Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies at St. Olaf offers both a major and a concentration. As an interdisciplinary department, it draws upon faculty and courses from a number of the traditional departments, though quite a number of our offerings are courses specifically designed for our Department. The Department's strengths arise from our faculty and participants' grounding in traditional disciplines, and an interdisciplinary perspective on environmental problems and issues derived from course work within the department.

 

News

During the month of February 2012 the Cannon River Watershed Partnership and the Environmental Studies Department are sponsoring a sustainable farm lecture series every Monday evening.  The lectures and discussions will begin at 7:00 pm and will be held in RNS 150. 

Professor of Physics and Environmental Studies, Robert Jacobel, teamed with photographer Stuart Klipper to lead a discussion on both the scientific function and beauty of the glaciers of Antarctica as part of the September 2011 Beaker and Brush Discussion in St. Paul.

Read a blog post in Field Books describing the Nicollet Project and the use of Nicollet's and Geyer's field notebooks by Professor Charles Umbanhowar, Jr. The site is hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The Polaris Project, check out the news article that highlights the experience Sam Dunn ('11), Biology major and EnvSt concentrator, had with faculty member John Schade and the Polaris Team in the Siberian Arctic during the summer 2010. The project website also contains information from the 2011 field season!

 

2011-2012 Events

06 Feb 2012, 7 pm, RNS 150
Sustainable Farm Lecture Series, Part 1
Gyles Randall, retired professor from the University of Minnesota, will speak about the history and changes of agricultural land use to set the stage for discussing what could be done differently. Click on the links to read: his 2001 LandStewardship Commentary, the Dirt on Corn & Soybeans, an MPR story, and to a 2004 paper on Nitrogen Fertilizer use.
Co-sponsored by EnvSt and the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

09 Feb 2012, 7 pm, Viking Theatre
Transformations: Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing
Frank Ackerman, Senior Research Fellow at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University in Medford, MA, and a Senior Economist at the Stockholm Environment Institute--U.S. Center, Tufts University, will speak on how economists put a dollar value on intangible risks and rewards.

10 Feb 2012, Time and Location TBD
Hudson Bay Bound (Found!)
Anne Raiho '11 & Natalie Warren '11, Come hear these two alums talk about their 2011 canoe adventure from Minneapolis to York Factory on Hudson Bay! Here are links to their travels: Canoe & Kayak article, Hudson Bay Bound, article links.

13 Feb 2012, 7 pm, RNS 150
Sustainable Farm Lecture Series, Part 2
Ryan Stockwell, National Wildlife Federation will discuss his writings on Future Friendly Farming: Seven Agricultural Practices to Sustain People and the Environment and engage us in discussion about alternative farming. Download NWF Webinar Slides here.
Co-sponsored by EnvSt and the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

20 Feb 2012, 7 pm, RNS 150
Sustainable Farm Lecture Series, Part 3
Linda Meschke, President of Rural Advantage will review the idea of third crops and the concept of alternative income beyond corn and soybeans. Click here for link to a past presentation. Co-sponsored by EnvSt and the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

23 Feb 2012, 4:30 pm, Carleton Library Athenaeum
Can we feed the world without destroying the planet?
Jonathan Foley, Director of the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of the Minnesota. Click on papers (Nature and Scientific American) regarding agricultural practices and the ability to Feed the World.

27 Feb 2012, 7 pm, RNS 150
Sustainable Farm Lecture Series, Part 4
Paula Westmoreland, President of Ecological Gardens will discuss her book This Perennial Land: third crops, blue earth, and the road to restorative agriculture as well as her GIS maps about farming the margins in the Blue Earth River Watershed.
Co-sponsored by EnvSt and the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

31 Mar 2012, 8:30 PM
Earth Hour 2012. Join people from across the world to draw attention to energy use and environmental issues. Check out earthhour.org or search YouTube for videos from 2011.

21 Apr 2012
Minnesota Academy of Science (MNMAS) meeting at St. Olaf. Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of the Minnesota, will be the featured speaker. Professor Foley holds the McKnight Presidential Chair in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and leads the IonE’s Global Landscapes Initiative. Click on papers (Nature and Scientific American) regarding agricultural practices and the ability to Feed the World.

22 Apr 2012
Earth Day!

May 2012
EnvSt 399 End of Year BBQ

 

Recent/Past Events

13 Sep 2011, 11:45 am - 1 pm, Buntrock - Valhalla Dining room
Opportunities for research in Costa Rica at the Center for Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education (CATIE)
Richard Rortvedt '69, Greg Muth (Chemistry), Kathy Shea (Biology, EnvSt)

14 Sep 2011, 2 pm, RNS 210
Penguins Smell Less from Space - Using High-resolution Imagery to Change Polar Science. Check out the Google Earth tour here.
Paul Morin, Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota

17 Sep 2011, 9 am - Noon
3rd Annual Cannon River Watershed Cleanup
Come improve the water quality of the Cannon and Straight Rivers by volunteering a little bit of your time as we come together to clean up the watershed! Contact Kathy Shea, Curator of Natural Lands, to volunteer. Meet in Fireside Lounge at 8:45 am.

19 Sep 2011, 4 pm, RNS 410
Lesser Known Microbes from the Depths of Great Lakes: Planktonic Archaea and the Nitrogen Cycle Randall Hicks, Director of the Center for Freshwater Research and Policy, Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth. 

23 Sep 2011, 5:30- 8:00pm, Carleton College - Great Hall
Strengthening Local Food Systems: Conversation Involving St. Olaf, Carleton and Community Leaders. Keynote speaker: Holly Lasagna, Bates College, "Local Food Projects and You" Transportation provided from St. Olaf (EcoTrans bus leaving at 5:15pm and returning at 8:00pm). RSVP to Soraya Dangor, soraya@growinguphealthy.org

28 Sep 2011, 4-6 pm, Tomson 300
Mary Ryan, President of the Washington Internship Institute. 
Information Session about WII and their "Go Green!" program.

30 Sep 2011, 2-4:30 pm, Meet at kiosk by BigPond/Tostrud
Help collect seeds from the prairie!
If you come later look for people on the north side of the Big Pond. Wear clothes that allow you to walk through the prairie and sturdy shoes.  See map for location.

02 Oct Sep 2011, 4:30 pm, Meet at kiosk by BigPond/Tostrud
Natural Lands Walk
Join the Student Naturalists for a stroll about the Natural Lands. See map for starting location.

07 Oct 2011, 2-5 pm, Woods behind Ellingson Hall (see map)
Buckthorn Pull at St. Olaf
Join the Student Naturalists and others for an invasive species management experience. You can help keep our forests healthy by pulling out these tree species. Equipment will be provided - just wear long pants and sturdy shoes.

10 Oct 2011, 4-5 pm, RNS 410
Dynamics of Winter-Emerging Chironomidae in Minnesota Trout Streams
Alyssa Anderson '06, Biology Department, St. Olaf College

12 Oct 2011, 2-3 pm, RNS 210
Antarctic Subglacial Water Systems ‐ A Frontier for Interdisciplinary
Research, Slawek Tulaczyk, UC Santa Cruz

13 Oct 2011, 3:30 pm, Dittman 204
Natalie Yates, Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design
Washington University - St. Louis

13 Oct 2011, 7:30-8:30 pm, RNS 410
ACM Field Research in Costa Rica (Environment, Social Science & Humanities)
Hear from Chris Vaughn, Director of the program, and learn about research projects conducted by fellow Oles (Jon Henn, Rachel Wieme) during their study abroad experiences.

13 Oct 2011, 5:30 - 8 pm, Buntrock 142
Greencorp Info Session (5:30-6:00 pm)
STO Alumni Community Organizing Workshop (6-8 pm)
Ryan Doyle '09, Assistant Organizing Director, GreenCorps; Carl Samuelson '08, Energy Efficiency Program Coordinator, Eureka Recycling; Colin Martin '12, former Organizing Intern, The Industrial Areas Foundation, a national community organizing network

22 Oct 2011, 9am - Noon, Carleton Arboretum
Invasive Shrub Workshop, Click here to register.
Hosted by Rice County Soil & Water Conservation District

28 Oct 2011, 2-5 pm, Woods behind Ellingson Hall (see map)
Buckthorn Pull at St. Olaf
Join the Student Naturalists and others for an invasive species management experience. You can help keep our forests healthy by pulling out these tree species. Equipment will be provided - just wear long pants and sturdy shoes.

02 Nov 2011, 2-3 pm, RNS 210
Ice Dynamics and Sea Level Rise – Revising the Prediction
Dr. Knut Christianson, Center for Geophysical Studies of Ice and Climate, St. Olaf College
Department of Geosciences, the Pennsylvania State University

10 Nov 2011, RNS 310, 4 pm
Pine Reforestation Project Seminar. The Red Lake Nation is working on a major pine reforestation project on tribal lands; Gloria Whitefeather-Spears, greenhouse manager from the Red Lake Forest Development Center, will be presenting on this project, its significance, and the process. Click here for MPR story or here for the Native Village story.
Sponsored by Talking Circle (the St. Olaf Native American Student Organization)

11 Nov 2011, 2-5 pm, Woods behind Ellingson Hall (see map)
Buckthorn Pull at St. Olaf
Join the Student Naturalists and others for another invasive species management experience. You can help keep our forests healthy by pulling out these tree species. Equipment will be provided - just wear long pants and sturdy shoes.

16 Nov 2011, 7 pm, Viking Theatre
Environmental Values and College Culture
Jim Farrell, Professor of History & Environmental Studies

17 Nov 2011, 3 pm, RNS 310 or 390
Tim Kapsner, Aveda Corporation
Tim is a St. Olaf parent and has been working for Aveda almost 20 years as a chemist. In addition to product development (Lip Saver, Breath Elixir, Phomollient and Self Control) his work focuses on botanical research, exploring new raw materials and technologies to use in Aveda products. He is primarily responsible for Aveda’s organic certification program, and he founded the cosmetics industry committee developing organic personal care standards with the help of OTA and NSF International.

01 Dec 2011, 3:45 pm, RNS 310
Permafrost, Mammoth, and Global Warming: past and future impacts on our changing climate
Nikita Zimov, Director, Pleistocene Park, Cherskiy, Siberia and member of The Polaris Project. Pleistocene Park is working to recreate the ancient taiga/tundra grasslands that were widespread in the region during the last ice age.

13 Dec 2011, 1:20 pm, RNS 150
Trout Stream Restoration at Prairie Song Farm
Dr. Michael Osterholm, noted epidemiologist and trout enthusiast, will talk about efforts to restore three trout streams at the family farm in Iowa. Check out the articles about the restoration efforts at the NRCS Conservation Showcase, the NY Times, and the Twin Cities Trout Unlimited Blog.