Environmental Studies Program News Page

2006 Environmental Studies Internship Presentations

The following EVST seniors will present their internship work n Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006 in Colton 120      from 7 – 9 PM:

Ed Pancost:         Thermal Management Prototyping
Elizabeth James:        A Place to Walk; Summer Trail Maintenance in Kachemack Bay, Alaska
Carol Giulitto:        Camp Asbury: Invasive Plants Assessment
Jess O’Brien:         Jungle Farms Rainforest Restoration Project, Australia
Aaron Adams:      Environmental Issues of Mega Farms
Jay Goldweber:     Zebra Mussels:  Selected Economic Impacts and Impacts on the Recreational
            SCUBA Industry of the Great Lakes
Kristen Galewood:     Blindness, Bias and Beauty: Altering Perspectives Through Art
 Dave Monro:      Ambient Air Pollution:  Measurement, Modeling, and Permitting
Jeff Sheehan:      Garrettsville Water and Wastewater Utilities Department  

Establishment of The Hiram College Center for the Study of Nature and Society (CSNS)

Established in 2004 by consolidating several complementary environmentally related programs, the CSNS includes: the Environmental Studies Program, the James H. Barrow Field Station and its programs, the Creative Field Studies Program, the Center for Science Education, and the Environmental Citizenship Program.  This consolidation has led to more effective cooperation in teaching and research as well as a focused entity for fundraising.

The Center is directed by Steve Zabor who oversees the Environmental Citizenship program and associated courses. Other members include:

Jan Mock, Director of Field Station Operations; oversees wildlife rehabilitation, endangered species projects, and environmental education outreach activities.

Denny Taylor, Director of Field Station Academic Programs; oversees the biomonitoring program

Matt Sorrick, Director, Center for Science Education; oversees science education and summer environmental education workshops

Joan Sturtevant, Co-Director, Environmental Studies; teaches Wildlife Management and other related courses

Marty Huehner, Co-Director, Environmental Studies, Art; directs the Creative Field Studies Program which includes the Art and Nature Colloquium and Environmental Art courses as well as biennial exhibitions. This program is based at the Studio Barn of the Field Station.

Most of the programs mentioned above have been greatly assisted by a recent grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

New Tenure Track Faculty Position In Environmental Studies

We are currently seeking an individual with formal training in areas such as natural resource management, conservation, landscape ecology, or forest ecology with the ability to incorporate GIS and remote sensing into teaching and research. The successful candidate will teach 6 courses a year and develop and maintain research activities that include the James H. Barrow Field Station, involve students, and also develop appropriate external collaborations..
   
Anticipated courses (somewhat flexible based on the successful candidate’s background) to be taught include:
- a team taught Field Station based Principles of Ecology (Biology 241) which will be alternated between Weekend and Traditional Programs

 - an introductory environmental studies course entitled Humans and the Environment;(INTD 225) to be taught during spring term in the Traditional Program

- a course entitled Wetlands, Rivers, and Coastal Areas (EVST 355) in the Traditional Program

- a field based research methods course in the candidate’s expertise

- a course entitled  Natural Resources, alternating between the Traditional and WEC  programs
- a course ( based at the College’s Field Station) on Conservation Land Management or Landscape Ecology alternating between the Traditional and WEC  programs   
          
The new person will start in the fall of 2006.

Tanzania Study Abroad Experience 2006

Professors Zabor and Fischer will be taking a group of students to Tanzania in the fall 3 week term of 2006. The interdisciplinary approach of the trip will center on themes of human development, nation development, and sustainability.  The course associated with the trip is INTD 368:  Identity and Nation-Building:  Image and Identity----The Case of Tanzania

The 2006 Hiram College Creative Field Studies Exhibition, January 31 – February 17, 2006

Background and Origin

The Creative Field Studies Program at Hiram College encourages interdisciplinary study of specific issues that can be global or regional in extent. By involving participants from different disciplines (Art, Creative Writing, Ecology, Environmental Studies, Geology, etc.) and stations in life, it seeks to foster critical evaluation and creative expression of regional nature, natural resources and environmental issues. Interviews, essays, poetry, visual art works of many kinds, musical composition, and so on are among the creative products that evolve from such collaboration. These products are assembled into a biennial CFS exhibition and published in a printed catalog. Multiple views of the issues studied provide an effective means of communication to diverse elements of the public, raising the quality of awareness about how the environment works and our roles in it.

The First offering of Creative Field Studies, 2003-2004

The  first offering of the CFS experience involved 9 participants, which included faculty and students from several different disciplines as well as local artists. The focal point of the first effort was very close to home: the splendid Beech - Maple forest located at the Hiram College Field Station. While its focus was on a particular forest, many of the issues examined were characteristic of all forests. In many ways, the exhibition became a celebration of one of the greatest and most irreplaceable riches we have in our own back yard, and was a call to us, asking us to take a little time to really look at what is here.  The first CFS exhibition later opened at Geauga Park District’s West woods Center.

The Second offering of Creative Field Studies, 2005-2006

Through grant support from the U. S. Department of Education, funding for the second CFS offering allowed the program to sponsor visiting British artist Chris Drury and to provide modest support to purchase materials and for postage, printing and graphic design costs. The current program includes music as well as a broader spectrum of visual art media.  Through the participation of John Reid, this program has also become a fundraiser through the sale of specially  minted  $10.00 and $50.00 Australian National Bank notes. Proceeds from the sales of these notes will be donated to the Trust for Public Land which actively supports land conservation and environmental education in the United States. 

We are also fortunate to have the participation of Jeff Schmuki and Lee Renninger who were displaced from Gulfport Mississippi destroyed their home and workplaces. They are with us through the generosity of Hiram’s President, Tom Chema.

The Hiram showing will be in the Frohring Art Gallery from January 31 through February 17. The show will then open at the Kent State University Downtown Gallery on February 22 and will be up through March 24. It will also open at John Carroll University and the Geauga Park District later in the year.