By Jonathan Leech, ESA Co-President Summer 2005 The Environmental Studies Associates and the Environmental Studies Program recently commemorated the founding of the program by co-hosting the 35th Anniversary Event held on May 14 & 15 at UCSB. The event included a daylong calendar of activities on Saturday the 14th and several options for small group excursions on the 15th. Saturday began with registration, refreshments, and a chance for ES program graduates and faculty to get reacquainted. After welcoming remarks from Josh Schimel, current ES Program Chair, and Jonathan Leech, ESA Co-President, the formal program got underway with a panel discussion by the founders of the ES Program. Topics included the local political climate and environmental issues at the time, an initial vision for the interdisciplinary approach to Environmental Studies education, and the risks involved in trying to found the first program of its kind. A panel of ES Program chairs followed the founder’s panel. The Chairs were encouraged to discuss the hot issues during their tenure, major achievements of the program in that time period, and the biggest challenges they faced. The discussion turned out to be an enlightening retrospective of the evolution of the ES Program, something UCSB and graduates of the program could be very proud to be a part of! Just before lunch break, ESA and the ES Program recognized Marc McGinnis for his decades of service, contribution, and enthusiasm to the ES Program. While not an official retirement party for Marc, it was an excellent opportunity for past and present students, faculty, and staff to participate in showing our appreciation to Marc. Marc’s energy, expertise, and wisdom will be sorely missed by the ES Program. Lunch was a western barbeque and another opportunity for mingling and relaxation. Following lunch Tom Starrs delivered the keynote speech, “In the pursuit of energy after oil.” The speech was positive, encouraging, and informative and struck at the very heart of the ES Program graduates strengths – innovation, interdisciplinary solutions, and vision. The keynote address was followed by a panel on alternative energy sources. The audience was left primarily with hope and real evidence of progress on different alternative energy fronts including wind power, solar, and hydroelectric. All of this was tempered, only slightly, with some political skepticism – all the more to keep us energized on the topic (no pun intended). Dinner at the faculty club topped the event on Saturday. Sunday activities included an optional guided tour of Coal Oil Point, a whale watching opportunity, and a lunch at the Greenhouse with presentations by current students. The overall event was well attended and enjoyed by the attendees. See you at the 40th! Inaugural Lecture by Carla D’AntonioBy Greg Mohr, ESA
Co-President The atmosphere was positively electric for this lecture by Carla D’Antonio, the first incumbent of the Arent and Jean Schuyler Endowed Chair in Environmental Studies. This Chair, a new endowed faculty position, was created by a very generous donation from Barry and Jean Schuyler. Despite a long and arduous recruitment process summarized by E.S. Chair Josh Schimel in his introduction, it was all worth it, as reflected in the content of Professor D’Antonio’s talk and the audience’s response. In fact, Josh thanked the other universities that managed to dissuade earlier prospective recruits from leaving their institutions to come to UCSB for the Schuyler Chair, given the sterling qualities of Prof. D’Antonio. Introductory remarks by UCSB Dean of Sciences Martin Moskovits, and closing remarks by Chancellor Henry Yang, reflected the significance of this event to the highest levels of the administration. A packed lecture room in 1414 Bren Hall heard Prof. D’Antonio clearly describe the history, facts, and challenges of dealing with invasive or, as she prefers, “non-indigenous,” plant species in the larger environment. Non-indigenous flora can be introduced deliberately or accidentally, and not all are harmful. California harbors some 1100 non-indigenous plant species, of which only 76 endanger native plant communities, according to the California Invasive Plant Council. As many of us have learned from our Environmental Studies education and life experiences, little is black-or-white, good-or-bad; for example, one human observer’s destructive invasive plant can provide critical habitat for birds or serve as a valuable economic resource. Therefore, successful management depends upon a consensus of goals, which must involve the physical and social sciences as well as the affected public; ecologists alone can’t identify and solve such problems. It’s hard to recall one single lecture that so embraced the basic tenets of the Environmental Studies Program. As part of his closing remarks, Chancellor Yang and Chair Schimel presented Barry, Jean, and Carla with their own full-size “captain’s chairs,” in recognition of the incumbency of the Schuyler Chair in Environmental Studies. A pleasant reception followed on the upstairs terrace of the adjacent Marine Science Research Building, overlooking Goleta Beach and points east, on an exceptionally clear, warm spring evening leading into the weekend’s 35th Reunion of the E.S. Program. ESA/Community Relations,
UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-1136 : 805-893-4388 : paddy.moriarty@ia.ucsb.edu
|
