Environmental News

• Gene editing could revive a nearly lost tree. Not everyone is on board (Dino Grandoni). Scientists think bringing back even a portion of the chestnut trees lost to fungus would not only remake forests in the east but would also help combat climate change.
• Simple method destroys dangerous 'forever chemicals,' making water safe (UCLA). If you're despairing at recent reports that Earth's water sources have been thoroughly infested with hazardous human-made chemicals called PFAS that can last for thousands of years, making even rainwater unsafe to drink, there's a spot of good news. Chemists have developed a simple way to break down almost a dozen types of these nearly indestructible 'forever chemicals' at relatively low temperatures with no harmful byproducts.
• Faster in the Past: New seafloor images of West Antarctic Ice Sheet upend understanding of Thwaites Glacier retreat (University of South Florida). The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica has been an elephant in the room for scientists trying to make global sea level rise predictions. This massive ice stream is already in a phase of fast retreat; a total loss of the glacier and surrounding icy basins could raise sea level from three to 10 feet.
• Outrage + Optimism - Podcast series on the Future of Food. A food revolution is germinating across the globe. The linear model of growing, producing and distributing food is destroying nature, damaging human health and devastating farmers - and it is also a major cause of climate change. Join us for a healthy dose of outrage and a serving of stubborn optimism as we explore the radical shifts underway toward a regenerative food system.
• Maine Climate Science Dashboard, Maine Climate Council

Student Fellowships, Programs & jobs 

• Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Program
  Summer 2023 application opens Sept 12, 2022
   
• Northeast Climate Advocacy Fellow for Citizens' Climate Lobby is recuriting students and recent graduates as interns or fellows. Find out more on the website. The application deadline is October 1, 2022.

• The Bridge Program: Fall 2022 Hiring Event, Nov. 1 & 2, 2022. Register by Sept 9
  The Bridge Program is a public-private partnership to create an inclusive and innovative hiring pathway that will embolden and diversify conservation employment practices.

• The White House Council on Environmental Quality Internship Program 
  Application for Spring Due October 28, 2022
  Applications for Summer Due February 24, 2023

• Green Tea Podcast Co-Host. The podcast consists of student podcasters that work together to produce an ongoing series to discuss sustainability topics from the perspective of faculty, staff, students, and community members. The podcast also explores ways to share resources and encouragement in response to the environmental issues and various challenges we face and provides meaningful ways to engage both individually and collectively as a community around these topics.
• First Year Eco Rep.  The Sustainability Media Specialists will work with the Sustainable Bowdoin staff and student Sustainability Coordinator to help promote initiatives and events and share important resources with the Bowdoin community.
• Sustainability Media Specialist. The Sustainability Media Specialists will work with the Sustainable Bowdoin staff and student Sustainability Coordinator to help promote initiatives and events and share important resources with the Bowdoin community.
• EOS 2005 Learning Assistant. Earth and Oceanographic Science investigates fundamental questions about our planet. From the classroom to field and laboratory settings, EOS students gain valuable skills and opportunity as they craft their ability to contribute on a larger scale. Department jobs are designed to support professional development, the essential functions of the department and the creation of a team and community atmosphere. The EOS 2005 Learning Assistant will work with students in Biogeochemistry by offering support and guidance during weekly indoor and outdoor laboratories, with occasional work outside of lab time.
   

Featured Jobs and Fellowships 
For Graduating Seniors

• Orleans Conservation Trust Outreach Coordinator & Office Manager. The Orleans Conservation Trust seeks a highly motivated individual to serve as Outreach Coordinator & Office Manager. The individual will report to the Executive Director and will work closely with staff, board members, volunteers, and the public. They will manage OCT’s guided walks and educational lectures and assist with social media (Facebook and Instagram) and email communications with members. They will also be responsible for core administrative operations including donation processing, donor database maintenance, mailing preparation, assisting the OCT Treasurer with financial reporting, and being responsive to the public. The Outreach Coordinator & Office Manager will work out of OCT’s office at 203 South Orleans Road, Orleans, MA 02653. This is a full-time, exempt position. Willingness and availability to work occasional evenings and weekends required.
• City of South Portland sustaibability Porgram Manager. The Sustainability Program Manager works closely with the Sustainability Director to develop and implement programs and policies that simultaneously promote economic well-being, strong community connections, and a healthy environment. The primary focus of the Sustainability Office is to implement One Climate Future initiatives that help South Portland meet aggressive carbon reduction goals and build community resilience.  To achieve these goals, we focus on buildings and energy use, transportation and land use, waste reduction, and climate resilience. In all of our work, this position will help ensure the Sustainability Office proactively centers equity, diversity, and inclusion in programming, policies, and community engagement initiatives. 

 Featured Campus and Community Events

Bowdoin Events

• Lecture and Discussion with Explorer J. Robert Harris, Chair, DEI Committee Explorers Club on Wednesday, September 7th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm in the Arctic Museum. Harris’ lecture titled Sambo or Superman: The Rocky Road to Recognition is a presentation about Black explorers. Recently, the Explorers Club Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee launched the Society of Forgotten Explorers. The Society seeks to honor unknown, lesser-known, or unsung explorers from underrepresented communities and ethnicities, and tell their stories. These are men and women who are living or deceased, with emphasis on indigenous as well as female explorers.
   

• Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow Toshi Reagon, Thursday, September 8 7:30 p.m., Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center

  Don't miss this conversation about the themes of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and their relevance to our lives today. Toshi will be joined by Judith Casselberry, Associate Professor of Africana Studies, Samaa Abdurraqib, Executive Director of the Maine Humanities Council, and others in a discussion of thesignificance of Butler's work, contemporary Societal challenges and the importance of community. See Octavia’s Parables Podcast to learn more.
   

• An Artist Presentation with Geo Neptune on Friday, September,ÔÇïÔÇïÔÇïÔÇïÔÇïÔÇï 9th in 2022 in Kresge Auditorium. Geo Soctomah Neptune, renowned Passamaquoddy artist, activist, model, and educator, offers an engaging presentation that combines storytelling with a basketmaking demonstration. Neptune will discuss their artistic inspiration, personal journey, and creative process, with a Q&A to follow. This program is hosted in conjunction with Innovation and Resilience Across Three Generations of Wabanaki Basket-Making, on view until September 18, 2022. Following the artist lecture, Geo Neptune will host a workshop for students that includes basket-making, conversation, and bonding. Co-hosted by the Center for Multicultural Life and SWAG (Sexuality, Women and Gender Center).

• Five Artists in Conversation: The night sky, science & process, Zero Station, Wednesday, September 8th 6:30-9:00 p.m.
  222 Anderson St., Portland, ME
   
• Life of Trees on Sunday, September 11th 2:00 - 3:00 pm at the Versant Power Astronomy Center. The Life of Trees is a perfect planetarium show that raises the awareness of protecting the natural environment in which we live. The show answers questions like: How do plants get their food from the sun? How do they grow? How does water get from the roots to the top of the crown? And how does all this make life on our earth possible?
• Out of Our Depth: Interdisciplinary science for marine mammal conservation on Monday, September 29th from 3:00 - 4:00 pm (virtual option). Speaker Kristina Cammen is an Assistant Professor in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, where she teaches and conducts research in marine mammal science. Her research program focuses on improving our understanding of marine mammal ecology and ocean health, and advancing the use of genomic techniques in conservation biology. Riding on the wake of the environmental movement, our generation has the fortune of celebrating the return of many iconic species. Yet, as we celebrate our conservation successes, we must increasingly contend with unanticipated consequences, including increased human-wildlife conflict. In this talk, Cammen will introduce the complicated conservation case study of seals in the Gulf of Maine, describe how she has approached this issue using her training as a geneticist and ecologist, and share how this work has been strengthened through interdisciplinary collaborations with diverse research and stakeholder groups.
   
• Check out the Maine Environtal Eduation Association (MEEA). The Maine Environmental Education Association builds environmental awareness, accountability, and action by centering equity and advancing systemic change.MEEA supports many different projects across the state. Our programming supports a wide range of audiences, including high school and college students, teachers, non-profit organizations, and community members.