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In partnership with the local non-profit Our Sacred Earth the Nederland Community Library is continuing a local scientists series this spring. 

Part science talks, part personal experiences, the series will explore:

  • how the scientists got involved in their work–what motivates them?
  • how their work touches our lives
  • how they address the issue of climate disruption in their work and their lives

Questions about the series? Please contact Jay at jaymann.ncl@gmail.com or 303.258.1101

Past Talks

2016
Tuesday, September 27th at 7 pm      Mari Tye, PhD (NCAR)
How are the impacts from extreme weather changing? How do you produce information that is useful for decision makers?
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Tuesday, October 11th at 7 pm             Salvi Asefi-Najafabady, PhD (visiting NCAR scientist / University of Virginia)
How did the threads of my life: science, Sufism and ancient Persian cultural heritage come together to reveal to me the most ancient story of the Earth?
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Tuesday, October 25th at 7 pm           Carl Schmitt, PhD (NCAR)
Dirty snow: How human activity is affecting snow globally and how this is affecting humans.
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Wednesday, November 9th at 7 pm   Megan Melamed, PhD (International Global Atmospheric Chemistry)
How did growing up in Nederland lead to directing an international organization on atmospheric chemistry?
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Thursday, November 17th at 7 pm           Mario Molina, PhD (Climate Reality Project)
Why the international treaty on Climate Change reached in Paris last year matters for Colorado Wildfires.

Tuesday, December 6th at 7 pm   Heather Lazrus, PhD (National Center for Atmospheric Research)
What Does Culture Have to Do with Climate Change? Lessons for Resilience from a Tropical Island.
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2017

Tuesday, March 14th at 7 pm      Vera Schulte-Pelkum, PhD  (UC Boulder)
“Is climate change nothing new? Yes, the Earth has weathered massive swings in climate before, but not without consequences. As a geophysicist who works on tectonic processes spanning millions of years, I can offer a long-range view on geological climate history. We will explore drivers of planetary temperatures, take a tour of climate swings in the geological record and their effects such as mass extinctions, and compare human emissions to those from natural sources such as volcanism. Having grown up in Germany and Japan, I will also contemplate the morals of individual conduct and consequences in hindsight of collective avoidance.”

Tuesday, April 25th at 7 pm      Matthew Shupe, PhD (CU Boulder / NOAA)
Adventures in Arctic atmospheric research – studying the changing Arctic system from remote land stations, the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and embedded in the Arctic sea ice.

Tuesday, May 2nd at 7 pm      Diane Stanitski, PhD (NOAA)
“Just as a doctor uses instruments to determine a person’s health, scientists take measurements of our planet to check its well-being.  We monitor long-term changes to see how they compare to the ‘norm’.  Join me to learn how we take the pulse of our planet, specifically that of the global ocean, and share that information to inform our next generation of citizens.  I’ll describe my experiences as a geography professor, NOAA Teacher at Sea, scientist deploying ocean instruments, and children’s science book author, with a focus on long-term observations of this amazing planet.”

Tuesday, May 23rd at 7 pm      Daniel Ziskin, PhD (NCAR)
“It’s worse than you think!” How do societal patterns in the scientific community, government and the general public prevent us from taking meaningful action about climate change? What needs to shift? Where should we start? Daniel will discuss his analysis of the problem and an innovative approach for creating change that he is involved in.

Tuesday, May 30th at 7 pm      Kevin Raeder (National Center for Atmospheric Research)
“Join your neighbors to hear a hopeful account of human’s energy use through the ages, and how it relates to our current, contentious situation. Also meet a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who is a dedicated environmentalist disguised as a middle-of-the-road, white, male, dad type.  I’ll share some of my thoughts about environmentalism as a spiritual path, or even a religion, and I’m very interested to hear your perspectives.”

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