We are excited to announce our first GIER Annual Symposium, which will take place on June 2 and 3, 2021, leading up to World Environment Day.
This year the circumstances are quite unusual and, instead of postponing our Symposium, we decided to curate a variety of virtual activities (both synchronous and asynchronous) to offer you a glimpse of the different research and outreach projects that GIER and GIER Affiliates have been conducting on various dimensions on the environment and at the intersection of the many disciplines supported by the seven colleges of the University of Guelph.
Our Symposium is free and open to the community at large. We invite everyone with an interest on the environment to join us to celebrate World Environment Day 2021 by attending their preferred events from the comfort of their own home.
Please register for any sessions that you would like to attend by following the links below. Feel free to invite your colleagues and friends and share our GIER Annual Symposium events in social media (Twitter: @GIER_UofG).
The following icons indicate how you can interact with the proposed events and content:
Synchronous (LIVE!)
Asynchronous – Listen
Asynchronous – Read
Asynchronous – Watch
Asynchronous – Download
Table of Contents
2021
GIER Annual Symposium
Schedule
Live Events
Wednesday, June 2
10:00-11:30 am EDT
Small Grants Program Sampler Platter
Learn first-hand from Small Grants Program awardees about their GIER-supported interdisciplinary environmental projects.
Join us for a ‘research tasting’!
Our speakers will be:
- Catherine Bush, Associate Professor, School of English and Theatre Studies
- Dr. Ally Menzies, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Environmental Sciences
- Dr. Amanda Boetzkes, Professor, School of Fine Art and Music
- Dr. Craig Johnson, Professor, Department of Political Science
- Thiyaana Jeyabalan, Graduate Student, Department of Population Medicine
- Dr. Elizabeth Gow, Adjunct Professor, Department of Integrative Biology
- Nicholas Milutinovic, Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry
The event will be moderated by Dr. Eric Nost, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics.
EVERYONE WELCOME TO ATTEND!
12:00-1:00 pm EDT
In Tune with the Environment
Join us for a series of performances and interdisciplinary conversations as we discuss how music can express both our hopes and concerns for the environment.
We invite you to enjoy the creative performances of:
- Dr. James Harley, Composer and Professor, School of Fine Art and Music
- Dr. Irene Gregorio, Pianist, Vocal Coach and Music Director
- Mark Spagnolo, Bassist, Outdoor Music School Educator
The event will be moderated by Dr. Marta McCarthy, Conductor and Associate Professor, School of Fine Art and Music.
EVERYONE WELCOME TO ATTEND!
7:00-8:30 pm EDT
Climate Change is Everything Change: Live Chat + Kahoot!
Do you think you know about climate change? Join us for a chat with experts and test your knowledge!
Our panelists will be:
- Dr. Jonathan Newman, VP Research, Wilfrid Laurier University
- Dr. Ze’ev Gedalof, Professor, University of Guelph
- Dr. Hugh Henry, Professor, Director, Environmental Sciences Western Field Station, University of Western Ontario
- Dr. Madhur Anand, Professor, Director, Guelph Institute for Environmental Research
Thursday, June 3
11:30 am- 1:00 pm EDT
Cooking for the Environment
Join environmental scientists Liane Miedema Brown and Sara Sricker and professional chef Chantel Kozachenko for a cooking session and some discussion around the ways in which our agri-food systems impact our natural world and daily lives.
The recipe and list of ingredients, as well as some tips for preserving food can be downloaded here:
EVERYONE WELCOME TO ATTEND!
1:30-3:00 pm EDT
Early Career Researchers Mind Map
What do newer generations have in mind?
Early career researchers: We want to hear your thoughts about the environment and interdisciplinary research. We invite all disciplinary backgrounds and viewpoints!
Join us for a chat with your peers. We will have live graphic recording!
If you are an Early Career Researcher, feel free to jot down some thoughts for our discussion here.
ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS WELCOME!
Asynchronous Curated Content
*Project partially funded by GIER
Anytime
A Cultural Framework for Indigenous, Local, and Science Knowledge
Systems in Ecology and Natural Resource Management
GIER Affiliate Jeji Varghese proposes a framework to facilitate cross-cultural engagement between communities that have a different understanding of what “knowledge” means.
Anytime
Poetry Reading and Conversation
GIER Affiliate Karen Houle reads from The Grand River Watershed: A Folk Ecology. This virtual reading was funded by The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, and cosponsored by the Elora Poetry Centre & Gallery and Renison University College, University of Waterloo.
Anytime
How Do Cats Behave Outdoors? And Why Do We Care?*
Animal welfare and biodiversity conservation come together in this project by GIER Affiliates Ryan Norris, Elizabeth Gow, and Lee Niel. Check it out!
Anytime
Micro-Climate Stories*
Discover tiny stories, poems, and essays from writers, scientists, and artists, as they respond to the climate crises in a creative way.
Anytime
Staying Connected on the Farm
GIER Affiliate Helen Hambly shares her thoughts on the social and economic impact of internet communications in rural areas in this episode by The Back 40 Podcast.
Anytime
Arts-Based Knowledge Mobilization*
If you wonder how art can effectively and creatively disseminate environmental research, check out the work of these interdisciplinary teams who combined science and art in some master pieces!
To download the text, scroll down to the bottom of the pages and click on “Print Friendly.”
Anytime
The Manomin Project*
GIER Affiliates Brittany Luby and Andrea Bradford introduce you to The Manonim Project, a community-engaged initiative that aims to restore ancestral crops and cultural foodways in Anishinaabe-Aki. Link 1 takes you to a presentation that was part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 2021. Link 2 invites you to listen to the words of Elder John Henry on the meaning of Manomin.
Anytime
Cleaning Up Persistent and Damaging Halogenated Organic Molecules from the Environment*
GIER Affiliate and awardee Michael Denk has developed a novel approach to remove halogenated hydrocarbons from the environment, including many pesticides and heavy metals from water.
Anytime
Learning to Think with Sustainability
Don’t miss this 5-minute explainer video made by GIER Affiliate Philip Loring that covers some critical concepts to better understand the sustainability worldview.
Anytime
Do Sustainability Rankings Identify Sustainable Companies?
A take on corporate sustainability rankings by GIER Affiliate Rumina Dhalla. If you wonder what is the meaning behind statements like “the most responsible” or “the most green”, this is for you.
Anytime
The Dark Side of Renewable Energy*
GIER Affiliate and awardee Craig Johnson analyzes the environmental and socio-economic impacts of renewable energies as a series of displacements, a framework that goes beyond the typical cost-benefit approaches and dives into processes and outcomes that are overlooked in our transition to carbon-free energy.
Anytime
Climate Change Cultures in Greenland*
Led by GIER Affiliate Amanda Boetzkes, Climate Change Cultures in Greenland is a multi-year collaborative research project that analyzes the local and global cultures of climate change converging in Greenland. To get a sense of what’s to come, you can watch these series of interviews about “At the Moraine: Envisioning the Concerns of Ice”, a first iteration of this kind of research that convened a group of specialists researching at the axis of environmental anthropology, glaciology, Greenlandic culture and politics, and artistic practice.
Anytime
Between the Soil and the Atmosphere
GIER Affiliate Claudia Wagner-Riddle explains the links between soil management, climate change, and food security in this episode of The Why and How Podcast.
Banner photo credit: Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash.
