Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment
4th Class, Thursday, Jan 28, 2010, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD.
Understanding the Science of Earth’s Cycles, cont.
1. Carbon Cycle (9:15 – 10:15) Forrest Hall, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Office for Global Carbon Studies, NASA’s GSFC and UMBC; forrest.g.hall@nasa.gov
Speaker objectives: With an integrated system perspective, use examples drawn from current carbon cycle research to o Explain the basic underlying science and interactions. o Discuss outstanding issues and challenges (e.g., global warming). o Illustrate the state of art in earth observing technologies and strategies for environmental monitoring, assessment and prediction.
As a result of the presentation and follow-on discussions, participants will: o Understand fundamental carbon cycle components and interactions. o Understand some of the major advances and challenges in carbon cycle research, and their relevance to detecting, understanding and predicting environmental changes on regional to global scales (e.g., global warming). o Have a better appreciation for the importance of satellite observing and Earth system computer models to environmental prediction and response.
Q & A (10:15 - 10:30)
Break (10:30 – 10:45)
2. Observing the Living Oceans from Space: The Earth teems with life, supported to a large extent by tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton (10:45 - 11:45) Gene Feldman, Ph.D., Co-leader, NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group, NASA’s, GSFC; gene.c.feldman@nasa.gov
Speaker objectives: o With an integrated system perspective, examples are drawn from current ocean research. o The applications of satellite-derived ocean color data range from providing the information needed for a more accurate assessment of the role of the ocean in global change to providing a key parameter in a number of ecological and environmental studies. o The color images of the Earth's changing land and ocean features will be of significant use in fisheries management, agriculture assessment and coastal zone monitoring. o There is no question that the Earth is changing. Ocean color measurements from space have enabled us for the first time to monitor the biological consequences of that change - to see how the things we do, and how natural variability, affect the Earth's ability to support life.
As a result of the presentation and follow-on discussions, participants will: o Understand fundamental interactions and components in ocean dynamics and biology. o Understand some of the major advances and challenges in ocean dynamics and biology, and their relevance to detecting, understanding and predicting environmental changes on regional (e.g., Chesapeake Bay) to global scales. o Have a better appreciation for the importance of satellite observing and Earth system computer models to environmental prediction and response.
Q & A (11:45 - 12:00)
Lunch (12:00 – 12:45)
3. Ice Sheets: Waking Giants (12:45 – 1:45) Robert Bindschadler, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA’s, GSFC; robert.a.bindschadler@nasa.gov
Speaker objectives: From a perspective of past climatic data and recent observations: o Explain how ice sheets have changed in the past. o Show that recent changes of ice sheets are surprisingly large. o Discuss the likely reasons for these sudden changes. o Illustrate what the future ice sheets might do. o Discuss the human and economic impact of these changes emphasizing why ice sheets matter to everyone.
As a result of the presentation and follow-on discussions, participants will: o Understand processes that drive both slow and rapid ice-sheet response to environmental changes. o Appreciate the relevance of ice-sheet change to the global population and economy. o Appreciate the importance of satellite observation and Earth system computer models to environmental prediction and response.
Q & A (1:45 - 2:00)
Break (2:00 - 2:15)
4. Gray Wave of the Great Transformation: A Satellite View of Urbanization, Climate Change, and Food Security. (2:15 - 3:15) Marc Imhoff, Ph.D., Terra Project Scientist, NASA’s GSFC; marc.l.imhoff@nasa.gov
Speaker objectives: o Discuss land cover change driven by human activity with impacts ranging from loss of biological diversity to changes in regional and global climate. o Describe change that has been so pervasive and progressed so rapidly, compared to natural processes, that scientists refer to it as "the great transformation.” o Explain how urbanization, or the 'gray wave' of land transformation, is being increasingly recognized as an important process in global climate change. o Describe how large urban conglomerates alter the land surface so that both local climate and the basic ecology of the landscape are affected, with consequences to human health and economic well-being. o Discuss long-term programs for global and regional monitoring and assessment using a suite of Earth observing satellites to study the interactions between urbanization, biological processes, and weather and climate.
As a result of the presentation and follow-on discussions, participants will gain an appreciation for what we are learning by using these Earth Observatories and how o Urban heat islands form and, potentially, how to ameliorate them. o Urbanization can affect rainfall, pollution, and surface water recharge at the local level. o Urbanization can affect climate and food security globally.
Q & A (3:15 - 3:30) Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment
5th Class, Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 9:00 am – 4:15 pm Howard Co. Dept. Rec. & Parks Headquarters Bldg.
Non-positional Leadership: Making a Positive Difference
1. Daily Update with Program Coordinators (9:00 - 9:15)
2. Strengths-Based Volunteer Leadership: Leaving an Environmental Legacy (9:15 - 10:45) Tracey Manning, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Center on Aging, UMCP; tmanning@mail.academy.umd.edu
Speaker objectives: o Process participants’ personal best leadership experiences in the context of a transformational leadership model and research. o Help participants recognize and claim their transformational leadership strengths. o Aid participants to see how their strengths apply to non-positional leadership in a HoLLIE partner organization.
As a result participants will be able to explain: o Five key transformational leadership practices and their consequences for individuals and groups. o From their own experience, their transformational leadership strengths and likely impact. o How they could use transformational leadership strengths in their fieldwork.
Break (10:45 – 11:00)
3. Why I Volunteer: Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations (11:00 - 12:15) Cathy Hudson, Convener, Howard County Coalition for the Environment; cmhudson@comcast.net
Speaker objectives: o Highlight key differences in non-profit organizational structure, processes, regulations, and mission and purview from those of for-profits. o Highlight several levels of nonprofit groups. o Describe advantages of working in the nonprofit arena. o Introduce the concept of nonprofit entrepreneurship. o Explore how to structure your time to avoid burnout.
As a result participants will be able to explain: o How the for-profit world differs from the non-profit world. o The advantages of volunteering.
Lunch (12:15 – 1:00)
4. What Influences People to Change Their Environmental Behavior? (1:00 – 2:00) Paul C. Stern, Ph.D., Director, Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Climate Change, National Research Council; pstern@nas.edu.
Speaker objectives: o Discuss environmentally significant individual behavior. o Define environmental risk assessment and management. o Describe how this information may be important in effecting behavioral change o As a result participants will be able to explain: o How Legacy Leaders might formulate ways to encourage behavioral change in themselves and others
Q & A (2:00 - 2:15)
Reflections on HoLLIE Thus Far (2:15 – 2:45) HoLLIE 2010 Legacy Leaders
Break (2:45 - 3:00)
Earth System Science with Humans in the Equation
6. Weather Hazards: Drought, Floods, Hurricanes (3:00 – 4:00) Michael Kearney, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. Geography, UMCP; kearneym@geog.umd.edu
Speaker objectives: o Discuss, from a scientific perspective, what is understood from observations and models about change and natural variability in the Earth System, particularly as it relates to major weather events. o Identify examples of how local human activity in aggregate is manifested on regional and global scales, especially how these changes in turn impact weather.
As a result participants will be able to explain: o What is known about weather events due to naturally occurring cycles and those due to human activities.
Q & A (4:00 - 4:15) Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment
6th Class, Thursday, February 4, 2010, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Howard Co. Dept. Rec. & Parks Headquarters Bldg.
Earth System Science with Humans in the Equation, cont.
1. Daily Update with Program Coordinators (9:00 - 9:15)
2. Changing Life (Global to Local) (9:15 - 10:15) Joseph Sullivan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Plant Science and Landscape Architecture,UMCP; jsull@umd.edu
Speaker objectives: o Discuss the technical challenges and approaches to discerning natural from human-induced global environmental change. o Discuss, from a scientific perspective, what is understood from observations and models about change and natural variability in the Earth System, particularly as it relates to the life on earth.
As a result participants will be able to explain: o Technical challenges involved in detecting environmental changes in life forms and ecologies and in attributing those changes to specific causes. o Environmental changes in populations of flora and fauna that seem to be due to naturally occurring cycles and those that seem to be due to human activities.
Q & A (10:15 - 10:30)
Break (10:30 - 10:45)
Responses to Climate Change
4 Sustainability: What It Is and What It Could Look Like (10:45 – 12:00) Cathy Hudson, HoLLIE Program Coordinator; cmhudson@comcast.net
Speaker objectives: o Define concept of sustainability from different perspectives. o Discuss ways an individual might move toward sustainable living.
As a result participants will be able to explain: o Why the concept of sustainability is important for society. o How decisions by individuals contribute to sustainability.
Lunch (12:00 - 12:45)
3. International and National Environmental Policies (12:45 – 1:45) Nathan Hultman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, UMCP and Assistant Director, Joint Global Change Research Institute (a collaboration of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and UMD;) hultman@umd.edu
Speaker objectives: o Discuss how observed and modeled environmental changes impel decision-making and policy from international to local perspectives. o Give an overview of international and national policies on climate change.
As a result participants will be able to explain, in laymen’s terms: o The basics of international and national policies on climate change, including the key global treaties.
Q & A (1:45 - 2:00)
Break (2:00 – 2:15)
Afternoon Activity
5. Placement Conversations (2:15 - 3:30) HoLLIE Coordinating Committee |
- classes 4-6 |