Scholars from across fields come together for this series
By Josh Hughes
Every year, Western’s Huxley College of the Environment hosts a lecture series that aims to bring together different professionals from a wide range of fields to talk about environmental concerns and contemporary issues. Every Thursday at 4 p.m. the lectures are held in Miller Hall 138, going all the way through the quarter. The 2016-2017 sub-series has placed an emphasis on conservation, with lectures varying in focus from biodiversity and wildlife conservation to transportation planning and energy policy.
The speaker series, which is also offered each quarter as a one credit course, kicked off two weeks ago with Jenise Bauman, a restoration ecologist and professor at Western through the Huxley College of the Environment on the Peninsulas. Her talk, wonderfully titled “Interactions Between Beneficial Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) on American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) Used in Coal Mine Reclamation” led the audience through an hour long step-by-step explanation of exactly what you’d imagine based on the title.
It’s easy to see the natural beauty surrounding Western. Photo by Jaden Moon // AS Review
The gist of her talk, in blunt language, focused on examining the way that the American Chestnut tree could proactively help restore forests in parts of America once decimated by coal mines. As a restoration ecologist, Bauman’s work revolves around being in the field, so her piecemeal dissection of reintroducing the Chestnut to controlled areas felt quite immediate, as though the audience was with her in the field.
While tailored for Huxley College students, the lectures are always open to the public and the speakers never come off as too dense or clouded for students of any field. Bauman’s talk concluded with time for questions, which ranged from students asking about specificities of ectomycorrhizae within the American Chestnut to how her measurements were recorded.
It’s only January, but Bellingham stays pretty green through the winter. Photo by Jaden Moon // AS Review
The following week, Chris Greacen spoke on renewable energy mini-grids in Myanmar, and this upcoming week Denise DeLuca will host a talk entitled “Re-Aligning with Nature: Ecological Thinking for Radical Innovation”, which should encompass a discussion about biomimicry.
Biomimicry, as defined by the Biomimicry Institute, is “an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies.” DeLuca’s lecture will likely touch on some of these issues in regards to forward thinking, left-field strategies for furthering renewable and sustainable energy in the 21st century.
Later talks this quarter include a Huxley Career Panel, featuring various professionals in the environmental field talking about different career paths that students can follow after graduating from the program. Additionally, Christine Biermann, professor of geography at UW, will give a lecture on trees, and Dr. Jon L. Riedel, a national park service geologist, will talk about blue ice and the loss of glaciers in Washington’s national parks. All other lectures can be found at https://huxley.wwu.edu/huxley-college-speaker-seriesalong with the time and date of the talk. While certain lectures are still being announced, most of the quarter is lined up with an array of excellent speakers and environmental studies professionals.
Featured photo above by Jaden Moon // AS Review.