Spring 2022 Events Recap

Spring 2022 was full of Center-sponsored and co-sponsored events, kicked off with a presentation by our managing director Lynne Dahmen on tools and tricks to streamline engagement on Twitter. Faculty affiliates Linda Prokopy, Ariana Torres and Dan Kelly also each shared their thoughts on how they effectively use social media to engage an academic following.

On February 10, the Cyber-Animal Systems Research Cluster hosted a half-day hybrid symposium on sustainable precision animal agriculture, featuring talks on precision ag management, the future of the industry, and funding opportunities. Later that month, the Center was pleased to co-host, along with the Honors College, biologist Alison Power from Cornell. Dr. Power participated in a panel discussion with faculty affiliates Linda Prokopy, Jennifer Johnson and Jacob Ricker-Gilbert before giving the Aronson Keynote Lecture on her team's work in Ethiopia addressing the dynamic relationships between farmers’ ecological knowledge and plant diversity.

On March 25, the Center hosted a virtual panel discussion, “Working Together for Environmental Justice in the Midwest,” which featured discussion on current EPA efforts to improve environmental and social justice and environmental health in Indiana. Panelists included: Alan Walts (EPA), Dr. Jason Kelly (IUPUI), Dr. Julie Peller (Valparaiso U), Denise Abdul-Rahman (Chisholm Legacy Project, NAACP), and Rev. Curtis Whittaker (FAITH Farms, Gary IN). The panel was moderated by Center affiliate Ellen Wells.

In April, representatives from Lewis-Burke Associates gave an on-campus presentation to faculty on methods for effective engagement with the federal government as well as the federal funding landscape for the upcoming fiscal year. Finally, on May 6, the Center for the Environment and the White River Alliance co-hosted a virtual forum titled “Indiana’s Flood Future: Maps, Mitigation, and Next Steps,” in which representatives from public agencies, universities, and private firms around the state discussed Indiana's flooding risks, implications for community planning and resilience, and tools for planners and policymakers.