Energy Lecture Series Includes Environmental Journalists

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Youngstown State University Lecture Series on Energy and the Environment resumes this semester with presenters that include three award-winning journalists.

The free lectures, sponsored in part by the James Dale Ethics Center, are 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 24 through April 18, in Room B100 of Cushwa Hall on campus.

The lecture series is organized by Ray Beiersdorfer, geology professor at YSU. All but one of the presentations is via Skype.

Among the speakers is Neela Banerjee, who used to report for the Los Angeles Times and also won awards for her reporting with Inside Climate News; Greg Palast, who writes for Rolling Stone magazine and reports for BBC Television; and Jill Peeters, a nationally famous TV meteorologist in Belgium and one of the few TV meteorologists that makes the connection between extreme weather events and global warming.

Also featured this year on Feb. 14 is a presentation by Kathleen Buckingham of the World Resources Institute, who will talk about the environmental costs of Valentine’s Day flowers and her research on forest and landscape restoration.

Glenn Gall, a locally known organic farmer from Oberlin, Ohio will speak Jan. 24 on Growing a Livable Climate: Agriculture, Moisture and Carbon.

The schedule for the semester follows:

  • Jan. 24, Glenn Gall, a locally known organic farmer from Oberlin, “Growing a Livable Climate: Agriculture, Moisture, and Carbon.”
  • Jan. 31, Alexander Krokus, Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Portland State University, “The Neoteric Induced Seismicity Legal Conundrum.”
  • Feb. 7, Carolyn LaFleur, Houston Advanced Research Center, “Hydraulic Fracturing for Domestic Energy Development — Best Practices for Environmental Management.”
  • Feb. 14, Kathleen Buckingham, World Resources Institute, “Implementing Successful Forest and Landscape Restoration, and the Environmental Costs of Valentine’s Day Flowers.”
  • Feb. 21, Raina Rippel, SWPA Environmental Health Project, “Protecting Your Family’s Health When Fracking is Your Neighbor.”
  • Feb. 28, Dr. Margaret Cook, University of Texas, “Water Resources and Hydraulic Fracturing in Texas.”
  • March 14, Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Cornell University, “The Science of Shale Gas & Oil.”
  • March 21, Dr. Brian R. Ellis, University of Michigan, “Toxic Element Mobilization in Gas-Bearing Shale.”
  • March 28, Joe Mangano, Radiation and Public Health Project, “Infant Mortality and Fracking in Pennsylvania.”
  • April 4, Neela Banerjee, Inside Climate News, “Industrial Strength: How the U.S. Government Hid Fracking’s Risks to Drinking Water.”
  • April 11, Greg Palast, Rolling Stone and BBC, “The Billionaires Who Bought the Air You Breathe.”

April 18, Jill Peeters, TV Meteorologist Vlaamse Televisie Maatschappij and Vlaamse Radio-en Televisieomroeporganisatie, Belgium, “Climate Without Borders.”

For more information, contact Beiersdorfer at 330 941 1753 or ray@cc.ysu.edu.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.