NEW PILOT EPISODE for Inside the Greenhouse

About Inside the Greenhouse

Creative framing and storytelling of issues surrounding climate change through video, theatre, dance, and writing can connect a wider audience to the deep and pressing need to address climate change. View Episode

There are four components to the ITG project:
1.    a two-course series offered at the University of Colorado
2.    twice-a-year public events
3.    a 23-minute television program
4.    connected activities

The first component is comprised of two complementary parts. First, Professor Rebecca Safran has been teaching ‘Climate and Film’ in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department since Fall 2009.

Second, in Spring 2012 the Professors Osnes and Boykoff taught an undergraduate upper division course with the objective of helping a cross-disciplinary group of students to understand, appreciate, and develop narratives or multimodal compositions – through performances, art, weblogs, and films. The interdisciplinary approach drew on each of their capabilities and interests to help students that seek to capture the complexity and dynamism of multi-scale and contemporary climate science, policy and politics. This course will be taught again in Spring 2014.

Together, ITG now offers the two courses that focus on communicating aspects of climate change through a variety of artistic forms including video, performance and writing.
•    Climate Change and Film (ATLS 3519/EBIO 4460) offered in Fall semesters by Safran
•    Inside the Greenhouse (ENVS 4100) offered in Spring semesters by Boykoff and Osnes

As the second component, in April, 2013 we held a successful pilot event with critically-acclaimed photographer (and star of the recent film ‘Chasing Ice’) James Balog where we attracted 1,500 people to Macky Auditorium on the CU-Boulder campus. The PI and colleagues have reserved Macky Auditorium October 6 and have confirmed participation from members of ‘Climate Wise Women’. By attracting the public to this issue through the celebrity status of our guest, the events provide an opportunity to shine a light on student work that uses creative means to communicate positive solutions to climate change. These events are used to engage a wide variety of area students in effective communication strategies for climate related issues as well as integrate better the coursework and skill set of our climate communication students into a larger public production.

As a third component of the ITG project, we are producing a pilot 23-minute program – incorporating creative climate communications from student projects assembled in our partner courses. The centerpiece of this program draws on part two of the project, recording from an on-stage interview with a high-profile public figure who has been wrestling with questions regarding climate science, policy and the public. As part of this, guests to the live event visit onsite locations in the Boulder community as part of the stories in the program, and as part of the important dimension of outreach beyond campus (e.g. K12 classrooms). The footage taken during these visits will also become part of the programs.

For the fourth component, we connect this work with other associated projects.

ITG is “the interface of climate and society. It melds the arts and environmental studies.” – Andrew Revkin, New York Times

ITG “creates opportunities for new scholarship, research, and creative works that may not happen in the absence of these courses.” – Todd Gleeson, dean of College of Arts and Science, University of Colorado

ITG is “a fitting way to highlight a productive intersection of theatre and environmental science.” – Philanthropist Gordon Gamm

“I think it is so important to have more communication courses in environmental studies, we often do not get to engage hands-on with our mission. I think a lot of environmentalists themselves buy into the culture gap between us and the conservatives, big business, etc. but that true progress is going to be made not by alienating but communicating to everyone in a positive way”. – Student Testimonial, Abrina

“Walking into class on day one, I was expecting to literally go inside a greenhouse. Walking away I now have a totally new understanding of the complexities surrounding climate change and the issues regarding education and action”. – Student Testimonial, Richard

“I think it’s so important to make the connections between climate science and media, because as many people in our class have mentioned, the typical node of communication in the scientific community is by publishing papers or reading research journals. While these are great methods, it’s crucial to have the environmentalists engage in various forms of social and mass media to get their messages out there to the world as a whole”. – Student Testimonial, Keely

“So in a way, this class has really challenged me to look inward and think about what my own motivations are for caring so deeply and passionately about environmental issues, in order to think about the best way to connect with audiences emotionally. This has allowed me to grow personally in ways that I really did not expect this semester, and I am thankful to have some newfound skills and tools for effective communication about important environmental issues in the future”. – Student Testimonial, Brooke

The Inside the Greenhouse course was made possible through generous funding by the Grace and Gordon Gamm Interdisciplinary Fund, the CU-Boulder Outreach and Engagement Program, and the Arts and Sciences Support of Education through Technology (ASSETT) program. Learn more …

American Association for the Advancement of Science
“Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering” Workshop Student Competition

Student competition to attend the AAAS “Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering” workshop in Washington, DC to learn about Congress, the federal budget process, and effective science communication. Students will have an opportunity to meet with their Members of Congress or congressional staff.

COMPETITION DETAILS

The CIRES Center for Science and Technology Policy is hosting a competition to send two CU students to Washington, DC to attend the AAAS “Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering” workshop. The competition is open to any CU graduate student or well-qualified graduating senior. Please submit a one-page statement explaining the importance of the workshop to your career development to ami@cires.colorado.edu by February 7, 2014. The evaluation committee will select two students from those who apply. The competition is being organized by the Graduate Certificate Program in Science and Technology Policy and is supported by the CU Graduate School. More Information.

Workshop Overview
AAAS Workshop: Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering
March 31, 2014

A coalition of scientific societies and organizations has created an exciting opportunity for graduate and upper-class undergraduate students in science, mathematics, and engineering disciplines to learn about science policy and advocacy.

Elected students will participate in a two-and-a-half day workshop in Washington, DC, beginning on March 31, 2014. Participants will learn about the structure and organization of Congress, the federal budget and appropriations process, and tools for effective science communication. In addition, students will participate in interactive seminars for both policy-making and communication. By the end of the workshop students will have an opportunity to learn about ways to remain engaged and involved either through a relevant professional society or through on-campus activities.

The day after the culmination of the workshop, students will form teams and conduct meetings with their elected Members of Congress and congressional staff members, putting into practice what they’ve learned.

This entry-level workshop is organized to educate students who are interested in learning about the role of science in policy-making, to introduce them to the federal policy-making process, and to empower them with ways to become a voice for basic research throughout their career. Space is limited to two students per institution. Registration and travel fees will be covered by the sponsor. Workshop Information.

CSTPR’s Max Boykoff and Kanmani Venkateswaran are now part of an open-source learning module through Wiley-Ted Studies.

TED Studies: Environmental Studies – Climate Change

Wiley in collaboration with TED has published a curated series of talks plus specially commissioned educational support materials.

Teachers and students can use TED:Environmental Studies to explore the issues relating to one of the biggest threats to our planet. Specially commissioned contextual essays, activities, and multimedia resources link the science of urban planning to the real world, plus expanded academic content such as key terms and further reading. Overview.

Introductory Essay

Prof Max Boykoff and Dr Kanmani Venkateswaran (Univ of Colorado-Boulder) dissect the debate that rages on about climate change (natural and man-made), and explain how the subject has become so politicised, and what is needed to understand what is really going on behind all the hype and rhetoric. View Essay.