Pam Flory, Lecturer

Pam Flory , will be talking on I. Introductions pam's background genesis of spring hill farm who is NOFA-NJ II. Organic production at the farm Why we grow organically How we do it overview of soil types on the farm review soil map review soil tests review NRCS plan III. Farm tour we will tour the farm and find the areas on the farm with different soil types. We will tour the wetlands area, production areas and see the contrast in soil types with our new production area versus our original area. we will look at the compost we use and discuss other soil additives we are using to maximise our production. our new production area was previously farmed, with no rotation. it was monocropped with corn. we will look at the difference in that soil verses the soil in the original production area which was only used for pasture. we will discuss the layout of production areas to reduce erosion. IV. equipment tour of equipment and tool shed and discuss impact of equipment on soil V. question and answer Pam Flory came to NJ as an intern at the Howell Living History farm in Titusville, NJ where she learned appropriate technology using animal traction for agricultural production. After a two year Peace Corps committment in the Kingdom of Tonga, she returned to NJ and returned to Howell Living History farm as a historical farmer and also taught garnening at the Waldorf School of Princeton, NJ. From there she launched her commercial farming career at North Slope Farm in Lambertville, NJ where she co-managed the farm with the owner. She is presently managing Spring Hill Farm in Hopewell, NJ where she is responsible for all production and maketing of 4 acres of organic production of vegetables, flowers and herbs. Back to Top

 

Dr. Phillip M. Kannan, Lecturer

Dr. Phillip M. Kannan, of Kingston, Tennessee, is now in private practice of law and also teaches. Prior to that he was Vice President and General Counsel of M4 Environmental Management, Inc. He was also Associate General Counsel for Lookheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc in Oak Ridge Tennessee, responsible for legal work associated with Lockheed Martin's contract to manage and operate the Uranium Enrichment Enterprise for the United States Enrichment Corporation. He will be talking on environmental justice. "Environmental justice seeks to assure that the benefits and burdens of environmental decisions are distributed equitably over racial and income groups. The environmental justice movement seeks to apply this broad principle by assuring the communities that will be most affected by decisions have access to information and input in the process at every step. The movement also presses the regulatory agencies to achieve equitable enforcement of environmental laws and regulations so that the air, water, and ground in the communities of the poor or minorities are as safe as in more affluent neighborhoods. The major goals are distributional, procedural, representational, and methodological equity in all government decision significantly affecting the environment." Back to Top

 

Dr. Barbara B. Kebbekus, Lecturer

Dr. Barbara B. Kebbekus, will be talking on Chemistry and the Environment Student interest in the environment can provide inspiration and motivation for their study of science. Topics such as global warming, lead and mercury pollution and ozone layer destruction make great 'hooks' for interesting students in basic chemistry. While the chemistry of many environmental processes can be quite complicated, there are many concepts which can be simplified to a beginning chemistry or general science level. The methods used by environmental scientists to study global envionmental problems will be explored. It sometimes disturbs students to find that scientists can come to different conclusions from the same set of experimental data. The reasons for such disagreements, and the concept of experimental uncertainty will also be discussed. web site http://eies.njit.edu/~kebbekus/ Back to Top

 

Dr. James Aber, Lecturer

Dr. James Aber, will be talking on Climate of the Last Millennium Contrary to popular belief, global climate of recent times has been neither stable nor constant. I will present evidence for a Medieval climatic optimum (A.D. 1000-1200) followed by the Little Ice Age (A.D. 1500-1900). These episodes represent significant climatic deviations-the former was warmer and the latter colder than the 20th century. The nature of global climate is documented in many ways worldwide through historical and archeological evidence, activity of glaciers and ice caps, tree-ring records, and solar observations. Some of the most detailed historical records come from northern Europe, namely Scandinavia and the Alps of France and Switzerland. The fates of Viking settlements in Iceland and Greenland demonstrate the impact of climatic changes on pre-Industrial cultures. The best available scientific evidence suggests that long-term changes in sunspot activity are indicators for fluctuations in solar output. Variations in solar output correspond closely to climatic changes of the past millennium. However, there were distinct regional differences in the timing and magnitude of climatic changes worldwide. Another key factor appears to be episodes of major volcanic eruptions, as have taken place in Iceland. In recent years, scientific and public concern for perceived climatic change has become a popular issue, particularly in regard to the role of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases. Possible climatic impact of human air pollution is restricted largely to the 20th century. A direct causal relationship between air pollution and modern climatic change is difficult to demonstrate, however, as a distinct cooling trend is documented in many parts of the world since about 1960. Natural and human factors that may affect climate are, in fact, exceeding complex and poorly understood at present, as illustrated by the uncertain role of peat bogs as carbon sinks and sources of methane emission. Therefore, current attempts to model or predict future changes in global climate must be viewed with some skepticism. Back to Top

 

Dr. James Allen, Lecturer

Dr. James Allen, will be talking on "Fuel Flow " James Allen is currently working as a Research Scientist at Princeton University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is working on High Reynolds Number experiments with Professor A.J. Smits. This work is supported by the US Navy and is relevant to submarine behaviour. He is also coordinating the hydrodynamic testing of the "energy harvesting eel". This is a novel energy extraction project, sponsored by DARPA, and involves placing a piezoelectric membrane in the wake of a bluff body. This oscillating membrane is then connected to a customized charge extraction circuit and is used to trickle charge a battery. This has obvious application as a remote location energy generation device. He is also a hydrodynamics consultant for the engineering design company Ocean Power Technology. This company designs and fabricates ocean power buoys, used for generation of renewable energy. Prior to coming to Princeton he was working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the area of subsonic flow control using synthetic jets. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Melbourne, Australia in 1997. His thesis was concerned with the development process of vortex rings. Back to Top

 

Dr. Andrew P. Dobson, Lecturer

Dr. Andrew P. Dobson, will be talking on Threats to Biodiversity - and What to do About Them Conversion of natural habitats into agricultural and industrial landscapes, and ultimately into degraded land, is the major impact of humans on the natural environment, posing a great threat to biodiversity. An integrated understanding of how human population growth and changes in agricultural practice interact with natural recovery processes and restoration ecology provides some hope for the future of the environment. Dr. Dobson will discuss the threats to endangered species including habitat loss, predator control and over exploitation. The sources of pollution and influences of insecticides will be highlighted. The discussion also will include deforestation and its affects. The politics of species protection and conservation priorities will focus on the geographic distribution of endangered species in the United States. Readings and References: Author: Andrew P. Dobson Title: Conservation and Biodiversity ISBN: 0-7167-5057-0 (hard cover); 0-7167-6032-0 (paperback) @1996, 1998 by Scientific American Library Distributed by: - W. H. Freeman and Company, 41 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 -Houdsmills, Basingstoke, rg21 6XS, England Dobson, A.P.; Rodriguez, J.P.; Roberts, W.M.; Wilcove, D.S.; Geographic Distribution of Endangered Species in the United States. Science, 24 January 1997, Vol. 275, pp 550-553. Dobson, A.P. Why We Need the Fig Wasp. Time, November 1997, pp 56-57. Dobson, A.P. ‘Hot Spots’ and Endangered Species: New Directions for Public Policy. Chronicle of Higher Education, October 31, 1997, p B6-B7. http://www.worldwatch.org "1999 State of The World" Back to Top

 

Dr. Henry Horn, Lecturer

Dr. Henry Horn, will be talking on " " Henry Horn, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has a conceptual interest in the maintenance of populations and diverse communities and a practical interest in woodland history and conservation around Princeton. Professor Horn, cofounded the University's Undergraduate Program in Environmental Studies in 1991 and was its director until 1996. Henry has advised the independent research of over 100 undergraduates and nearly 100 graduate students. Dr. Horn is an avid supporter or teachers and their professional development. Each summer he leads a week-long session on environmental biology for area elementary school teachers. Teachers learn about ecology and biodiversity while engaged in filed study and laboratory experiments. These ideas are expanded to introduce environmental problems in a global context. Professor Horn received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1962 and Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle in 1966. Henry's research focuses on adaptive patterns of ecology and social behavior in birds and butterflies; forest succession and adaptive patterns of morphology, spatial distribution and dispersal in trees." Back to Top

 

Dr. Andrew Light, Lecturer

Dr. Andrew Light, will be talking on The Ethics of Ecological Restoration and the Value of Public Participation The purpose of this session is to discuss the ethical and moral dimensions of restoration ecology, the science and technological practice of restoring damaged ecosystems. Restoration ecology is arguably one of the most important environmental practices currently engaged in toward the goal of achieving long-term environmental sustainability. Following a summary of the value of public participation in such restorations, we will attempt to (1) articulate the moral foundations of restoration practices in opposition to philosophical objections concerning the conceptual foundations of restoration, (2) discuss the relationship between the moral foundations of restoration and the scientific questions involved in restoration, such as the necessity of eliminating exotic species to make room for the restoration of native ecosystems, (3) discuss whether establishment of the moral foundations of restoration assists in resolving ethical quandaries which have arisen over the science and technology involved in restoration, and (4) consider whether ethical arguments exist for maintaining, where possible, public participation in restoration activities. These considerations are important both for advancing our understanding of the complexity of restoration as a scientific and technological practice, as well as helping to create a framework through which future work on the human resource elements of restoration can be understood. Back to Top

 

Dr. Michael Rodgers, Lecturer mrodgers@aql.eas.gatech.edu

Dr. Michael Rodgers, will be talking on " " Dr. Michael Rodgers is currently Director of the Air Quality Laboratory, a Principal Research Scientist in the Schools of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition, Dr. Rodgers serves as chief scientist for atmospheric chemical and meteorological measurements of the Southern Oxidants Study. In the transportation area, Dr. Rodgers directs a number of projects attempting to quantify emissions from motor vehicles under sponsorship of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Georgia, and other agencies. His primary research interests include regional and global atmospheric chemistry, air quality-related public policy, atmospheric emissions modeling, and satellite remote sensing. Dr. Rodgers received his B.S. and M.S. in Physics and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology. PowerPoint Presentation Back to Top

 

Dr. Helen Ross Russell, Lecturer rrussell14@juno.com

Dr. Helen Ross Russell , will be talking on " " I was born in 1915 and grew up gathering arrowheads following my father behind the plow, learning ethnobotany from him and loving the earth. I earned a two year teaching certificate from West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University) and taught in rural schools in Lebanon and Berks counties. When I completed my bachelor of arts degree at Lebanon Valley College in 1943, I taught junior high science. I took my students from one room country school, consolidated school and city schools on field trips just outside the building. My junior high principal always shook his head and said, "You are young. Someday you will grow up and know better". I was accepted by the Nature Study department at Cornell University in 1946 with an Anna Botsford Comstock tuition scholarship. In January 1947 I was awarded a teaching fellowship. My field trip experiences were many and varied with specialization's in botany, entomology and nature study. Eight of us working on Ph.Ds received Pack Foundation grants of $1000 each to do a study of conservation education in the US. My particular study concerned elementary schools. When our eight volume study was complete the head of the newly formed conservation department at Cornell invited me to expand my section of teacher training for publication as a bulletin for teachers. On graduation I applied for, and was awarded a position in Massachusetts at Fitchburg State College. This had been advertised in the Cornell placement bureau as, "We are looking for a man with nine years teaching experience and a Ph.D. in what used to be called nature study". I taught freshmen biology, and a variety of electives, all supplemented with field experiences. Until I became academic dean of the college I had annual requests to join the faculty of other colleges and universities. After all, women with degrees in science were rare. I met Robert Russell in a pottery class in Sharon, NH. We potted together, took field trips together and gardened together. In 1960 we married. Three years later we took the advice of Gerry Williams, editor of Studio Potter, our gifted, hard working mentor and Bob enrolled in a college program to prepare for teaching pottery and sculpture and design. When he was admitted to TC Columbia for an MA - and ultimately an Ed.D., I resigned my Fitchburg position. I was told, "You are a foolish woman. You will never find another job like this. You are the only woman academic dean in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Comments like these designed to keep me on the job, suddenly crystallized my thinking. I did not want another job like that. I had put in my stint and accomplished much but I was ready to move on - back to the teaching and writing that I loved. My first position in the NY area was working with Hannah Williams, director of a new environmental site at Wave Hill. Together we developed a 15 week in-service course for NYC teachers, all of whom would write a term paper outlining their proposed development of one of our Saturday AM topics. They would also plan a field trip to Wave Hill with their students and propose a school ground field trip to be carried out for their class by me! What a learning experience for me. In three years I taught 150 - 200 teachers and thousands of young people from pre-K through 8th grade. The NYC Department of Education hired me to produce a tape on the topic of school ground field trips. This was followed by production of an in-house book introducing the title "Ten Minute Field Trips". This supplemented the classwork and also was also distributed with every tape sold. The step to a full sized book published by Doubleday was easy and when they discontinued publishing topics on education and the environment the book was picked up by National Science Teachers Association. In 1997 it was translated into Russian to be used for starting environmental education programs in the schools of that country. When my husband completed his MA at Columbia he was hired at Jersey City State College (now a University) , to teach pottery and sculpture and pre-Columbian Art History. We developed First Nations Peoples workshops, ranging from two hours to long weekends capitalizing on his art interest and my interest in food, history and life styles. I have taught pre-K through graduate school and Elderhostel in 28 states, Canada, Trinidad, St. John and England. In 1976 in response to constant requests from teachers for information on teaching the environment in the city I developed the first college credit field course taught on city streets and school grounds and taught it at U of Bridgeport, American University and Wave Hill Center for Environmental Studies. My writing includes editing the American Nature Study Society Journal for 16 years, co-authoring an in house book for teachers visiting the Native American exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History and in-house book to accompany "Bugs and Other Insects" at the Staten Island Children's Museum, on a dozen children's books and hundreds of articles. Back to Top

 

Dr. Martin P. Schreibman, Lecturer martins@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Dr. Martin P. Schreibman, "Getting to Know Sandy Hook." Martin P. Schreibman, Brooklyn College class of 1956, began teaching full time at his alma mater in 1962 and rose through the ranks to Full Professor in 1972; in 1991 he was named Distinguished Professor. Over the years he has combined two full careers, as a university professor and as an active investigator in basic and applied studies in comparative neuroendocrinology. He is credited with over 180 scientific citations and seven books. Dr. Schreibman's published works have provided significant, seminal information related to genetic and neuroendocrine control of a variety of endocrine-regulated processes, most dealing with the reproductive system. In addition, he and his students have contributed to such fundamentally important areas as the genetic control of cancer, development and function of the reproductive system, aging and the effect of environmental pollutants on physiology. This information has also had broad applied utility in diverse areas that include aquaculture, space and gravitational biology, regenerating life support systems, ecology and conservation, reproductive system development and ecosystem restoration -issues both urban and global. Most recently he has received the "Distinguished Achievement" award from the Brooklyn College Alumni Association and the award for "Creative Excellence" from the Brooklyn College Faculty. Schreibman has also received a proclamation from Governor Pataki for his extensive contributions to the field of science. http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/areac/   Back to Top

 

Dr. Lex Smits, Lecturer

Dr. Lex Smits, will be talking on "Fluid Flow and the World Around Us." http://www.princeton.edu/~gasdyn/index.html             Back to Top

 

Dr. John T. Tanacredi, Lecturer National Park Service, Gateway NRA Chief, Division of Natural Resources 210 New York Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305 enviroqual@aol.com or john_tanacredi@nps.gov Office phone (718) 354-4520 FAX (718)354-4548

Dr. John T. Tanacredi, will be talking on" Ecology of Easter Island " Ph.D., 1988, Polytechnic University Dr. Tanacredi's major research interests are primarily in the ecosystem management area. This may involve a host of environmental science and wastewater treatment, ecotoxicology, natural biological diversity monitoring and inventorying. His research area has involved the detection of, and fate of, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs, DDT) in estuarine/marine invertebrate species. He has also been actively involved in research into the behavior of endangered avian species as they relate to human disturbances associated with urban environments; identifying rare plant species habitats: investigating hazardous materials leachate from landfills; detection and characterization of PAHs in wastewater treated by rotating biological contractors (RBCs); effects of chronic low dosages of xenobiotics on the reproductive success of amphipod species (Melita nitida Smith) and bivalve molluscs (Geukensia demissa Dellwya and Mercenaria mercenaria L.). Most Recent Publications: Tanacredi, J.T. and J Lorer, Editors (1998) "Ocean pulse: A Critical Diagnosis" Plenum Press, Inc., 219pp. Borowsky, B., Aitken-Ander, P., and J.T. Tanacredi (1997). "Changes in Reproductive morphology and physiology observed in the amphipod, Melita nitida Smith, maintained in the laboratory and polluted estuarine sediments." J. Exp. Mar. Biol. and Ecology, 214: 85-95. Tanacredi, J.T., and C. Badger "Visitors Guide to Natural History of Gateway NRA (1995)" Stackpole Press, p. 198 Augsperger, T.P., R.L. Herman, J.T. Tanacredi and J.S. Hatfield (1994) "Liver Lesions in Winter Flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, from Jamaica Bay: Indications of Environmental Degradation," Estuaries, Vol 17, 1B(3) pp. 172-179. Franz, D.R. and J.T. Tanacredi (1993) "Variability in Growth and Age Structure Among Populations of Ribbed Mussels, Geukensia demissa, in Jamaica Bay, J.Y." The Veliger, 36(3):220-227. Tanacredi, J.T. and Cardenas, R.C. (1991) "Biodepuration of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons from a Bivalve Mollusc, Mercenaria mercenaria L." Environmental Science and Technology, 25, 8: 1453-1461. Back to Top

 

Dr. Mary C. White, Lecturer

Dr. Mary C. White, will be talking on " " Mary White is Chief of the Health Investigations Branch at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta, Georgia, a position she has held since July 1996. In this position, Dr. White directs and executes a diverse program of epidemiologic research and other human health investigations related to environmental hazards, typically in communities near hazardous waste sites or other sources of environmental contamination. Prior to her current position, Dr. White was a Senior Epidemiologist within the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more than six years. Dr. White has a Masters of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a Doctor of Science degree in Occupational Health and Epidemiology from Harvard University School of Public Health. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, where she teaches the graduate course in occupational and environmental epidemiology. Prior to joining CDC, she held positions with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, D.C., and the International Labor Organization in Jakarta, Indonesia. Back to Top