Madison, Wisc., Oct. 8-11, 2009!
"Environment: The Interdisciplinary Challenge"
AESS Conference's FINAL Program is now available! Download the .pdf version by clicking here!
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Latest Announcement (09/22/09):
PAUL EHRLICH CONFIRMED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER!!
In keeping with the historic nature of this meeting, Paul Ehrlich has agreed to provide the opening keynote address. The President of the Center for Conservation Biology and Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University, Ehrlich has long been known as one of the most compelling -- and controversial -- of all environmental thinkers. He will be presenting his thoughts in the Wisconsin Union Theater starting 5:00 p.m. on Thursday evening, Oct. 8. His presentation will be open to the public, but it will be followed by a book-signing and reception (with excellent food and beverages) that will be for AESS members and registrants only.
JANE GOODALL CONFIRMED FOR LOW-CARBON PRESENTATION!!
Inkeeping not just with the historic nature of this meeting, but alsowith the personal commitment to lowering "carbon footprints" that sheshares with many AESS members, Jane Goodall has asked for anopportunity to address the meeting from her research station in thefield. We are delighted to have the opportunity to hear from thisinspirational researcher and spokesperson for the preservation ofbiodiversity.
REGISTER TODAY! Visit http://www.union.wisc.edu/aess and reserve your space at this historic event.
PROGRAM TAKING FINAL FORM
This year -- the 2009-2010 academic year -- will mark the 40th anniversary of the time when Paul Ehrlich and millions of other Americans observed the world's first "Earth Day." A key person behind that event was Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson -- the namesake of the University of Wisconsin's Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, one of the sponsors of this first official meeting of AESS. This, in short, will be an important time and place for taking stock of thinking, and action, to improve the environment.
One of our cranky members insists that the field of Environmental Studies and Sciences has seen far too little progress to date, largely because -- unlike almost any other field of study, from Anthropology through Zoology -- ours has never before had "an organization like AESS" to bring together leading researchers and educators from across the full range of relevant disciplines, and the full range of colleges and universities with environmental programs. According to him, at least, true progress in interdisciplinary environmental work will only be possible after people with starkly differing ideas and approaches have a chance to meet, debate, learn from, and spend informal time together with one another.
This will be your chance to test his hypothesis -- or to offer better ones of your own. The AESS conference is all about making connections – professional connections, disciplinary connections, connections between diverse disciplines, connections between theory and practice, and connections between complex natural systems and even more complex human social systems. Most of all, this will be a chance for YOU to connect with scholarsand scientists from roughly 1000 other interdisciplinary environmentalprograms who for too long have been forced to carry out their work inisolation from one another. Together, we will be shaping the future of the field that means so much to all of us.
Nearly150 paper presentations have already been included in the program. Dozens of roundtables, discussions,and poster sessions are planned,along with opportunities to hear prominent public figures and to meetwith members of the Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ), whoare holding their annual meeting only minutes away. At the same time, the conference is being planned not only an intellectual feast, but an important social event. Abanquet, reception, lunches and snack breaks are all planned toencourage informal discussion, information sharing,and the developmentof new friendships. Saturdayevening will even provide a chance to join SEJ colleagues for a festival at the Aldo Leopold Shack -- THE "shack" --with the Leopold Foundation. Organizers for SEJ are calling this a“slow-food extravaganza with some of the best beer, wine and organicfare that Wisconsin has to offer, followed by bluegrass music,bonfires,dancing and lots of down home banter in the heart of Sand County.”
The combination of conference events and field trips will provide opportunities to experience Wisconsin’s well-known contributions to environmental thought at a time of year when the weather and nature’s colors are at their finest. The conference itself will provide the opportunity to attend the first annual conference of AESS – an event with the potential to help launch “Earth Day: Phase II.”
Remember:
"Environment: The Interdisciplinary Challenge"
Annual Meeting of the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences
October 8-11, 2009
University of Wisconsin, Madison
This will be the first official conference of AESS and the inaugural meeting of the Association’s members from across North America and beyond.
You and other participants at the Madison meeting will be encouraged to address “the interdisciplinary challenge” at a personal level, learning more about ways in which leading environmental scholars, scientists and practitioners have managed to integrate environmental science, management, policy, ethics, and and the professions, into scholarly work and learning. The presentations and discussions at this meeting will help in synthesizing existing information and building new insights that are likely to shape the future of environmental research and teaching, in North America and beyond.
REGISTER TODAY! Go to http://www.union.wisc.edu/aess to get the best possible rates!