How can and should Dartmouth鈥檚 institutional resources鈥攆rom the forests of the to the and the central campus itself鈥攂e harnessed as laboratories for experiential learning and nationally distinctive research programs about climate change?
That is the central question of the , a year-long effort to identify Dartmouth鈥檚 strengths and opportunities for climate scholarship and education locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The initiative is being led by 天美影视 of Anthropology , who was recently appointed special advisor to the provost on climate and sustainability.
CFI is one of several key pillars of Dartmouth鈥檚 commitment to meaningful action to address climate change and sustainability鈥攁 priority that outlined in her Inaugural address in September, pledging an aggressive push for the campus to achieve real carbon zero and to become a world leader in developing innovative, sustainable, and human-centered cold-weather climate solutions.
鈥淭he goal of the Climate Futures Initiative is to capitalize on Dartmouth鈥檚 extraordinary community of scholars and students and our unique sense of place in rural New Hampshire to maximize our academic impact on climate-related issues,鈥 says .
Throughout the spring and fall, Dartmouth faculty are invited to participate in a series of three CFI colloquia to explore how the campus can become a lab for climate study and innovation. Complementary colloquia can begin to form around interdisciplinary faculty research initiatives to leverage competitive extramural research funding in support of national and international initiatives.
The sessions are intended to encourage open and expansive faculty participation in the conversation around climate change, with a goal of understanding what other professors are doing in this space, coming up with actionable ideas for future research and teaching engagements, and creating community.
鈥淲hile pursuing multiple academic initiatives, we want the concept of 鈥榗ampus as lab鈥 to become one model that encourages integrative and creative thinking spanning the humanities, arts, sciences, and applied fields. In addition, we want to look well beyond the campus to train scholars for a world facing the challenges of a changing climate,鈥 Ogden says.
The first three faculty colloquia to explore the 鈥渃ampus as lab鈥 model include:
- Campus Decarbonization and Geothermal Energy Transitions, chaired by , professor of earth sciences. Noon to 3:30 p.m., May 1.
- Dartmouth鈥檚 Organic Farm, chaired by , assistant professor of environmental studies. Noon to 3:30 p.m., May 3.
- The Second College Grant, chaired by , professor of biological sciences. Sept. 13 (time TBA).
To register for the colloquia, faculty should email Laura.A.Ogden@Dartmouth.edu.
Ogden says plans for other CFI programs are in the works on topics that include faculty pilot projects, Arctic and northern climates research, campus-wide curriculum efforts on climate change, student engagement, and strengthening Dartmouth鈥檚 global visibility in climate research.
