UW-Eau Claire to launch new Center for Environmental Research and Scholarship

UW-Eau Claire has launched the Center for Environmental Research and Scholarship, which will serve as a clearinghouse for individual and collaborative research and scholarship. The new center also will serve as a repository for sharing resources and general information about environmental issues and discoveries.

“As the university increases focus on leadership in healthcare education, the College of Arts and Sciences recognizes that a major determinant of a community’s health is the environment,” says Dr. Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 

“We have a long history of excellence in interdisciplinary teaching and research in environment and sustainability practices, and this center solidifies a commitment to elevate that work,” he adds.

Sternfeld-Dunn says this new center will provide the following:

• Interdisciplinary scholarships to any student in the College of Arts and Sciences who wants to study and research the environment.
• Mini grants to faculty of any discipline in the college to pursue research or creative activity related to environmental scholarship.
• A speaker series bringing in experts on sustainability and environmental practices to campus, an opportunity for the campus and community to learn more about climate, environment and sustainability research.

Dr. Nora Mitchell, associate professor of biology, has been instrumental in the establishment of this center and looks forward to the many ways this new hub will expand opportunities for environmental studies on campus.

“I am excited to have this centralized hub that will allow our amazing faculty, staff and students across campus to unify in sharing ideas, forging new collaborations and engaging with the community,” Mitchell says.

Speaker Series first installment set for 
Feb. 7

The inaugural guest speaker hosted by the Center for Environmental Research and Scholarship will be Dr. Robert Brinkmann, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Northern Illinois University.

Brinkmann will present “Understanding Sustainability in a Time of Change” at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in Room 1614 of Centennial Hall. It is free and open to the public, as well the campus community. The event will be livestreamed at uwec.ly/live. 

More about the guest

Brinkmann has been an expert on environmental change and sustainability issues since the 1990s. He holds Ph.D.s in both geology and geography, and says that as city planners design (and redesign) the cities and suburbs of tomorrow, issues like the increased prevalence of wildfires, rising sea levels and changing weather patterns must be considered. Brinkmann has appeared as a geologic and environmental expert on numerous national news outlets, including CBS News and CNN. His popular blog, “On the Brink,” focuses on environmental and sustainability issues. He is the author and co-author of several books, including “Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change,” “Case Studies in Suburban Sustainability” and “Practical Sustainability: A Guide to More Sustainable Living.”