Kent State to Host Environmental Science & Design Symposium
5X will host its Environmental Science and Design Symposium on March 20 and 21 at the Kent Student Center. The annual conference — previously known as the Water and Land Symposium — will mark its sixth year in 2019, while its new title demonstrates the first major event led by the University’s newly-formed research initiative of the same name.
The Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative, formed in 2018, unites Kent State faculty from several colleges and disciplines, whose research focuses on natural and built environments and interactions between the two. These include researchers in ecology, biology, hydrology, geology, and geography, as well as those in architecture and environmental design, and fashion merchandising.
The 2019 theme, “Complexity of Environmental Legacies,” highlights many of Kent State’s research strengths and the areas of special focus that brought these researchers from such diverse backgrounds together to collaborate on novel research projects from conception to publication.
“Too often, we tend to compartmentalize and view environmental issues through a narrow lens,” said Dr. Joseph D. Ortiz, Professor of Geology at Kent State. “But as populations grow and pristine environments and resources diminish, we need to be more integrative to see how past conditions influence current problems.”
The symposium welcomes as its keynote speakers: Dr. Elizabeth Boyer, Associate Professor of Water Resources at Penn State University, Director of the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center, and Assistant Director for Institutes of Energy & the Environment; and environmentalist and photographer J Henry Fair.
Other guest speakers include: Dr. Chris Winslow, Director of the Ohio Sea Grant Program at Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory; Jennifer Grieser, Senior Natural Resources Area Manager for Urban Watersheds at Cleveland Metroparks; and Dr. Bess Krietemeyer, Assistant Professor in Architecture and founder of the Interactive Design and Visualization Lab (IDVL) at Syracuse University.
Kent State speakers include: Dr. Elizabeth Herndon, Assistant Professor of Geology; Dr. Rui Liu, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Environmental Design; and Dr. Noel Palomo-Lovinski, Associate Professor of fashion Design and Merchandising.
“The selection of speakers offers a unique opportunity to think about the different tools, techniques, visualizations and interests that enable thoughtful, environmentally responsive design,” said Diane Davis-Sikora, RA, Associate Professor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, and ESDRI Co-Director.
The symposium will feature a book signing with J Henry Fair and an exhibit of his photography, a student poster session, a panel discussion led by Dr. Ortiz, and opportunities for outside advertisers and employers to promote their services, network, and recruit students for internships and permanent positions.
The itinerary, online registration forms for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors, and additional information about the symposium can be found at /ESDRI-symposium. The deadline for attendees and student abstract registration is February 1, exhibitors, recruiters, and sponsors must register by March 10.
Media Contact:
Dan Pompili, dpompili@kent.edu, 330-672-0731
Return to February 2019 Newsletter
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