“The Risk of Saying Nothing”

Environmental Media Conference

On Friday October 13th, join us to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences as we explore “The Risk of Saying Nothing,” an environmental media conference where we will highlight our talent in communicating science. Before Stony Brook University was known for the Southampton Writers Conference, SoMAS predecessor MSRC held environmental writers’ workshops featuring notable authors from around the country. Today, we communicate in many different ways besides traditional books and papers. These new tools are necessary because “saying nothing” concerning the state of our environment and its sustainability is unacceptable and irresponsible. We need to speak out boldly, creatively, and effectively.

A Facebook event has been created, but please register for the event through Wolfstock’s Alumni Events section so we can plan accordingly.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Schedule of Events

Friday, October 13th  10am – 6pm

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences – Endeavour Hall, Room 120

All Day Wandering Art, History and Research Exhibits in SoMAS Hallways

10:00 Introductions and Welcome – Larry Swanson

10:05 “SoMAS – This Is Your Life!”  – Malcolm Bowman

10:30 “Fighting Fake News” – Howard Schneider

11:00 “Communication and Connection in Science” – Christine O’Connell

11:45 “The Curious Place for Poetry in Environmental Communication” – David Taylor

12:00 “The Path Toward Open Access Publications” – Minghua Zhang

1:00 LUNCH

1:30 “Environmental Communication: Writing, Media and the Arts” – Heidi Hutner

2:30 Transport to Wang Center

Stony Brook University – Charles B. Wang Center Lecture Hall 2

3:00 “Making Scientific Research Count for the next 50 Years; Some Thoughts” – Jerry Schubel

Stony Brook University – Charles B. Wang Center J Club in Jasmine

4:30 Reception / Club Red

Saturday, October 14th  8am – 1:30pm

Port Jefferson  – Harborfront Park – R/V Seawolf Dock

8:00 R/V Seawolf Dockside Breakfast

Stony Brook University – Charles B. Wang Center Lecture Hall 2

12:30 Wolfstock Faculty Lecture: “The Ocean and You” – Carl Safina

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

LARRY SWANSON: Interim Dean of SoMAS; Associate Dean, SoMAS; Director Waste Reduction and Management Institute; Former Executive Director, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA.  Professional interests include marine pollution, marine boundary disputes, marine policy and planning.

MALCOLM BOWMAN: Malcolm is the longest serving faculty member of SoMAS/MSRC and has participated in the development of the School from it humble beginnings to one of the premier coastal marine and atmospheric science centers in the world. He researches storm surge science and finding the ways that work to protect Metropolitan NY-NJ and Long Island from future devastating megastorms for the next century and beyond.

HOWARD SCHNEIDER: Dean of the Stony Brook University School of Journalism and the former editor of Newsday. He also is the Executive Director of the school’s Center for News Literacy, which has taught more than 10,000 undergraduates how to judge the reliability of news and information.

CHRISTINE O’CONNELL: Assistant Professor of Science Communication in the School of Journalism and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. She received her PhD (from SoMAS) in marine science and was the Alda Center’s first Associate Director where she helped build and shape the organization and its curriculum.

DAVID TAYLOR: Assistant Professor in Sustainability Studies at SoMAS, David is the author and editor of eight books, three of which are attempts at poetry.

MINGHUA ZHANG: Former Director of the Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres (ITPA), Associate Dean and Dean of SoMAS, Minghua is a Professor at SoMAS and currently serving as Editor-in-Chief of a major scientific journal published by the American Geophysical Union, the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

HEIDI HUTNER: Heidi Hutner is the Director of Sustainability Studies, Associate Dean at SoMAS and an Associate Professor . She teaches and writes about Environmental Humanities.

JERRY SCHUBEL: Former MSRC Dean and Director from 1974 to 1994, Dr. Jerry Schubel has served as the President and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific since 2002. He has worked throughout his professional life at the interfaces of science, management, and policy on ocean issues and has published more than 225 scientific papers.

CARL SAFINA: Founding president of The Carl Safina Center and an Endowed professor at Stony Brook University, Carl is a MacArthur Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, a Pew Fellow in Marine conservation, an Utne Reader visionary, and a recipient of Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo’s Rabb Medal, among other honors.