ESPP Research Colloquia

 

ESPP hosts a Research Colloquia Series that extends the format of the former student research presentations by ESPP dual major students to now include a variety of formats including student and expert panel discussions, faculty roundtables and debates. These events utilize ESPP's unique network of MSU expertise spanning MSU's colleges to address important and timely environmental issues that cross disciplinary boundaries. The ESPP Research Colloquia Series is a forum for MSU students, researchers and visitors to engage in research discussions where an interdisciplinary perspective is critical.

ESPP has also expanded its Distinguished Lecture Series to include events organized jointly with other units at MSU. ESPP is offering to partner with individual departments and units at MSU wherein ESPP co-sponsors a limited number of visits by distinguished scholars to deliver lectures on pressing environmental issues. For more information and criteria, please see this PDF.

 

 

Schedule for 2018-19 Colloquia

 

Date	Topic	Panel Discussants	Location
10 a.m. Monday September 24	Water Quality and Public Health	Ellis Adams, Georgia State University; Zachary Curtis, MSU Environmental Engineering; Maria Lapinski, MSU Communication and Ag-Bio Research Organized and moderated by Judith Namanya, Geography and ESPP	273 Giltner Hall Flyer
4 p.m. Tuesday October 2	Challenges of Covering the Environment	Genevieve Belmaker, contributing editor of Forests, Mongabay.com; Eric Freedman, director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism; Dave Poulson, senior associate director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism; Bruno Takahashi, Associate Professor, School of Journalism, MSU; Jennifer Weeks, energy and environment editor, The Conversation. Organized and moderated by Apoorva Joshi, Media and Information and ESPP	Room 184 CAS Flyer
1 p.m. Thursday October 25	ESPP Research Presentation: "What's Up with Groundwater"	Zachary Curtis, Civil and Environmental Engineering, ESPP; Dr. Stephen Hamilton, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station; Dr. Yadu Pokhrel, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Laura Young, outreach specialist, MSU IWR	273 Giltner Hall Flyer

 

 

 

 

Note to Our Student Presenters:

The student-organized colloquia provides ESPP dual major students a venue to gain practical knowledge and experience organizing interdisciplinary scholastic activities, skills necessary for a variety of career activities such as professional conferences and research panels.  A dual major student first identifies a broader research area that encompasses his or her research work, and then invites one or more other speakers who are experts in this area to serve on a discussion panel. The or panelists could be fellow students, faculty members such as the student’s advisors or committee members, or other researchers. A typical colloquium will include a 30 to 50 minute presentation by the student followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers for the student, and 30 minute panel discussion with questions for the panel prepared by the student.
New and existing ESPP Dual Major Students (who have not yet presented under the previous presentation format) will be required to organize their own colloquium before they graduate.  It is up the student at what point in their graduate program they will organize their colloquium.  The student can choose one of two approaches for their colloquium: it can be used by an early career graduate student to explain their research interests, ask specific questions of the panel and audience, and get feedback on their research trajectory; or the colloquium can be used by a senior graduate student to share their results and conclusions.  With either approach, a dual major student’s colloquium will serve as a venue to highlight important issues in the broader research area, to showcase the student’s own research approach in this broader context, and, with the presence of the student’s advisors and/or committee members, to defend the student’s research methods and gather feedback.
The student organizer will be responsible for:

• scheduling a date in the seminar series before the start of the semester with the series committee (contact Karessa Weir weirkare@msu.edu);
• inviting and organizing the panelists; preparing a 30 to 50 min. presentation; and
• preparing questions to lead the panel discussion after the student presentation. 

The number of student-organized colloquia will vary each semester to accommodate dual major students so they can meet this requirement.  Questions about organizing your colloquium should be sent to Karessa.