NRT Students: choose two seminars from the list below. More seminars will be added throughout the semester.
| Date | Time (CST) | Title | Description | Presenter | Location | Notes |
| Mon. Jan 22 | 12:00 - 1:30pm | Conference of Parties 28 Talk-Back: UMN Delegation Takeaways from Dubai | Hear from a panel of UMN observer delegates to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28. They'll share experiences, impressions, and takeaways. | Hosted by UMN's Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy | Hybrid, register for Zoom link or Josie Johnson Community Room 180, Humphrey School, 301 19th Ave S. Mpls, MN 55455 | Register here. |
| Tues. Jan 23 | 11:30am -12:30pm | Engineering Materials for a Sustainable Future | Multidisciplinary engineering is critical at all stages of sustainable materials scenarios: design, scale-up and manufacturing, and end-of use. | Yael Vodovotz (Professor at OSU) and Jennifer Dionne (Sr. Associate Vice Provost at Stanford) | Online webinar | Register here. Hosted by the NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance |
| Thurs. Jan. 25 | 11:30am - 1:00pm | IonE Introduction to Systems Thinking | Learn about systems thinking: a skill that helps leaders and organizations examine and simplify complexity, recognize patterns, and create effective solutions to challenges. | Dr. Julia Frost Nerbonne | Hybrid: IonE 1954 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108 and Zoom | Register here, hosted by the Institute on the Environment |
| Fri. Jan. 26 | 9:05 - 10:00am | An Artist's View of Reciprocity | Sean has dedicated the past 9 years to protecting and restoring Bde Psin Lake Hiawatha using an interdisciplinary art practice that benefits the ecology and community. | Sean Connaughty | Civil Engineering Room 202 | Hosted by Environmental Engineering; no registration |
| Fri. Feb. 2 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | Health, Equity, & Climate Change | Understand key equity issues that climate changes gives rise to and health threats of climate change. | Julian Sheather, PhD, Consultant, World Health Organization | Online | Register here. Hosted by UMN Center for Bioethics |
| Fri. Feb. 2 | 1:30 - 2:15pm | Catalyzing the Renaissance of American Mining to Enable the Energy Transition | The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will share about its advances in high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. Wicks's area of focus at ARPA-E is on waste-to-energy technologies. | Douglas Wicks, PhD, program director of the ARPA-E | Attend via Zoom | No registration needed. |
| Mon. Feb. 5 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | What Will We Eat in 2040? | Hear from a policy expert and advocate who focuses on resilient food systems and agriculture and international trade. | Sophia Murphy, Executive Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy | Hybrid: Josie Johnson Community Room 180 (Humphrey School) or online | RSVP here for this free, hybrid event; lunch served. Hosted by the UMN Center for Science, Technology, & Environmental Policy. |
| Fri. Feb. 9 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | Advancing UMN Climate Action via Research & Training | Connect with faculty across disciplines to generate project ideas to support the UMN Twin Cities Climate Action Plan. | Hosted by the UMN Office of Sustainability | Online | Register here. |
| Mon. Feb. 12 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | Equity v. Efficiency in Environmental Policy: A Mississippi River Case | Hear about Prof. Keeler's work researching the value of a cleaner Mississippi River with the goal of centering environmental justice and informing federal water policy. | Prof. Bonnie Keeler | Hybrid: Josie Johnson Community Room 180 (Humphrey School) or online | RSVP here for this free, hybrid event; lunch served. Hosted by the UMN Center for Science, Technology, & Environmental Policy. |
| Tues. Feb. 13 | 12:00 - 1:15pm | Achieving Net-Zero at a County Level: MN & Germany Learn from Each Other | Achieving net-zero in the race to address climate change requires both political leadership and holistic technical solutions. Counties are a key arena where solutions need to be implemented–in Minnesota and in Germany. | Prof. Christof Wetter and Prof. Elmar Bruegging, FH Muenster University of Applied Sciences | Wilkins Room 215, Humphrey School of Public Affairs | Register here. Free, light refreshments served. |
| Wed. Feb. 14 | 3:30 - 4:45pm | Engineering Design for Wicked Problems in Energy: A Case Study of Offshore Renewables | To slow the effects of a changing climate, global policymakers are assigning unprecedented resources to decarbonizing electricity generation. Accordingly, renewable energy is becoming more abundant and less expensive, though challenges to development still exist. | Bryony DuPont, Oregon State University | Mechanical Engineering 1130 | Hosted by the Mechanical Engineering department. No registration. |
| Thurs. Feb. 15 | 10:00 - 11:00am | Defining "Reuse" for Policymakers | As the legislative session ramps up, we'll discuss how to define reusable packaging in the policy context. | Nathan Dufour (Zero Waste Europe), Matt Littlejohn (Oceana), Sydney Harris (Upstream) | Online | Register here. |
| Thurs. Feb. 22 (tentative) | 11:30am - 1:00pm | Interdisciplinary Scholarship Workshop | Learn from a panel of researchers and practitioners who lead interdisciplinary research and scholarship. | Hosted by the Institute on the Environment | Hybrid: IonE 1954 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108 and Zoom | Register here, hosted by the Institute on the Environment |
| Thurs. Feb. 22 | 3:00 - 4:00pm | Workshop: Getting the Most Out of Co-Authorship | Graduate students discuss opportunities and challenges of collaboration. | UMN Graduate School | Online | Register here. |
| Wed. Feb. 28 | 9:00am - 3:00pm | Building Partnerships to Advance Ethical Research: Collaborators, Communities, & Companies | Join experts for a unique conference on how to build partnerships with investigators, communities, clinical research professionals, and companies to promote the ethical conduct and translation of research. | Seventeen distinguished speakers, see list here. | Online | Register here. |
| Thurs. Feb. 29 | 4:00 - 5:00pm | Drawn to STEM: The Integration of Visualization Into Education Through Comics and Animation To Improve Learning | See and learn about the benefits of visual instruction in STEM education. | Dr. Lucas Landherr, Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University | Tate Hall B20 and online | Link to the Zoom, hosted by the Dept of Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Fri. March 1 | 10:10 - 11:10am | Charting Technology Development Pathways for a Circular Bioeconomy | Beyond maximizing efficiencies and minimizing cost, Guest introduces a standardized process to innovate new technologies and systems. | Jeremy S. Guest, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Hybrid: CEGE building room 210 and online. | For Zoom link, register here. |
| Fri. March 1 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | Inequality & the Environment: Moving from Science to Action that Advances Environmental Justice & Health Equity | The accelerating impacts of climate change are having additional disproportionate effects on minoritized populations. This talk will discuss structural determinants of environmental health disparities and community-engaged research. | Lara Cushing, PhD, MPH at UCLA | Online | Register here. |
| Thurs. March 14 | 6:00 - 8:00pm | Networking Event: Energy & Environment Student Groups | Join energy and environment student groups from the Humphrey School, Carlson, & Law School to meet alumni and professionals. | UMN Alumni and professionals in the energy and environment fields | Humphrey Forum, 301 S. 19th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55455 | RSVP here. Drinks and appetizers served. |
| Wed. March 20 | 6:00 - 7:30pm | Artist Talk: "Perspectives on Water" | Join for a conversation between multiple Native American experts about water: history, industrial impacts on water, inter-species connections, climate change, and shifting relationships between humans and water. | Ceramic artist Courtney M. Leonard (Shinnecock), Dr. Kate Beane, Vicente Diaz, and Dr. Roxanne Biidabinokwe Gould | Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455 | Registration required. Free or sliding scale donation. |
Attend 1 seminar before March 22 when we meet as a cohort to debrief. | ||||||
| Wed. March 27 | 12:00 - 1:00pm | Bicycles as a Social & Community Development Strategy - An International Perspective | Bicycles play an important role in transportation, health, and sustainability. Hear about how they also address pressing issues in rural communities around the world. | Mitchell McSweeney (UMN Professor) and Janet Otte (Ugandan Researcher) | Online | Register here for this free, online webinar. |
| Thurs. March 28 | 3:30 - 4:30pm | (In)Justice Series: Everything is Connected: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & Practices | How do Indigenous knowledges shape environmental policy, governance, and science? How can a broader understanding of these knowledges reshape the future? | Wendy F. K’ah Skáahluwáa Todd (University of Minnesota Duluth) and Clint Carroll (University of Colorado Boulder) | Hybrid: Best Buy Theater in Northrop and Online | Register here to receive the webinar link. |
| Thurs. March 28 | 4:00 - 5:00pm | The Mineral-Security Nexus | Key issues surrounding critical minerals and the challenges both from a human, national, and environmental security perspective. | Tom Hale, PhD Candidate, University of Delaware | Hybrid: Tate Hall B20 or Online | Visit this site to receive the Zoom link. |
| Fri. March 29 | 10:00am - 3:00pm | Field Trip to the MN Legislature | Head to Minnesota's capitol to learn how the legislative process works, observe live sessions, and meet local representatives. | Hosted by the Institute on the Environment | In person, details provided upon registering. | Register here; space is limited. |
| Tues. April 2 | 12:00 - 1:30pm | Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us | Understand the field of neuroaesthetics, the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the body, brain, and behavior. | Susan Magsamen | Virtual on Zoom. | Register here. |
| Wed. April 10 | 11:30am- 12:30pm | Intermediaries in Industrial Decarbonization in Minnesota | Explore and examine the intermediaries in industrial decarbonization efforts in MN. | Elise Harrington | Wilkins Room in the Humphrey School | Lunch provided: register here. |
| Thurs. April 11 | 9:00 - 10:45am and/or 11am - 12:30pm | The Rights of Nature vs. Human Rights? Struggles for environmental, racial, and gender justice in Colombia, Ecuador, and the U.S. | Coffee and refreshments from 8:30-9am. First panel discussion at 9am: Law and Rights of Nature Across the Americas. Second panel at 11am: Women Activists and the Rights of Nature Across the Americas. | Speakers TBA, moderated by Dr. Amanda Lyons and Dr. Christina Ewig | Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave. South | Register to Attend. Hosted by the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs |
| Wed. April 17 | 5:30 - 6:30pm | Advancing Climate Solutions. Now. | Ojiambo will discuss her role at the UN Global Compact, to advance sustainability measures with corporate partners around the world. | Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations & ED and CEO Of UN Global Compact | Hybrid: Cowles Auditorium in the Humphrey School and online | Registration required for in-person and online attendance |
| Thurs. April 25 | 11:30am - 1:00pm | Community Engaged Scholarship | Explore partnering with relevant groups or communities to enhance academic research quality and impact. | Hosted by the Institute on the Environment | On Zoom | Register here; Hosted by the Institute on the Environment |