University of Alaska Anchorage
Tier2-6: Sustainability Events

Last year (2009/2010 academic year) our books of the year focused on climate change. Many classes on campus utilize the books of the year as part of their curriculum.

A climate change symposium was scheduled at UAA May 2-7, 2011 in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. This is a description of the symposium: “Alaska is ground zero for climate change…” The Chugach National Forest with its world famous glaciers and watersheds is a focal point on the melting edge for researchers, educators, and students around the world seeking to understand the potential physical, biological, cultural and socio-economic impacts. The University of Alaska Anchorage shares similar geographic boundaries with the Forest, and views this largely unmodified landscape as an extended classroom for students and professors alike; a laboratory providing a natural baseline for studying the impacts of environmental change.

In 2011, the United Nation’s International Year of the Forest, these two institutions will join together to co-host a climate symposium that aims to:
• Convene researchers to collect and coordinate the breadth
of disperse, climate-related scientific and sociological inquiry on our shared and neighboring landscapes;
• Identify potential research questions and monitoring indicators and projects concerning climate change;
• Provide educational opportunities on climate change, with
a particular focus on introducing youth and young adults to
new information;
• Raise awareness of importance of forests in climate research, education, and adaptation.

The conference hosts are pleased to welcome and integrate the Northern Forum’s Youth Eco-Forum to the event, as well. The Northern Forum is a nonprofit, international organization composed of sub-national or regional governments from 8 northern countries. 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the organization’s Youth Eco-Forum, an annual event aimed at promoting environmental education among teenagers around the circumpolar north. For the first time, the Youth Eco-Forum will come to Alaska, and 80-100 youth from all over the north will join the conference to explore research and questions concerning climate change and forested landscapes.

Other events, in reverse chronological order include:

Tuesday February 8 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
Transition to Sustainable Energy
Experts in the field of energy come together to offer insights into where we are and where we can be going in regard to developments in sustainable energy in Alaska. Panelists include Brian Hirsch/National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rick Steiner/ Oasis Earth; Michelle Wilber/ Renewable Energy Alaska Project, acting as moderator Paula Williams/UAA Office of Sustainability.

Dr. Patrick Sullivan speaks on 'Causes and consequences of changes in treeline'
11/12/2010
Where: CPISB, Room 120
Description: The Biology Department is pleased to have guest speaker Dr. Patrick Sullivan who will be speaking on the 'Causes and consequences of changes in treeline.'
2010,02,08, (Complex Systems Lecture Series)

Spoof: ‘The Murder of Learning’ fundraiser for UAA Sustainability Fund
11/11/2010
Where: Fine Arts Building, Room 150
Description: Join us for a special amateur performance of music, fun and humor about life at UAA written by your colleagues. Suggested donation is $10. Please make checks out to the UAA Sustainability Fund.

'Renewable Energy Sciences in Iceland'
10/25/2010
Where: UAA Campus Bookstore
Description: Jure Vetrsek and David Karabelnikoff share their experiences as grad students at Renewable Energy Sciences in Iceland and discuss the opportunities that renewable energy technologies provide for young professionals and future generations. Everyone is welcome to attend this informative event to learn about cutting edge energy systems and technology. For more details, see the Renewable Energy Sciences see the School for Renewable Energy Science website at http://www.res.is.

Oct. 15, 2010 - The Biology Department announces guest speaker Dr. Amy Miller from the National Park Service. She will speak on "Current Trajectories of Environmental Monitoring and Research in Southwest Alaska"

Thomas E. Lovejoy, free public lecture
10/12/2010
Where: Wendy Williamson Auditorium
Description: Founder of the PBS series Nature, Thomas E. Lovejoy, to give free public lecture at UAA as part of its 2010 Homecoming celebration on Oct. 12 Climate change, biodiversity, environmental conservation, the beauty of the natural world -- all of these are topics that Thomas E. Lovejoy, Ph.D. knows very well. On Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 7: 30 p.m. in UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium, the Anchorage community will have the opportunity to hear Lovejoy give a free lecture entitled, “A Wild Solution to Climate Change.”

Conservation priorities roundtable with Thomas Lovejoy
10/12/2010
Where: Commons, Room 107
Description: Founder of the PBS series Nature, Thomas E. Lovejoy, will also take part in a roundtable discussion on Conservation Priorities: Global perspectives vs. Alaska perspectives. Participants include: Thomas Lovejoy; John Schoen (Alaska Audubon Society); Wendy Loya (The Wilderness Society); The Nature Conservancy; Jeff Welker (UAA Environmental and Natural Resources Institute); and Douglas Causey (Moderator). This will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 12 in UAA’s Commons, room 107 at 10 a.m.

Arctic Sanctuary Book Signing by Jeff Jones
10/8/2010
Where: UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307
Description: The exhibit features the photographs of Jeff Jones. The exhibit is in conjunction with a new book being published by the University of Alaska Press featuring Jeff's photographs and essays by Laurie Hoyle. A book signing and lecture are planned for Friday, Oct. 8 (6-9 p.m., Library 307) during UAA's Homecoming Week Arctic Sanctuary coincides with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Arctic Refuge. The book titled Arctic Sanctuary, Images of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by Jeff Jones and Laurie Hoyle contains over 150 of Jeff's landscape images, essays by Laurie and an introduction by Michael Engelhard. Art Wolfe says about 'Arctic Sanctuary': “In Jeff Jones's masterly landscapes of the Arctic I find a majestic peace and a powerful call to action to protect this sanctuary of wildlife and wildness."

Terry Tempest Williams
9/13/2010
Where: Wendy Williamson Auditorium
Description: The Bartlett Lecture Series presents Terry Tempest Williams, an acclaimed naturalist, conservationist, and author. Known for her individualistic writing that leaps outside of categorical boundaries, Williams is able to clearly articulate her thoughts on life viewed from an ethical standpoint, as well as her strong belief in freedom of speech. Notable Works by Terry Tempest Williams Include: Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. Free lecture, general public welcome. Free parking. ASL Interpreters are provided.

9/13/2010
Where: UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307
Description: Please join us for a panel and facilitated discussion with noted authors Terry Tempest Williams (University of Utah), Kathleen Dean Moore (Oregon State University), and Charles Wohlforth (The Whale and the Supercomputer) on the ethical responsibilities of higher education in addressing climate change and other critical environmental challenges. The event will include an opportunity to purchase books by the authors, including a new anthology entitled Moral Ground: Ethical Responses to a Planet in Peril, which brings together the testimony of over eighty visionaries -- theologians and religious leaders, naturalists, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, activists, and writers -- to present a compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibilities to the planet. This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE) and the Bartlett Lecture Series.

Gulf Oil Spill Listening Session
9/8/2010
Where: Consortium Library Room 307
Description: Co-Chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, William K. Reilly and Chancellor Fran Ulmer will hold a listening session for Gulf Oil Spill recovery and response ideas. The public is invited to attend.

Craig Childs, Carolyn Turgeon readings
7/14/2010 8:00pm – 9:30pm
Where: Fine Arts 150
Description: Northern Renaissance Arts & Science Series; doors open at 7:30 pm Craig Childs is a writer who focuses on the relationship between humans and the landscape, often told from mind-blowing journeys in the wilderness. He has published more than a dozen books, including, 'The Secret Knowledge of Water,' 'House of Rain,' and 'Animal Dialogues.' His new book, 'Finders Keepers,' appears in August 2010. Carolyn Turgeon was born in Michigan and grew up in Illinois, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania. After graduating from Penn State, she earned a Master's in Comparative Literature from UCLA, and then spent several years in New York working as a writer and editor. Her first novel, 'Rain Village,' was published in 2006 by Unbridled Books. Her second, 'Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story,' was published in March 2009 by Three Rivers/Crown in the US and Headline in the UK. Her third novel, 'Mermaid,' a retelling of the original little mermaid story, will come out in March 2011.

Ken Tape presents 'The Changing Arctic Landscape'
4/12/2010 5pm
Description: UAA Campus Bookstore
'The Changing Arctic Landscape' is published by University of Alaska Press. From the book's description: Photographer Ken Tape shows the changes in Alaska landscapes by pairing decades-old photos of the arctic landscape of Alaska with photos of the same scenes taken in the present. Each section includes a short biography of a pioneering scientist who was instrumental in both obtaining the antique photographs and advancing the study of arctic ecosystems, as well as interviews with scientists who have spent decades working in Alaska for the United States Geological Survey. 'The Changing Arctic Landscape' is thus simultaneously an account of what we've learned, what we've lost, and what is left to us to preserve. Ken Tape was raised in Fairbanks, has a master's degree in geology from UAF and is currently finishing his PhD in biology. This event is free, open to the public with free parking available.

Water, The Triumph of Gravity
3/25/2010 7:30pm
Description: Water is the foundation of human existence. Brian Fagan tells the story of the complex relationship between humans and water over the past 5,000 years and asks: what lessons do the past have for a world confronted by drought and inexorable warming? UAA's College of Arts and Sciences and the Alaska Anthropological Association are sponsoring this free public talk in the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.

Forum on health effects of climate change
2/16/2010 7pm
Description; Rasmuson Hall, Room 110 National Wildlife Federation forum on health effects of climate change. Speakers include Mike Brubaker, Dr. Jeffrey Demain and Dr. Joe McLaughlin.

Biodiversity in the high arctic w/ Dr. Jeff Welker
2/12/2010
Description: CPISB Rm 120 Biocomplexity in the Arctic is a research program funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, which is intended to build an understanding of the linearity, interactions and emergent properties of terrestrial ecosystems in the high latitudes with a focus on biological, physical, and chemical dynamics. Dr. Welker's presentation will highlight the development of this program and the research findings from a set of field studies in northwest Greenland.

Feb. 8, 2010 7:30pm
Peak Oil, EROI, and Our Financial Future: Dr. Charles Hall, Professor, Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York. This lecture will be held in the Wendy Williams Auditorium.

Other urls with information about the events:
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/bookstore/

http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/cafe/cafe-calendar.cfm