The Goldfarb Center and the Environmental Health Strategy Center are co-sponsoring a cutting edge one-day conference to present the links between human exposure to environmental chemicals and the development of obesity and diabetes. Leading scientists and policy experts will be speaking. Students email Gail Carlson, Environmental Studies Program (gcarlson@colby.edu) if you are interested in attending.

The keynote speaker will be Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D., from the University of California-Irvine Department of Developmental and Cell Biology. Blumberg is a national expert on the role of chemical exposures as a contributing factor for obesity and diabetes.

Chemicals, Obesity and Diabetes: How Science Leads Us To Action
Friday, October 14, 2011
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Diamond Building, Colby College

Biomass Tour TOMORROW- Wed the 12th!
As part of sustainability month here on the Colby campus, PPD is hosting a tour of the Biomass plant.

When: Wednesday, Oct 12th at 12:00pm
Where: Meet in Bixler 150

Please rsvp ASAP if you plan to attend (We'll postpone the event if there is no interest at this time). lmmorris@colby.edu

Gary Lawless, Colby alum and owner of Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick to read from his book
On October 25th at 5 pm, in the Robinson Room in Miller library, come hear Gary Lawless read from his book Caribbudhism and other poems. Gary is a Colby grad, a political activist, bio-regionalist, and bookstore owner. He often teaches poetry at Bates. When he was undergrad, he helped bring Gary Snyder to campus. Snyder is noted poet and Zen Buddhist, but he is more widely known for his pioneering work in bio-regionalism. After Garl Lawless graduated, he went to live with Snyder in the Sierras. It certainly changed his life. Any questions, ask Professor Peter Harris (pbharris@colby.edu) of English and creative writing.

Sustainability Report Highlights Green Initiatives
New 2010-11 Sustainability Report outlines initiatives from biomass heating to charts showing a 45-percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2002. (news.colby.edu)

News from Enviro-Co
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/portland-maine-rallies-keystone-xl-obama-fundraiser/#more-1598

On October 13th and 14th, Green Corps will be on Colby campus looking to recruit next years class and provide information for future candidates. Green Corps is the premier field school for environmental organizing. It is year-long paid training program from recent college graduates looking to make a difference in the world. An awesome Green Corps grad,Tia Lebherz, will be holding informational sessions, running an activist training workshop through the Environmental Coalition, and interviewing interested candidates on Friday October 14th.

Beyond Campus
Camden Conference
Maine Farmland Trust's Executive Director John Piotti will discuss the state of farming, and how - if we are smart about it - farming can become the centerpiece of a sustainable future for Maine, on Thursday, October 13, at the Camden Public Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The program is free and open to all. www.camdenconference.org.

In the News
Chemicals Play Role in Obesity?
http://www.pressherald.com/news/chemicals-play-role-in-obesity__2011-10-11.html

The Self Sufficient Office Building
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/realestate/commercial/seattles-bullitt-center-aims-to-be-energy-self-sufficient.html?pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share

Scholarships and Graduate School Opportunities
M.S. graduate opportunity--forest songbirds in the northeastern US
Seeking an M.S. graduate student at the University of New England in Biddeford, ME. This project will focus on the effects of a new federal timber management program whose goal is improve habitat for key forest songbird species breeding in Vermont. This project stemmed from Audubon Vermont’s Forest Bird Initiative and was aimed at working with foresters to integrate songbird habitat management into their management plans and silvicultural prescriptions. All field work will be done in Vermont during the 2012/2013 summers. This student will be partly supported by research funds, but will also need to have competitive grades and GRE scores to be awarded TA support. The ideal candidate must have strong knowledge/experience with forest songbirds in the northeastern United States. Additional preferred (although not required) skills include: point count experience, northeastern plant identification. For program requirements please see http://www.une.edu/cas/biology/graduate/index.cfm To be considered please send a cover letter, GPA and unofficial GRE scores, and CV (including names, phone numbers, and email addresses of three references) by email (nperlut@une.edu) to Dr. Noah Perlut, Department of Environmental Studies, 11 Hills Beach Road, University of New England, Biddeford, ME 04005. Materials must be received by Dec 1, 2011.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is seeking motivated PhD candidates for our Marine Ecosystem Sustainability in the Arctic and Subarctic (MESAS) program (http://www.uaf.edu/mesas). This interdisciplinary NSF-funded IGERT (http://www.igert.org) program incorporates case studies, courses, and seminars to teach the fundamental principles and analytical tools of anthropology, ecology, economics, fisheries science, management, marine policy, and oceanography. An appreciation of diverse societal objectives recognizes that there are many services that humans derive from marine ecosystems. New research and frameworks are needed for evaluating the likely effects of alternative management actions and policies. MESAS will broadly train students in ecosystem- based approaches to managing and studying living marine resources in the context of competing local, national, and international interests. The MESAS program includes an internship with partner organization, mentoring opportunities, and interaction with terrestrial sustainability IGERT at UAF. Fellowships (available to US citizens or permanent residents seeking PhD degree) include $30K/yr stipend, tuition, health insurance, and research funding. We are accepting applicants through 1/31 for Fall 2012 enrollment. Interested students should visit our website for more information (http://www.uaf.edu/mesas) or contact MESAS at mesas.uaf@alaska.edu.

The Department of Wildland Resources, in the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University, will award a S. J. and Jesse E. Quinney PhD Fellowship to start fall 2012.
The Fellowship provides four years support of $20,000 per year as a Graduate Research Assistant, plus tuition, student fees, and health insurance. The Department of Wildland Resources (http://www.cnr.usu.edu/wild/) has a diverse faculty and a large, dynamic graduate student body. Research focuses on basic and applied aspects of the ecology, conservation, restoration, and management of a wide breadth of wildland ecosystems. The Department is an integral part of the three-department College of Natural Resources and the inter-collegiate Ecology Center (http://www.usu.edu/ecology/), and houses the USDA Predator Ecology Lab (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/field/utah/indexut.shtml), part of the USGS Utah Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit (http://ella.gis.usu.edu/~utcoop/), and the USU RS/GIS Laboratory (http://www.gis.usu.edu/).

Jobs and Internships
Field Science Educator, Olympic Park Institutehttp://www.naturebridge.org/olympic-park/field-science-educator

Sea Level Rise Outreach and Training Coordinator
Florida Sea Grant is searching for a full-time Sea Level Rise Outreach and Training Coordinator. We are looking for a highly motivated person to lead a program focused on effects of sea level rise on coastal natural resources.   Prospective applicants can click here: https://jobs.ufl.edu/ , "Search Posting" and use Requisition No. 0809463.