stousi – Page 3

wes community takes part in global climate strike

by stousi

Wesleyan students organized various events for a day of climate action on September 20, 2019, as part of the week-long Global Climate Strike.

Events kicked off with a Climate Rally outside of Usdan, featuring speeches by students, staff, and other members of Wesleyan’s community. Students from Wesleyan’s Climate Action Group and other environmental groups spoke about the ongoing sustainability and activism efforts around campus and the next steps in the movement. Staff members and Middletown residents, including Professor Anthony Hatch, Chair of the Science in Society Program and COE faculty member; Ben Florsheim ’14, Middletown’s Democratic mayoral nominee; and Nur Fitzpatrick, Middletown resident and activist, also spoke about the importance of the Climate Strike and environmental activism at a local level. The rally was followed by a march around campus. Click here for more photos from the Climate Rally and March.

At 4:30 pm, Professor of Physics Brian Stewart presented his annual Climate Rant on the subject of Tipping Points. He contextualized the talk within the day’s events on campus and the climate action movement on a global and historical scale. Professor Stewart also posted a comprehensive introduction to the Climate Strike events on the Middletown Eye, a community news blog. His post details the science behind climate change as well as both governmental and public responses to the topic.

Later that afternoon, staff and students met at the front steps of Olin Library for a candlelight vigil, which ended on the corner of Church and High streets.

weil delivers “beastly” keynote

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Last month, Kari Weil, University Professor of the College of Letters and a faculty member of the College of the Environment, delivered the keynote address at Beastly Modernisms, an international conference on the animal turn in modernist studies hosted by Glasgow University. Her keynote, entitled “Modernisms, Magnetisms, and the Beastly Burdens of Memory,” focused on animal magnetism–the force that one animal body can have one another.

spitzer ’68 shares lessons from the osprey gardens

by stousi

On Thursday, September 12, Dr. Paul Spitzer ‘68 gave a talk titled “Lessons From the Osprey Gardens” to mark the first day of his monthlong stay at Wesleyan. Dr. Spitzer is a visiting guest who will be giving several talks over the course of his stay and leading field trips for Mike Singer’s BIOL220/ Conservation Biology class. His next seminar—Biological Secrets & Ecological Significance of the Common Loon—will take place on Thursday, October 3 at noon here at Wesleyan.

jonas promotes one health approach to microbial threats

by stousi

On April 29, the College of the Environment welcomed Olga Jonas, a senior fellow at the Harvard Global Health Institute, for a presentation on “Pandemics, AMR and Other Microbial Threats: One Health Approaches to Mitigate the Risks in Developing Countries.” Prior to her current position, Jonas worked at the World Bank, where she coordinated the operational response to avian and pandemic flu threats and, with the UN and others, was responsible for monitoring the global response since 2006.

stewart explores tipping points in annual earth week rant

by stousi

Earth Week Rant poster On April 18, 2019, Brian Stewart, professor of physics, environmental studies, and integrative sciences, hosted his 12th Annual Earth Week Rant on the subject of “Tipping Points: Physical, Ecological, Social, and Personal.” His yearly talks inform the greater Wesleyan community on the evolution of climate change and challenge them to actively work to counter its effects.

sayet shares importance of revitalizing traditional foodways

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On Feb. 28, students in ENVS201/soph seminar greeted guest speaker Rachel Sayet, an anthropologist/educator from the Mohegan Tribe, who spoke about revitalizing traditional foodways in New England and beyond. ENVS201, taught by COE Director Barry Chernoff and assistant professor of environmental studies Helen Poulos, introduces students to critical methods for conducting research on environmental issues, as a primer for performing research in the ENVS major.