FLC notes, 10/30
Announcements:
1. Student Climate Change Coalition seminar discussing local climate, severe storms and how climate change impacts us.
Guy Robinson, NASA
Lorraine Remer, NASA/UMBC Joint Center for Earth Technology
Fred Huemmrich, NASA/UMBC Joint Center for Earth Technology
Jeffrey Halverson, UMBC GES Professor
Mon, Nov 20th | 5pm-8pm | Math/Psych 012
2. “Nuclear Pain and Humanitarian Photography: Morizumi Takashi, the Gulf Wars, and Fukushima” Julia Adeney Thomas, Associate Professor of History, University of Notre Dame. Wednesday, November 15, 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Library Gallery
3. Our next meeting is Monday, 11/13.
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Ali reported on JCET faculty interest in supporting climate courses.
Andy and Roy reported on their group discussion with Anna on their courses’ disciplinary approaches. Andy will guest lecture in Anna’s class when it studies a program music composition on climate change.
Deborah Howard, the climate action plan revision coordinator, was in attendance.
We turned to a discussion of which approaches we might emphasize over the rest of the year. The list distributed before the class via UMBC Group post was:
Options we have already identified
Update the inventory of current UMBC courses relevant to the topic
Develop a broader network of involved faculty interested in climate change and sustainability
Create a speakers program for the general UMBC audience, perhaps structured as debates on important climate issues where there are justified uncertainties
Create a seminar series for faculty on the topic
Develop local research opportunities that would involve students and generate offsets for UMBC’s climate footprint
Design a large, team-taught intro course on climate change
Increase student active learning and social/political activism re climate change.
Selected ideas identified by a review of other campuses’ climate action plans
Create a certificate in sustainability
Create a sustainability general education requirement
Offer a First Year Seminar on climate change and/or sustainability
Sponsor student competitions around sustainability
Support student-led sustainability initiatives
Create and implement a ‘themed year’ around a sustainability topic
Offer a environmental/sustainability living-learning community
Discussion focused on:
1. How to exchange information about climate change between us, and how to present it to the campus. A podcast, Warm Regards, was recommended: https://soundcloud.com/warmregardspodcast. The time demands of curating a web site for this purpose were emphasized. One suggestion was to have a sustainability intern provide assistance; a related one was to provide more funding for students to work on campus climate activities. Tanvi has sent Roy a list of current leaders of student environmental groups on campus. We might consider inviting them to contribute to our deliberations.
2. The meaning/functions of a faculty network on climate change. Our group is now a network; how it could be expanded to a campus wide one was identified as an important question. One function would be to ease making connections between faculty with related research interests. Another would be to sponsor a seminar series. David suggested that we each describe our “best lecture” on climate, with the goal of swapping guest lectures. We were informed that JCET and Lynne Schaefer are planning to sponsor a speakers series on climate, likely two a semester, with a soft launch intended for next spring’s Earth Day.
3. Jason’s suggestion that we could sponsor a teach-in as a stimulus for a step increase in campus activity on this subject. He noted that students tend to be overwhelmed by the climate problem. They need to know how to break it into manageable components so despair and complacency are replaced with activity.
4. Several curriculum options, including a sustainability certificate and a general education requirement. Some of us commented that both would involve extensive effort, and might best be considered later. An alternative approach was suggested that would incorporate into existing classes, and particularly into introductory classes, activities where students would be engaged in learning about climate adaptation and taking actions along these lines.
Announcements:
1. Student Climate Change Coalition seminar discussing local climate, severe storms and how climate change impacts us.
Guy Robinson, NASA
Lorraine Remer, NASA/UMBC Joint Center for Earth Technology
Fred Huemmrich, NASA/UMBC Joint Center for Earth Technology
Jeffrey Halverson, UMBC GES Professor
Mon, Nov 20th | 5pm-8pm | Math/Psych 012
2. “Nuclear Pain and Humanitarian Photography: Morizumi Takashi, the Gulf Wars, and Fukushima” Julia Adeney Thomas, Associate Professor of History, University of Notre Dame. Wednesday, November 15, 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Library Gallery
3. Our next meeting is Monday, 11/13.
---
Ali reported on JCET faculty interest in supporting climate courses.
Andy and Roy reported on their group discussion with Anna on their courses’ disciplinary approaches. Andy will guest lecture in Anna’s class when it studies a program music composition on climate change.
Deborah Howard, the climate action plan revision coordinator, was in attendance.
We turned to a discussion of which approaches we might emphasize over the rest of the year. The list distributed before the class via UMBC Group post was:
Options we have already identified
Update the inventory of current UMBC courses relevant to the topic
Develop a broader network of involved faculty interested in climate change and sustainability
Create a speakers program for the general UMBC audience, perhaps structured as debates on important climate issues where there are justified uncertainties
Create a seminar series for faculty on the topic
Develop local research opportunities that would involve students and generate offsets for UMBC’s climate footprint
Design a large, team-taught intro course on climate change
Increase student active learning and social/political activism re climate change.
Selected ideas identified by a review of other campuses’ climate action plans
Create a certificate in sustainability
Create a sustainability general education requirement
Offer a First Year Seminar on climate change and/or sustainability
Sponsor student competitions around sustainability
Support student-led sustainability initiatives
Create and implement a ‘themed year’ around a sustainability topic
Offer a environmental/sustainability living-learning community
Discussion focused on:
1. How to exchange information about climate change between us, and how to present it to the campus. A podcast, Warm Regards, was recommended: https://soundcloud.com/warmregardspodcast. The time demands of curating a web site for this purpose were emphasized. One suggestion was to have a sustainability intern provide assistance; a related one was to provide more funding for students to work on campus climate activities. Tanvi has sent Roy a list of current leaders of student environmental groups on campus. We might consider inviting them to contribute to our deliberations.
2. The meaning/functions of a faculty network on climate change. Our group is now a network; how it could be expanded to a campus wide one was identified as an important question. One function would be to ease making connections between faculty with related research interests. Another would be to sponsor a seminar series. David suggested that we each describe our “best lecture” on climate, with the goal of swapping guest lectures. We were informed that JCET and Lynne Schaefer are planning to sponsor a speakers series on climate, likely two a semester, with a soft launch intended for next spring’s Earth Day.
3. Jason’s suggestion that we could sponsor a teach-in as a stimulus for a step increase in campus activity on this subject. He noted that students tend to be overwhelmed by the climate problem. They need to know how to break it into manageable components so despair and complacency are replaced with activity.
4. Several curriculum options, including a sustainability certificate and a general education requirement. Some of us commented that both would involve extensive effort, and might best be considered later. An alternative approach was suggested that would incorporate into existing classes, and particularly into introductory classes, activities where students would be engaged in learning about climate adaptation and taking actions along these lines.