International Year of Planet Earth U.S. Lecture Series

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 National Academies

Global Connections between Earth Sciences, Health, and Policy:
A Symposium in Celebration of the International Year of Planet Earth

Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Keck Center of The National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW, Room 100,  Washington, D.C.

As of part of the celebration of the International Year of Planet Earth, on Thursday, 25 September, the National Academies' Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) is sponsoring a symposium that will explore the relationships between earth sciences and public health. Symposium speakers will examine the interrelationship of health issues and geological systems, as well as the integration of scientific research, particularly risk assessments, into policy strategies.
[ more information ]

 Denver Museum of Nature & Science

2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, CO 80205.
All require advance registration.
Please call +1303-322-7009 or +1-800-925-2250, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. [ more info ]

A Geologist’s View: Climate Change and Colorado
Bob Raynolds, PhD, research associate, Earth Sciences Department

What impacts Colorado’s climate? This important course will evaluate global climate change and its impact on Colorado. We will review water resources, biodiversity, and the challenges associated with ongoing changes to our landscape. A daylong field trip is included to see firsthand the changes affecting our surroundings.

Mondays & Thursdays, 7–18 August, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Denver Museum of Nature & Science,
Field trip: Saturday, 16 August, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
$145 member, $170 nonmember

Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
David Montgomery, PhD, author and professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Dirt—it’s everywhere we go, but we don’t think much about it. Turns out it’s worth thinking about! Montgomery, an award-winning leader in geomorphology, shares the disquieting notion that we are running out of dirt. Cultivated soils erode slowly enough to be overlooked in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. Using an engaging blend of history, archaeology, and geology, Montgomery will explain how societies have continually risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. He will share his hope that the rise of organic and no-till farming will create an agricultural revolution to avoid the fate of previous civilizations. He is the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations.

Thursday, 11 September, 7:00 p.m., Gates Planetarium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
$12 member, $15 nonmember
Book sale + signing

 Bruce Museum

1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT  06830
Lectures are free to members and $5 at the door for non-members.
[ directions and detailed information ]

The Science of Climate Change
Dr. Michael Mann, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteorology
Sunday, September 21, 2008, 3 p.m. Call (203) 869-0376 to make a reservation.

Hurricanes and Global Warming
Dr. Jenni Evans, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteorology
Sunday, October 19, 2008, 3 p.m. Call (203) 869-0376 to make a reservation.

Environmental Change and Emerging Diseases:   Why a Change of Scenery Isn't Always a Good Thing
Dr. Jonathan Epstein, Certified International Veterinary Medicine and Senior Research Scientist, The Consortium for Conservation Medicine, New York
Sunday, November 9, 2008, 3 p.m.   To make a reservation, call (203) 869-6786 ext.420 starting October 26.

Global Warming:  Some Science and Solutions
Dr. Robert B. Jackson, Nicholas Professor of Global Environmental Change and Director of the Center on Global Change,
Duke University, Durham, NC
Sunday, January 25, 2009, 3 p.m. To make a reservation, call (203) 869-6786 ext.420 starting January 11.

The Coming Transition to a Climate-Friendly Energy System for the 21rst Century
Prof. Sally M. Benson, Executive Director, Global Climate and Energy Project
Professor, Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University
Sunday, April 5, 2009, 3 p.m.    To make a reservation, call (203) 869-6786 ext.420 starting March 22.

 Geological Society of Washington (GSW)

Lecture Topic: 
International Year of Planet Earth - Global & U.S. Impacts
Dr. Craig Schiffries
John Wesley Powell Auditorium of the Cosmos Club
10 December 2008, Washington, DC

Visitors are welcome to attend GSW meetings at no charge. The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893 to promote the increase and dissemination of geological knowledge.

More information about GSW is available at www.gswweb.org

 Environmental Science Institute,  University of Texas at Austin