions will be posted in May 2010.

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1-15-09

Karl Brooks: "Green Light, Red Light: Steering Your Environmental Career Toward an Unknowable Future"

Tuesday 1/19 12:30-1:30 p.m. - 308 Marvin

Brooks, who has recently been appointed as regional EPA administrator, will give a lecture as part of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning's Brown Bag Series. Drinks and dessert will be provided. For more information, please contact the School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

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1-14-09

Karl Brooks, EVRN faculty, appointed as regional EPA administrator

The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas is pleased to announce that Professor Karl Brooks, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and History, has been appointed by President Obama as the EPA administrator for Region 7, based in Kansas City, Kansas. We congratulate Karl for this recognition of his knowledge, experience, and leadership in the environmental arena, and we wish him the very best as he takes on the challenges and opportunities presented by this new post. Karl will be taking a leave of absence from the University during his appointment.

Karl’s service, teaching, and research in our program will be missed. Spring classes have begun, and Karl was scheduled to teach Environmental Citizenship (EVRN 420). The Program will soon announce who will cover his teaching duties this semester. Moreover, in consultation with the Program’s Governance Faculty and the College Dean’s office, the Program’s Executive Committee will formulate a longer-term plan for ensuring that environmental history remains a strong element of the curriculum. Until the official start date of Karl’s new appointment within the next several weeks, Karl will be leading his class as scheduled and advising students.

For more details about this appointment, please read this EPA press release.

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12-23-09

Massachusetts Historical Society Fellowships

The Massachusetts Historical Society will offer about 30 research fellowships for the academic year 2010-2011, including at least two long-term research fellowships made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Society also offers Short-Term Fellowships, and participates in the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium. For more information about the Society’s research fellowships please visit our web site, www.masshist.org/fellowships, or contact Conrad E. Wright (fellowships@masshist.org), 617-646-0512. Application deadlines: MHS-NEH fellowships, January 15, 2010; New England Regional Fellowships, February 1, 2010; MHS Short-Term fellowships, March 1, 2010.

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12-20-09

Environmental Studies in the news

Environmental Studies and related campus activities were highlighted during a KU basketball game against Michigan this Saturday, as part of a collaboration between ESPN and KU Athletics to do a "Green Game." At halftime, Sustainability Leadership awards were presented to recipients, including Margaret Tran (senior in Environmental Studies) and Simran Sethi, professor of journalism. To read more about the Green Game, read this article.

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12-18-09

Kelly Kindscher recipient of Kansas Bioscience Authority grant

Kelly Kindscher, Environmental Studies faculty, has received funding for a five year, $5 million project to investigate the potential of native Kansas plants towards applications including botanical remedies, dietary supplements, cosmetics and other uses. To read more about the initiative, read the article at ku.edu.

Environmental Studies Office hours over break

The Environmental Studies Program will be closed from Thursday, December 24th through Monday, January 4th. Happy Holidays!

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12-09-09

Landscape and Livelihood Field Semester in Montana

Northwest Connections is offering a Landscape and Livelihood Field Semester, from August 30 - October 28, 2010. The coursework would focus on ecology and community based conservation, and would be the equivalent of 15 University of Montana credits. A $500 tuition break is offered to students applying by February 1st. For more information and applications, visit the website at www.northwestconnections.org or contact Sarah Fitzgerald, Education Coordinator, at sarah@northwestconnections.org.

Job Openings with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

A number of job openings are available with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Corvallis and Salem regions. For more information and to see the announcements, check out our careers page.

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12-02-09

Winter Potluck and Honors Presentations

Thursday, December 3, 4:00 - 7:00
256 Snow Hall (Environmental Studies conference room)
Environmental Studies majors, faculty and friends are welcome to come and bring food and drink to share with others to celebrate the end of the fall semester.

Starting at 4:00, Tom Reid, a former alumnus of the Environmental Studies Program, will be speaking about current green building projects in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and other areas of the Middle East. Students are welcome to ask questions regarding his work, and other general questions about careers post-graduation.

At 5:00, students will present updates on their research projects. After the presentations, we will recognize the Fall 2009 graduates in Environmental Studies and share food together! RSVP not required, but highly encouraged. To RSVP, please email envstudies@ku.edu. Also, if you are a student who wishes to present at this event, please contact us!

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11-24-09

Yale Sustainability Fellowships

Yale University’s Office of Sustainability is pleased to announce the availability of a Sustainability Fellow position for the Spring of 2010. The Sustainability Fellow position is designed to provide hands-on experience for a recent college graduate with an interest in campus sustainability. The selected candidate will be offered a unique opportunity to work in an innovative, internationally recognized campus sustainability program with hands on, project based tasks. This position will be based in the Office of Sustainability and will support the initiatives of various campus departments working on collaborative projects.

Qualifications: Candidates must demonstrate solid research skills, a strong grasp of sustainability terms and concepts, the ability to work independently, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to communicate his/her own ideas and proven leadership experience. This position is paid and will provide the ambitious candidate with the opportunity to develop skills which will enable him/her to be an effective sustainability leader.

Date of Fellowship: February 15 – June 18, 2010 Hours per/wk: 40 hrs.

Please send resume and letter of interest to Nancy DiLella nancy.dilella@yale.edu no later than December 18, 2009. More details online at: http://www.yale.edu/sustainability/documents/YaleSustainabilityFellow2010.pdf.

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11-10-09

Free screening of "Food, Inc."

November 18th, 7:00 p.m. Woodruff Auditorium, KS Union. Environs, CCO EARTH, and SUA are showing the acclaimed 2009 documentary ‘Food, Inc'. This event is open to students and the Lawrence community. Local popcorn will be provided by KU Dining Services. Raffle prizes will be provided from The Merc, Louisburg Cider Mill, Greenability Magazine, and Blooming Lotus. Admission is Free.

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11-05-09

A Taste of India: two upcoming events related to environmental study abroad

We are hosting two events related to environmental issues in India, and an upcoming study abroad program this summer:

The first will be a lecture given by Dr. Siddappa Setty, Fulbright Scholar, titled “Biodiversity, Conservation and Livelihood.” The talk will take place on Monday, Nov. 9th at 3:00, at the Commons in Spooner Hall.

The second will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 5:15. Dr. Setty will give another talk titled “Conservation policies and their impact : livelihood of Soliga tribals in Karnataka, India,” discussing issues in the region of India where the Environmental Studies 2009 Summer Study Abroad program will take place. Geeta Tiwari, director of the summer program, will be providing home-cooked Indian food for attendees to sample. Those interested in the summer study abroad trip are encouraged to come learn about trip details and ask questions. If you are planning to come to this event, please let us know (via email or phone) whether you plan to attend, so that enough food may be prepared.

Lecture: "Organic Micropollutants in the Environment: How Pure Is Pure?

Friday, November 13, 2009
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Spahr Auditorium – Eaton Hall
(Refreshments will be served starting at 3:15 p.m.)
Special Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kühn - Managing Director, Water Technology Center, Engler-Bunte Institute, University of Karlsruhe, Germany.

Dr. Wolfgang Kühn is internationally known for his work on micropollutants in the environment, including pharmaceuticals, endocrine system disruptors, personal care products, pesticides, disinfection byproducts, as well as their metabolites and degradation products. His interests include the analysis, occurrence, fate, and effects of such compounds, as well as policies to manage their potential impacts on human health and the environment.

Sponsored by the KU Dept. of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering in Cooperation with Black & Veatch

Environmental Studies students and professors get to the bottom of Potter Lake

Check out this video featuring the efforts of Environmental Studies professors and students to clean up the beloved KU pond, at the Lawrence Journal-World website :

Professors Mark Jakubauskas and Jerry deNoyelles, and student Ryan Callihan were filmed while out working on Potter Lake on Thursday. Full story here.

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11-02-09

Environmental Studies students in the news

Read about the efforts by students and faculty to preserve Douglas County's prairies in today's Kansan. Also, you can catch up with the students in EVRN 460: Field Ecology here.

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10-30-09

Ecojustice Group event in front of Strong Hall

The Ecojustice student group, in conjunction with the Wetlands Preservation Organization and students from Haskell University, will be gathering in front of Strong Hall on November 2nd, between 2 - 4, to raise awareness about the Haskell-Baker wetlands. More information about the Ecojustice groups and this event can be found at http://ecmku.org/ecojustice.

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10-27-09

Hall Center for Humanities series: Byron Caminero-Santangelo

Byron Caminero-Santangelo, Environmental Studies governance faculty, will be presenting a talk at the Hall Center for Humanities on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd from 12:00 - 1:30. The title of the talk is "Different Shades of Green: African Literatures and Environmentalisms." The talk is open to all faculty, RSVP required.

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10-26-09

Boone and Crockette Club: Call for Applications

The Boone and Crockette Club is seeking research partners to work on wildlife diseases affecting big game species. Of particular interest are diseases that pose challenges to the management of big game populations and / or that have potential health concerns for the hunting community. Chronic wasting disease and bovine brucellosis are examples of such diseases. Normally grants provided by the Conservation Research Grants Program are in the $10,000 - $15,000 range. Recipients of grants in 2010 may be eligible for an additional year of funding if need exists and if the progress report, due October 1, 2010, shows satisfactory progress.

This call is specifically targeted towards faculty and graduate students studying big wildlife disease issues. More information, applications, and instructions are available online at http://www.boone-crockett.org, in the "Education" and "Conservation Grants" section. Deadline for applications is January 15, 2010.

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10-23-09

Workshop on Corporate Environmental Management: Corporate Environmental Sustainability Around the Globe

October 30, The Commons, Spooner Hall
This is an all day event featuring presentations by visiting faculty regarding corporate sustainability and environmental practices. For a full listing of speakers and bios, click here. Research papers are available for perusal at the KU Center for International Business Education and Research website.Sponsored by: KU CIBER; KU Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; KU Institute for Policy and Social Research; KU Center for Sustainability; Michigan Ross School of Business Center for International Business Education; Ebb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan; and the Environmental Studies Program.

Campus Sustainability Day

Today at the Commons area in Spooner Hall, between 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. there will be roundtables, presentations and other events hosted by Environs and the Center for Sustainability on campus. Organic and local refreshments provided by KU Dining will be served at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit the Center for Sustainability website.

10-22-09

Green Corps on-campus interviews tomorrow

Green Corps will be hosting its first series of campus interviews at KU tomorrow, Friday, October 23, at the Career Center in the Burge Union, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Prospective interviewees are asked to bring their resumes. If you would like to schedule an interview during this time, please contact Jaafar at 802-318-5127.Information about Green Corps positions is available online at greencorps.org.

Environmental Studies student and faculty receive sustainability recognition

The Center for Sustainability recently presented Margaret Tran, senior in Environmental Studies, with a Student Award for Sustainability for her many volunteer efforts across campus. Tran is a coordinator for EARTH, a group that oversees the KU Student Rain Garden outside Ambler Fitness Center. Simran Sethi, Environmental Studies courtesy faculty in journalism, also received an award for her sustainability efforts in the classroom and community.

For more information about the awards and the Center for Sustainability, visit their website.

LeaderShape application call

The Student Involvement and Leadership Center is seeking energetic, passionate and dedicated students to apply for the 13th annual LeaderShape Institute taking place January 7-12, 2010. LeaderShape is a highly interactive and energizing six-day, five night leadership enhancement program that provides students experience with practicing ethical decision making, dealing with chaos and change, clarifying personal values, celebrating and exploring the values of others, and working in teams. LeaderShape believes in living in possibility, making a commitment to a vision, developing relationships to bring the vision into reality and sustaining a high level of integrity. Learning takes place in the context of a supportive community that results in positive change. LeaderShape's Vision is "To improve society by inspiring, developing, and supporting more people committed to leading with integrity."

Online applications for the institute are available at: https://www-s1.leadershape.org/apprd/2159/ You will be asked to register as a new user and complete steps that will then lead to the application. More general information is available through the Student Involvement and Leadership Center website http://www.ku.edu/~silc/Leadershape/home.shtml

LeaderShape is open to all enrolled students...graduate and undergraduate, for those who are already involved in numerous campus activities, and for those who are still looking for their niche. The program is limited to 60 participants with a $50 registration fee due upon selection for the program (a small number of scholarships will be made available). Online applications will be accepted through Monday, November 9th. Selected participants will be notified by November 13th.

For more information, feel free to contact Matt Robinson or Colleen Drazen at 785-864-4861 or kulead@ku.edu.

GIS Day at KU

All are invited to the 8th Annual GIS Day @ KU Symposium on November 18th. GIS Day is free and open to the public. This symposium provides a unique opportunity for students, staff and faculty to mingle and exchange ideas with each other, and with attendees from government and business. GIS Day will include an exciting line-up of speakers, an Information and Job Fair, and a Student Presentation Competition with cash prizes(see attached flyer). For more details, and to register in advance, please visit www.gis.ku.edu/gisday/2009.

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10-06-09

Professors receive grant to research climate change and renewable energy

The National Science Foundation has awarded $20 million to research teams comprising professors across the KU campus. Several Environmental Studies professors are involved in the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Professors awarded the grant include: Chris Brown (Director), Stacey White (Associate Director), Johannes Feddema, Dietrich Earnhart, Nathaniel Brunsell, David Mechem, Jane Gibson, Joane Nagel, Stephen Egbert and Eric Hanley. More information about the EPSCoR project at KU is available online at http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/.

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