Several St. Thomas faculty members will present at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s annual conference, held Oct. 25-28, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The AASHE conference theme is “Transforming Sustainability Education.” It aims to bring together professionals, university leaders, faculty and students, businesses and media to celebrate and inspire campus sustainability initiatives.
St. Thomas is a master-level sponsor of the conference, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 attendees.
St. Thomas presenters and their presentations are:
- Dr. Ande Nesmith, School of Social Work, “Examining Environmental Justice Locally: A Case for Student Engagement and Integrated Curricular Content.”
- Dr. Adam Kay, Biology and Environmental Science departments, and Dr. Chip Small, Biology Department, “Stewardship Science: Connecting Undergraduate-Led Sustainability Research With Community Service.”
- Dr. Elise Amel, director of sustainability initiatives within the newly formed Center for Global and Local Engagement, with Dr. Carole Chabries, Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities executive director, “Undergraduate Community Engagement in the Service of Sustainability: Connecting the ACTC Consortium with the City of St. Paul.”
- Dr. Maria Dahmus, program manager of sustainability initiatives, Center for Global and Local Engagement, and Dr. Debra Petersen, Communication and Journalism Department, “A Systems Approach to Supporting Curricular Innovations.”
St. Thomas also will host a campus tour for conference attendees Oct. 28. The tour will highlight several sustainability initiatives and programs around campus and end with a roundtable discussion about how to infuse more sustainability initiatives into curriculum, campus life and institutional structure.
Faculty involved in the tour are Amel; Dahmus; Small; Kay; Bob Douglas, Sustainability Committee emeritus chair; Dr. Melissa Lamb, Geology Department; Dr. Paul Lorah, Geography Department; and Dr. Kris Wammer, Chemistry Department.
