GENERAL INFORMATION:
T-Shirts
A t-shirt has been designed especially for this conference. These shirts may be purchased on the day of the conference.
Lunch
Students may eat at any of a number of spots on campus, including the wide range of new eating options at the recently renovated University Center; lunch is at the expense of individual students.
Teachers and presenters are invited to a hosted (by the Chancellor’s office) luncheon at the Fern Young Terrace in the Greenhill Center of the Arts. Please indicate if you will join us for lunch when you RSVP.
Parking
A highlighted campus map and one parking permit will be furnished with the confirmation letter. Additional parking permits can be purchased for $1.00 each.
THE CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE:
"Our Ecological Footprint" is the theme of our Earth Day celebration, but it is also an important ecological concept, referring to the substantial environmental impact - the footprint - that we all have on this planet, especially those of us who live in the United States. The goals of the conference are to inspire environmental awareness and to highlight possible solutions to environmental challenges, both locally and globally.
The event is free and is open to anyone who is concerned and curious about environmental issues. School teachers and students are especially welcome.
SCHEDULE:
8:30-9:00 - Welcome by Dean Mary Pinkerton (Letters and Sciences)
Campus and community environmental awards ceremony - Chancellor Richard Telfer
Hamilton Center (in the University Center)
9:00-10:00 - Dr. Robert Benjamin: "What Makes Earth So Great?"
Hamilton Center
Before 1995, there were only nine planets known to exist in the entire universe, and they were all surrounding our Sun. Now there are 270 planets known around 232 stars (and our solar system is down by one). In this talk, Prof. Robert Benjamin will describe the race that's on to find Earth-like planets, what makes a planet habitable, and the principal dangers that threaten to make our own planet a far less hospitable place.
Dr. Benjamin teaches astronomy at UW-Whitewater. His re-mapping of the Milky Way in 2005 received international media attention. More recently, he and several recent graduates have been observing the path of a giant gaseous cloud headed for the Milky Way.
10:00-11:00 - Dr. Douglass Shaw:
"Water, Fish and Risk: Can Economists and Biologists Work Together?"
Hamilton Center
Dr. Shaw’s presentation will describe how the economics of risk and uncertainty can help us address environment challenges that have major implications for human health. He will speak with particular reference to management of water resources for both human and fish populations.
Dr. W. Douglass Shaw is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University and one of the leading environmental economists in the country. He is author of over 70 papers, books or book chapters and has written a widely used textbook on the economics of water resources.
11:00-12:00 - Concurrent Sessions
- Campus Sustainability, University Center, Room 259b
- The Greening of Religion, University Center, Room 259a
- Green buildings, University Center, Room 261
- Ecologically Responsible Shopping, University Center, Room 266
12:00-1:30 - Lunch
During the lunch hour, there will be alternative energy (including human-powered!) vehicles on display at the north end of Parking Lot 14 (behind Upham Hall), as well as discussions about current and projected technologies for these vehicles.
At 12:30 there will be a dedication of a plaque commemorating Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day in 1970. This dedication will be held by a grove of trees planted during recent Earth Days, just to the east of the Center for the Arts.
The lunch hour is intentionally long in order to give participants a chance to eat and still have time to see the alternative vehicle display and witness the dedication.
1:30-2:30 - Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes:
"Environmental Contaminants: From Genes to Policy"
Hamilton Center
Tyrone Hayes studies diverse aspects of the interaction between amphibians (frogs and toads) and their environments, including how environmental contaminants produced by humans affect testis and ovary development and sex determination generally. He is particularly interested in how the herbicide Atrazine may chemically castrate amphibians and potentially other vertebrates; Atrazine has also been implicated in prostate and breast cancer.
Dr. Hayes is Professor of Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, including the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Mentor Award from the University of California at Berkeley; the Rachel Carson Memorial Award (Pesticide Action Network); the National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award (NGS); and The PresidentÂ’s Citation Award (American Institute of Biological Sciences). For all of his accomplishments, the Mayor of the City of Minneapolis proclaimed January 24, 2005 "Dr. Tyrone Hayes Day."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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Continuing Education Services |
OR |
George Savage |
OR |
Jeff McKinnon |
NOMINATION INFORMATION FOR WHITEWATER ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Thanks to the many people, departments, and organizations for their contributions to this Earth Day event: Chancellor Richard Telfer, Provost John Heyer, College of Letters and Sciences (Dean Mary Pinkerton), College of Business and Economics (Dean Chris Clements), BBB Biology Honors Society, Office of Continuing Education, Department of Physics (Paul Rybski), Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Languages and Literatures, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, the Campus Greens (Pat Broderick and Gina Castro), Rollie Cooper, the City of Whitewater, Ryan Garcia (Whitewater City Planner), Kevin Brunner (Whitewater City Manager) and the many presenters.
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