The UMD Sustainable Education Committee featured multiple speakers for an inaugural one-hour mini-conference on Tuesday, April 24, from 2-3 pm in Kirby Garden Room. Three UMD faculty made short presentations about how they teach sustainability– with topics varying from thinking about how to introduce sustainability into courses to initial integration of content and examples of full integration. This event was free and open to the public.
Faculty speaking on April 24 gave short talks to allow time for questions and discussion:
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Guy Sander, assistant professor, Department of Chemical Engineering will discuss Chemical Engineering 4603*: Biorenewable Resources, a course which examines the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and materials from bioresources.
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Katie Van Wert, assistant professor, Department of English, Linguistics, & Writing Studies will explore Interdisciplinary Studies 2001: Sustainability Across Disciplines, a course new to UMD, which is required of all Interdisciplinary Studies students.
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Randy Hanson, assistant professor, Department of Geography, Urban, Environment & Sustainability Studies will give an overview of Environment and Sustainability 3100*: Sustainable Food Systems, which explores history and social analysis of food, the complex nature of individual and system food changes, and leverages the UMD Land Lab as a field site.
Because many outstanding proposals were made for this April mini-conference, the UMD Sustainability Committee on Education plans to host an additional mini-conference in fall 2018 in the hope of this becoming a regular happening here at UMD.
*fulfills the Sustainability Liberal Education requirements