University Announcements

 
“Strange New Worlds: Is Earth Special?”

Phil Plait is an American astronomer, skeptic, writer and brainchild behind the popular science blog “Bad Astronomy,” on which he tries to debunk scientific myths and misconceptions.

Though never a NASA employee, he has worked as part of the Hubble Space Telescope team as well as engaging in public outreach advocacy for several NASA missions focused on high-energy forms of light emitted by black holes, exploding stars and super-dense neutrons stars.

Plait is the author of two books, “Bad Astronomy” and “Death from the Skies!,” in which he provides real science behind all the ways astronomical events could wipe out life on Earth. Plait attended the University of Michigan and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Virginia.

The City of Appleton is installing a new button activation system this week for the mid-block College Avenue crosswalks between Drew and Lawe Streets. The new system will require pedestrians to push a button to activate the warning lights. This change will cut down on false activations, which can reduce the effectiveness of the lights. If you have questions, please contact Jake Woodford at 832-6850.

Did you miss that fall community read? No problem! All students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the 2019 winter term community read. This winter we will be reading Dan Egan’s The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. Participants will read a common book and attend discussions led by instructors to further explore sustainability and the Great Lakes.

A free copy of the book will be provided for all participants. The course will take place during second term of this academic year.

You can sign up for one of seven course sections that will meet during the winter term to discuss the book. Students should enroll in ENST 320. Faculty and staff should contact Kelsey Mc Cormick (kelsey.m.mccormick@lawrence.edu) about their preferred section.

Sections:
Mondays 1:50-3:00 – Macia Bjornerud
Tuesdays 9:50-11:00 – Israel Del Toro
Tuesdays 12:30-1:20 – Jason Brozek
Wednesdays 9:50-11:00 – Timothy Troy
Wednesdays 1:50-3:00 – Jeff Clark
Wednesdays 3:10-4:20 – Bart DeStasio
Thursdays 9:50-11:00 – Relena Ribbons

Tuesday, October 23, 2018
11:10 a.m.
“Listening Well in a World that Turns Away”
Katherine Cramer

Katherine Cramer is an American political scientist and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker,” the product of almost a decade of studying political attitudes in rural Wisconsin through ethnography.

Her work focuses on the way people in the United States make sense of politics. She is known for her innovative approach to the study of public opinion, in which she invites herself into the conversations of groups of people to listen to the way they understand public affairs.

Cramer was the recipient of the 2017 American Political Science Association’s Qualitative and Multi-Method Research section Giovanni Sartori Award for the best book developing or using qualitative methods published in 2016, as well as a finalist for the 2017 APSA Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book on government, politics or international affairs.

Dr. Adonia Lugo, bicycle advocate, activist, and anthropologist, will be on campus Thursday, October 11 for a speaking event that is free and open to the public.

Dr. Adonia Lugo collaborates with individuals and communities to develop sustainable transportation that addresses the needs and experiences of marginalized people. She is the author of the just-published book Bicycle/Race: Transportation, Culture, and Rsistance as well as numerous other publications.

When: Thursday, October 11 at 7:30pm
Where: Steitz Hall Room 102

Dear Lawrence Community,

Hello and welcome back to campus! To accompany the beginning of a new school year we are excited to highlight a new initiative for Lawrence: Sustainable Lawrence.

Lawrence’s identity is strongly tied to its geographic location in Appleton, WI. Situated along the banks of the Fox River, Lawrence has long worked to be a responsible steward of the natural environment. Last fall, Lawrence embarked on a project to establish sustainability as one of its core values along with a series of initiatives to further foster a sustainable campus. The Sustainability Steering Committee was established to ensure sustainability is reflected in all appropriate university policies and to coordinate campus sustainability initiatives. “Sustainable Lawrence” is a collection of initiatives set out to introduce, or further build upon, best practices in sustainability to help us reach this goal as a community. Be on the lookout for the green Sustainable Lawrence seal that will mark projects and programs that are working to advance this commitment.

We will have a great deal of help in promoting everyday sustainable choices from a group of students who have opted to be RLAs and peer mentors in sustainability. Starting this September, RLAs will be able to opt into one of five educational focus areas to add depth to these programming areas in the residence halls. Each housing community will have at least one RLA focused on sustainability and eco-initiatives. Be sure to seek them out and introduce yourself!

You will also notice the new trash and recycling stations located in the main lobby of each major residence hall and in the major academic and administrative buildings on campus. These new bins were installed as a part of an initiative to decrease our waste contamination rate by increasing our recycling rate and diverting as much waste as possible from the landfill. Students will also find that small recycling bins have been added to every residence hall room. If you need a refresh on which items can be recycled at Lawrence be sure to check out the recycling guidelines on the Sustainable Lawrence website.

Lawrence students help to fund directly many sustainability projects around campus via a sustainability fee of $5 per term. This year funding was leveraged to upgrade the lighting and add insulation to the Chapel as well as to help fund new lights and occupancy sensors in Ormsby Hall. Together these investments will save enough electricity to run ten households each year.

A few other ways to get involved right away include signing up for one of this year’s community reads or applying for a micro-grant from the Student Sustainability Fund. Students, faculty and staff can sign up (or enroll in a one-credit course) to read a common book and participate in joint discussions regarding relevant sustainability topics in literature. Additionally, students with their own ideas to make an impact on campus can apply to the Student Sustainability Fund for small grants averaging $2,500 for research or projects.

We look forward to providing additional updates and welcome new ideas on all aspects of sustainability. If you want to get further involved please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Jeff Clark
Kelsey McCormick

Now Accepting Applications for the Student Sustainability Fund!

Last year, student sustainability research led to the installation of new, uniform trash and recycle stations across campus. Help Lawrence achieve its sustainability goals!

The Student Sustainability Fund offers students competitive grants of up to $2,500 for sustainability focused projects that may consist of research, internships, volunteer or service projects, class projects, or student group initiatives. Any Lawrence student that will be enrolled during the term of their proposed project is eligible to apply.

Applications for Term I are due October 23, 2018 but will be considered at any time.

To learn more: http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/about/sustainable-lawrence/apply-for-funding

Questions? Contact Kelsey McCormick. kelsey.m.mccormick@lawrence.edu or 920-832-7404

You may have noticed the addition of the new trash and recycling receptacles around campus. These bins were purchased as part of a sustainability initiative to create a uniform look for trash and recycling disposal on campus to reduce confusion and contamination. The results of a pilot program in Youngchild Hall from Term II of the 2017-18 school year informed us that installing these bins reduced the amount of recyclable material in the trash from 26% before the pilot to 7% after the pilot.

Since we will be replacing the many small bins in each building with these larger receptacles it may take some adjustment to find the correct bin locations in each building. Your patience is appreciated as we work to make this change on campus. If you have any questions or would like to make a location suggestion in a specific building or area, please reach out to Kelsey McCormick at kelsey.m.mccormick@lawrence.edu.