Thursday, August 5, 2010: 11:30 AM-1:15 PM
309, David L Lawrence Convention Center
Organizer:
Jenny Talbot, University of California Irvine
Co-organizers:
Matthew D. Whiteside, University of British Columbia, Okanagan;
Roberto Salguero-Gomez, The University of Queensland;
Naupaka Zimmerman, University of Arizona; and
Andréa L. Kuchy, University of Idaho
Speakers:
F. Stuart Chapin III, University of Alaska Fairbanks;
Mary E. Power, University of California Berkeley;
Dan C. Donato, Oregon State University;
Val H. Smith, University of Kansas; and
Erica Fernandez, Stanford University
One of the most important issues that we face today as a global society is the need to develop an ethic of planetary stewardship, both within the scientific community and among the public. Addressing this issue head-on is a crucial component of mitigating and adapting to the challenges presented by climate change. The Ecological Society of America student body is uniquely positioned to broadly promote planetary stewardship because, as students, we inherently represent the future directions of ecological research and will define future standards for promotion of ecological literacy in the U.S. and abroad. Nevertheless, many Ecology students are not familiar with strategies to incorporate planetary stewardship into their thesis/dissertation research and their developing careers. The goal of this workshop is to introduce students to strategies to engage in planetary stewardship both now and in the future.
In this workshop, we will (i) discuss historical barriers and current progress in planetary stewardship within the scientific community and (ii) develop ideas for how to engage in planetary stewardship as students of Ecology. Each panel member will give a 5-10 minute presentation addressing point (i). Next, the workshop attendees will break out into small groups, each led by a panel member, and create a list of specific ways to incorporate stewardship into graduate-level Ecology curriculums. The groups will reconvene to jointly produce a letter to Ecology degree-granting programs outlining recommendations for how students can become leaders in planetary stewardship. The ESA Student Section will cover the cost of lunch for the attendees.
