The National Council for Science and the Environment invites you to...
REGISTER NOW FOR THE INAUGURAL CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION FORENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES & SCIENCES (AESS) ENVIRONMENT: The Interdisciplinary Challenge University of Wisconsin, Madison October 8-11, 2009 Join hundreds of friends and colleagues from across North America in a wide-ranging exchange of research findings, teaching tips, lessons about professional development, and discussions about the future of environmental and sustainability higher education. You may make your reservation today by visiting the AESS website [http://www.AESS.info] http://www.AESS.info or go straight to the conference website at [http://www.union.wisc.edu/aess] http://www.union.wisc.edu/aess. You will also be able to reserve lodging nearby and monitor the development of theconference program. Nearly 150 paper presentationshave already been included in the program and dozens of roundtables, discussions,and poster sessions are planned, along with opportunities to hear prominent public figures and to meet with members of the Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ), who are holding their annual meeting only minutes away. Making connections is the goal of the AESS conference - professional connections, disciplinary connections, connections among diverse disciplines, connections between theory and practice, and connections between complex natural systems and even more complex human social systems. Members of the program and local arrangements committees have endeavored to make the conference not only an intellectual feast, but an important social event, as well. A banquet, reception, lunches and snack breaks are all planned to encourage informal discussion, information sharing,and the development of new friendships. CONFERENCE SCHEDULE The conference will kick off late Thursday afternoon,October 8, with a welcome reception and brief addresses about Wisconsin’s prominent role in environmental thought and action. Professor Stanley Temple, avian ecologist and past president of the Society for Conservation Biology, will talk about "The Natural History of Wisconsin," followed by Curt Meine, Director of theCenter for Humans and Nature, and biographer of Aldo Leopold who will describe "The Environmental Legacy ofWisconsin." The conference will move into high gear with a plenary on Friday morning, followed by concurrent panelsessions and roundtables. All of these sessions will be held in the historic Memorial Union located on the shores of beautiful Lake Mendota. A magnificent banquet will be held Friday evening in one of the grand halls of the Memorial Union. Saturday will open with a chance to visit the local farmers market, one of the largest in the nation, followed by plenary, poster sessions, and concurrent panel presentations. Saturday evening provides a choice of visiting one of the many local restaurants or joining SEJ colleagues for a festival at the Aldo Leopold Shack, with the Leopold Foundation. Organizers forS EJ are calling this a "slowfood extravaganza with some of the best beer, wineand organic fare that Wisconsin has to offer, followed by bluegrass music,bonfires, dancing and lots of down home banter in the heart of Sand County." Sunday (October 11) will begin with a brunch organized around thematic discussion tables. A sign for each round table session will invite whoever wishes to join. Issues raised at this years conference, collaborations for theforthcoming year, or developing potential sessions for next years AESS conference are all possibilities. Pre-conference tours on Thursday October 8 are being coordinated with the Society for Environmental Journalists, and will be open for registration by AESS members beginning on August 17th. The combination of campus events and local 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. Don’t miss this opportunity to attendthe first annual conference of AESS - an event with the potential to help launch "Earth Day: Phase II." PASS THIS INVITE ALONG TO OTHERS! The conference is open to all whether you are a previous member or not. The modest conference fee includesthe bargain basement membership dues of $30 (only $10 for students). To learn more about AESS see [http://aess.info] http://aess.info The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) is an independent faculty-and-student-based professional association in higher education, designed to serve the needs of environmental scholars and scientists who value interdisciplinary approaches to research, teaching, and problem-solving. Founded in 2008, the Association seeks to provide its members with the latest environmental information and tools to create better courses, strengthen research, develop more satisfying careers, harness the power of a collective voice for the profession, and enjoy each other’s company at national and regional meetings. A major aim of AESS is to encourage interdisciplinary understanding of environmental science, policy, management, ethics, history, and all of the other vital contributions of traditional disciplines. From its beginning, the Association has been envisioned as a community of environmental scholars and scientists, not a confederation of disciplines. Fundamental to its members’ embrace of higher education is the notion that broad advances in environmental knowledge require disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches to research and learning. The [http://www.ncseonline.org/] National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) and its [http://www.cedd.org/] Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD) are playing key roles in launching AESS. NCSE Senior Scientist and CEDD Executive Secretary David Blockstein is on the interim steering committee, as is CEDD President Stephanie Pfirman. CEDD Executive Committtee member Monty Hempel is serving as AESS's interim president. New officers for AESS will be elected at this meeting.
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