Fall 2004 Colloquia
Choose one of the following links for a specific lecture series

Hollis Lectures in Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies Evening Colloquium Series
Environmental Studies Lunchtime Colloquium Series
Other Related Events

Requirements for the Senior Colloquium in Environmental Studies

Gary is a Colby graduate, poet, activist, co-owner of Gulf of Maine Bookstore, editor of Wild Earth Magazine, and publisher of Blackberry Books. An internationally-acclaimed poet, Gary has published eleven collections of poetry in the United States and three in Italy. He has traveled to give poetry readings in Italy, Slovenia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Join us for an evening of poetry and inspiration.

Tuesday, September 14, in Olin 1.
Come early for a dinner in the Whitney Room of Roberts - bring a tray.
(ES 402 credit given)

Hollis Lecture
"Reading the Forested Landscape"
Tom Wessels

Tom will bring his slide presentation based on his book, "Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England ". It introduces people to approaches used to interpret a forest's history while wandering through it. Using evidence such as the shapes of trees, scars on their trunks, the pattern of decay in stumps, the construction of stone walls, and the lay of the land, it is possible to unravel complex stories etched into our forested landscape. This process could easily be called forest forensics, since it is quite similar to interpreting a crime scene.

Tom Wessels is the author of "Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England and "The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite". He is professor of Ecology and founding director of the Masters Degree Program in Conservation Biology in the Department of Environmental Studies at Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire.

7pm Thursday, October 21, in Olin 1.
(ES 402 credit given)

"The Politics of Breast Cancer and Environmental Contamination"
Cheryl Osimo

Cheryl will speak about Silent Spring Institute's scientific research dedicated to identifying the links between the environment and women's health, especially breast cancer. She will highlight projects that investigate issues key to determining how women are exposed to pollutants with potentially long-term health risks.

Ms. Osimo is the Cape Coordinator for the Silent Spring Institute. She organizes the education and outreach efforts of the Institute, including conducting information sessions for Cape residents and organizations, convening public advisory committee meetings and other public forums, serving as liaison to media and local officials, and organizing programs and activities that support the Institute's research agenda.

7 pm Tuesday, October 26, in Olin 1
(ES 402 credit given)

IBM Lecture Co-sponsored by the STS Department
"Saving Nature in Time: The Past and the Future of Environmentalism"

William Cronon's research seeks to understand the history of human interactions with the natural world: how we depend on the ecosystems around us to sustain our material lives, how we modify the landscapes in which we live and work, and how our ideas of nature shape our relationships with the world around us. He'll discuss the evolving relationship between environmental history and environmentalism, and what the two might learn from each other.

Mr. Cronon is the Frederick Jackson Turner Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison after having served for more than a decade as a member of the Yale History Department. In 2003, he was also named Vilas Research Professor at UW-Madison, the university's most distinguished chaired professorship. He has been President of the American Society for Environmental History, and serves as general editor of the Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books Series for the University of Washington Press. He has served on the Governing Council of The Wilderness Society since 1995. Cronon has been a Rhodes Scholar, Danforth Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and MacArthur Fellow; has won prizes for his teaching at both Yale and Wisconsin; and in 1999 was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.

7 pm Thursday November 11, in Olin 1
(ES 402 credit given)

"Containment: Life After Three Mile Island "
Filmmakers Chris Boebel and Nick Poppy examine the legacy of the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant (TMI) from the perspective of the nearby community of Middletown, Pennsylvania. Containment explores the accident´s long-term effects on local residents, including the rise of anti-nuclear activism, psychological consequences and the debate over health effects.
Co-Producer/Director Chris Boebel is the Writer/Director of Red Betsy (2003), a feature film starring Alison Elliott, Leo Burmester, Chad Lowe, and Lois Smith. Red Betsy was supported by two ITVS/PBS American Stories Development grants. It received the Best Feature Award at the 2003 Crossroads Film Festival. Chris' short film Like/Dislike screened at over 20 film festivals worldwide, including Sundance. A Cine Eagle winner, Like/Dislike has aired on U.S. public television, the BBC and on many other networks around the world. Chris was Co-Creator/Writer/Executive Producer of Ted the Head, a series of shorts for Nickelodeon, which was nominated for a Cable ACE Award. He has worked on numerous documentary projects as a producer, director, and cameraman, including projects for The Hasbro Children's Foundation and the Big Apple Circus. He is an alumnus of NYU's Graduate Film School, where he received a Paramount Pictures Grant and a teaching fellowship.

7pm Tuesday, November 16, Olin 1
Come early for a dinner in the Whitney Room of Roberts - bring a tray.
(ES 402 credit given)

"Moving Towards Ecological Sustainability in the US Shellfish Culture Industry"

Joth Davis'76 will share his prospective on sustainability issues in shellfish production. He'll discuss basic production methods, ecological effects both negative and positive associated with mollusk culture activities, societal attitudes about sustainability and seafood production, recent legislative issues, and ongoing research programs in shellfish on a nation-wide basis.

Joth graduated from Colby in 1976 then went on to get a PhD in fisheries from the University of Washington. Since 1996, Joth has been the director of Hatchery Research and Development for Taylor Shellfish Farms, Inc. He is engaged in R&D on state-of-art husbandry methods for oysters, mussels, clams and rock scallops and northern abalone for large, vertically integrated shellfish company. Joth also is the Owner and Operator of Baywater Inc., a Molluscan shellfish farm and consulting services on Hood Canal, WA specializing in production of triploid bivalves including pacific oysters, Manila clams and geoduck clams. He balances this with teaching at the University of Washington, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences. Joth and his family reside in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

7 pm Tuesday, November 30, Olin 1
(ES 402 credit given)

Back to top.

"Mellon Interns Return and Tell All"
Brendan Carroll '05, Carolyn Hunt '05, and Kara Lanahan '05

This season's Mellon Interns are back from a busy summer. They spent their time studying climate change with the Natural Resources Council of Maine, working to protect Sears Island with the Sierra Club of Maine, and learning the nuts and bolts of running a non-profit organization with the Bay Institute in San Francisco.
Come and hear about their experiences.

Wednesday September 15, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit)

11:30 - 1 pm
Kara will launch this semester's colloquium at 11:30, followed by a break to grab a tray lunch, then we'll hear from Brendan and Carolyn.

"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is ~ the State of Disorganized Agriculture"
Spencer Aitel

Come here an overview of the issues surrounding local and regional agriculture from the viewpoint of farmers out standing in the fields.
Spencer '77 and Paige Tyson '76 operate Two Loons Farm, a 350-acre organic dairy and crop farm. Organic Jersey milk is sold to Cropp Coop, Stonyfield Yogurt and Organic Valley brand milk. Seed grains of rye, oat and wheat are sold to Fedco seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds. A board member of MOFGA since 1998, Spencer also serves as chair of the Town of China Land Use Board of Appeals.

Wednesday September 29, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

"Biocomplexity and Interdisciplinary Challenges of Endangered Species Risk Assessment"
Philip Nyhus, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies.

Philip's interdisciplinary research bridges the natural and social sciences to address human interactions with the environment. Philip will tell us about the policy dimensions of human-wildlife conflict and endangered species conservation.

Wednesday October 13, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

" E-Wasted: The Hazards of Computer Afterlife"
Jon Hinck, Staff Attorney at the Natural Resources Council of Maine

Jon will tell the story of the toxic travels of obsolete computers and other techno junk from the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. to Guangdong Province in China and how Maine will soon start to demanufacture its waste electronics.

Before joining NRCM in 2003, Jon practiced law in Maine and California concentrating on complex environmental and consumer litigation. He has served as adjunct professor of environmental law at the University of Southern Maine. Jon received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from the Boalt Hall School of Law at Berkeley.

Wednesday October 27, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

"DEP: What are we Protecting Anyway?"
Kristen Haley '99 and Mary Pierce '98

Two perspectives from DEP's Division of Land Resource Regulation on
development in Maine. These Colby alums will discuss cumulative impacts,
project planning, and construction and compliance.

Wednesday November 3, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

"Maine's Sustainable and Accessible Fisheries"
Maine State Senator Dennis Damon

Senator Damon is the Chair of the Marine Resources Committee and member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Ground Fish Task Force. He is also a fourth-generation commercial fisherman with extensive experience in many fisheries including ground fish, shrimp, scallops, lobsters, and herring. He'll tell us about the state's efforts to keep the fisheries industry thriving in Maine.

Wednesday November 17, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

"Vermicomposting: Worms & Waste"
Joel Seraph, Maine Cooperative Extension

Looking for some pets that will work for you? Joel will share tips and techniques of this efficient way to use worms to convert food wastes into high-quality soil for houseplants, seedling transplants and general garden use.

Joel Seraph is the Horticulture Aide for the Kennebec County office of University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Wednesday December 1, in the Fairchild Room in Dana (ES 402 credit given)

12 - 1pm, come early for tray lunch and conversation

1. You are required to attend six of the scheduled presentations each semester. A minimum of three of these presentations each semester must be part of the Environmental Studies Evening Forum series.

For each of the six presentations that you attend, a typed, one page, single-spaced summary of the presentation is required. This summary should include, a) the title of the presentation, b) the speaker's name and affiliation, and c) a description of the main points of the talk including, e.g., the nature of the problem under study, the objectives of the research, the results, and possible conclusions or directions for further study.

3. The summaries are due to Russ Cole by 5:00 PM Friday following the presentation.

4. A member of the Environmental Studies Program will read your summary. If the reader determines that the summary is cogent and satisfies the criteria outlined in #2 above, he or she will affix the grade of "PASS" on the summary page. If the reader believes the summary is not cogent and does not satisfy the criteria outlined on #2 above, the grade of "FAIL" will be given. The reader will sign his or her name to the summary page so that in the event that you have questions regarding the grading of your summary, you may ask the reader of your summary directly.

5. You must complete six summaries with the grade of "PASS" in order to successfully complete the Spring ES 402 course. You will receive one credit for successfully completing both of the fall and spring courses. Those of you majoring in Biology/Environmental Science will recognize that these new courses have been modeled after the successful biology colloquium series.

6. Students will also be involved in helping faculty to host speakers during their visits to Colby. We also hope to provide opportunities for small group dinners with the guest speakers to provide informal opportunities for discussions of contemporary environmental issues.

This is a new initiative of the Environmental Studies Program. We are very interested in receiving feedback from our students. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them along to Russ Cole. Thanks!

For events and lectures from previous semesters click here