Sustainability Research Seminars
SIRT facilitates a monthly series of scholarly discussions and speakers on sustainability-related research. To be added to the seminar announcement list or to submit at idea for a seminar, please email SIRT@uwosh.edu.
Upcoming Seminars
Past Seminars
Fox River in Your Life
Wednesday, November 6, 2019. 4:00 – 6:00 PM. ERIC Classroom
Presentations by:
Dr. Marcel Dijkstra: Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering Technology
Dr. Robert Pillsbury: Associate Professor, Biology & Microbiology
Dr. Paul Van Auken: Associate Professor/Department Chair, Sociology
Local Perspectives:
Thursday, April 18, 2019. 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
Presentations by:
Grace Lim, University Studies Program and Humans of Oshkosh
Shannon Davis-Foust, Biology Department and Environmental Studies Program
National Perspectives:
Thursday, March 14, 2019. 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
Presentations by:
Jim Feldman, History Department and Environmental Studies Program
Jeffrey Filipiak, Environmental Studies Program
Global Perspectives:
Thursday, February 14, 2019. 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
“Animal Justice and Sustainability: Perspectives from the Humanities”
Stewart Cole, Department of English
“International Biodiversity and Sustainability Initiatives: A report from the field”
Elizabeth Barron, Geography Department, Environmental Studies Program, and SIRT
Fall Semester Sustainability Round-Up!
Thursday, December 6, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
Discussion to be led by:
Misty McPhee, Biology Department and Environmental Studies Program
Sabrina Mueller-Spitz, Biology Department
Sustainability in Wisconsin:
Thursday, November 15, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
“Methylmercury and Whooping Cranes: Effects of Environmental Pollutants on Wildlife”
Misty McPhee, Biology Department and Environmental Studies Program
“Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Regional Studies of Ubiquitous Pollutants”
Kevin Crawford, Chemistry Department and SIRT
Sustainability on the National Level:
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
“Exhausting Options: State Pursuit of Automobile GHG Emission Standards”
Jason Kalmbach, Political Science Department
“Applying Computational Methods to Environmental Discourse in U.S. Politics”
Jeremiah Bohr, Sociology Department
Global Perspectives:
Thursday, September 20, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 4218
“International Law and the Challenge of Environmental Protection”
Tracy Slagter, Political Science Department
“What I Learned From My Students on a Study Abroad Trip About Sustainability”
Heike Alberts, Geography Department
The Past and Future of Sustainability and Nuclear Energy: A Political Scientist and a Historian Discuss
Thursday, April 12, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 3221
This event features a primary talk by Jason Kalmbach and a response paper by Jim Feldman.
The Fukushima Effect: A Longitudinal Analysis of Attitudes Toward Nuclear Power
Jason Kalmbach, Political Science Department and Environmental Studies Program
Sustainability Discourse and Radioactive Waste in Time and Place
Jim Feldman, History Department and Environmental Studies Program
Why Does Kewaunee County (and much of Northeast Wisconsin) Have Poor Groundwater Quality?
Thursday, March 8, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 3221
Maureen Muldoon, Geology Department
Areas underlain by the Silurian dolomite aquifer in northeastern Wisconsin are extremely vulnerable to groundwater contamination from various land-use activities, especially the disposal of human wastewater and dairy manure. These areas have had long-standing water quality problems with elevated nitrate-N concentrations, bacteria levels, and instances of “brown water” impacting domestic wells at various times throughout the year. The ongoing water-quality concerns in Kewaunee County have refocused public attention on the aquifer’s susceptibility to contamination. While these events have received recent media attention, they are not isolated incidents.
Migration & Displacement in the Global South
Thursday, February 8, 2018, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 2218
Angela Gray Subulwa, Geography Department
Douglas Haynes, English Department and Environmental Studies Program
Ang Subulwa will discuss the complex dynamics of forced displacement within the African context with specific attention to her work within refugee and refugee-hosting communities in Zambia, raising questions about the intersection of sustainability concerns with the institutional frameworks, settlement patterns, and development challenges embedded in protracted refugee situations.
Douglas Haynes will discuss the socioeconomic and ecological dimensions of rural to urban migration in Central America and read from his new book, Every Day We Live Is the Future: Surviving in a City of Disasters.
Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force: Changing the Landscape of Food Access
Thursday, November 30, 2017, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 3215
Across two different projects, Melissa Bublitz and a larger set of colleagues have engaged in a dialogue with various social impact organizations working to address hunger in their own communities. This presentation will focus on their collaborative work to redefine what it means to end hunger; change perceptions about who is hungry and why; understand key barriers that make hunger pervasive in developed economies, and efforts to shift the conversation about food well-being on a broader scale. In addition, Melissa will talk briefly about the value of dialogical conferences and using relational engagement as a research process.
Because of the topic at hand, please bring a food item to donate to the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry!
Sociological, Historical, and Biological Perspectives on Sustainability and Health
Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8:30-9:30 AM, in Sage 3215
Juyeon Son, Sociology Department: “Sociological Perspectives on End-of-Life Decision Making”
Ana Maria Kapelusz-Poppi, History Department: “Scientifical Progress and Political Authoritarianism in Early Twentieth Century Argentina”
Sabrina Mueller-Spitz, Biology Department: “Why do antimicrobial resistant bacteria persist with more sustainable agricultural animal husbandry practices?”
Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations
UW Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901
