Katherine Kenney: "2008 Beijing Olympics and the Implications for China's Environmental Future." In her presentation, Katherine will talk about the environmental problems in China, using the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing as a backdrop for what China can do to improve their environmental health situation. Air quality is one of the biggest concerns for the 2008 Games, and some athletes are concerned as to whether or not China will be able to reach World Health Organization standards for air quality in time for the Olympics. She will look at the magnitude of the problem, what the Beijing and Central Chinese governments are doing, and if the model used in Beijing might be implemented across China to address their growing environmental issues. 

 

In the face of rising energy needs and global climate change, renewable energy represents a clean and green way into the future. In 2001, America's first off-shore wind farm was proposed in the coastal waters of Massachusetts. Seven years later, the fate of the project remains in limbo. Jonathon's presentation examines why the Cape Wind project has been met with both opposition and support, specifically focusing on the environmental values of place and sustainability.

  

This presentation will introduce the idea of field research as a crucial aspect of sciences and virtually all academic disciplines. It will focus on Taylor's four-week research expedition to Antarctica in 2006 with Hamilton College and the United States Antarctic Program, laying out the day to day life and science that was carried out onboard the ship. The presentation is intended to excite the students about the amazing opportunities available in higher education, and will not be bogged down with technical descriptions of the experiments being performed. Instead, Taylor will use photos, diagrams and stories to illustrate the difficulties and beauty of studying in such a remote place.