Webinar Series hosted by NC State University to address Climate Change Adaptation

Posted on May 9, 2013 by rwgonzal

Climate Change Adaptation for States, Tribes and Local Governments –

June 3-12, 2013: A dynamic, interactive webinar series hosted by North Carolina State University, in cooperation with EPA’s Office of Strategic Environmental Management

North Carolina State University, in cooperation with EPA’s Office of Strategic Environmental Management, will host a virtual Symposium on climate change adaptation for states, tribes and local governments to be offered in a series of twelve on-line sessions. The series will bring together tribal, state and local stakeholders, EPA representatives, and experts from a variety of sectors to consider the impact of EPA’s new Climate Change Adaptation Plan on implementation of federal environmental programs, and to present case studies, tools and solutions to some of the most pressing climate change adaptation challenges.

Individual webinars are stand-alone educational opportunities for governments, planners and policy makers, and participants can attend one or more webinars as meets their particular needs. Participants will obtain the most current knowledge and information applicable to states, tribes and communities on adaptation practice and implementation to build community resiliency.

The opening webinar will be held from 11:30am-1:00pm EDT on Monday, June 3, 2013, and will introduce the EPA’s new Climate Change Adaptation Plan and what it means for states and tribes in implementing their own plans. Additional webinars will take place later that day as well as June 4, 10, 11 and 12.

Other sessions include Planning for Sea Level Rise; Water, Communities & Planning; Air Quality & Health Impacts of Climate Change; Achieving Resiliency to Drought; Tribal Climate Adaptation; Emergency Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation; Risk Management and Insurance Strategies; Adaptation and Equity for Vulnerable Populations; Decision Support Tools Café; Successful Response to Coastal Adaptation Challenges; and Climate Adaptation: The Way Forward. All webinars will allow for interactive Q&A with the presenters.

Registration for the webinar series is free and access to the sessions will be through the Web or toll-free telephone conference line. For more information on the series or to register for the webinars, please visit the Symposium Webinar Series website at www.climate-adaptation-symposium.org. For questions contact Susan Moore, Extension Associate Professor and
Director of the Forestry & Environmental Outreach Program, North Carolina State University, at 919-515-3184 or susan_moore@ncsu.edu.

New Scholarship Will Honor PSE Alumnus C. Allen Sanders

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

The College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University is honored to announce that C. Allen Sanders has named the NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc. in his estate plans. When funded, the C. Allen Sanders Paper Science and Engineering Scholarship Endowment will award merit based scholarships to promising students.

Charles Allen Sanders is a 1985 graduate of NC State’s Paper Science and Engineering program. Allen has been very active in the growth, promotion and success of the paper science industry in the southeast. He started his career with Boise Cascade in DeRidder, LA before moving to Bowater. In 25 years with Bowater, Allen worked in various locations and capacities rising to Vice President – US Operations. He is currently employed with RockTenn, one of North America’s leading producers of corrugated and consumer packaging and recycling solutions.

Merit-based awards will be made from this endowment to an undergraduate student enrolled in paper science and engineering in the College of Natural Resources. Awards will be for one academic year and may be renewed based on specific criteria being met.

About Paper Science and Engineering @ NC State University

Paper Science & Engineering (PSE) is an applied engineering discipline related to chemical and process engineering. Its original purpose was to provide specialized training for chemical-type engineers in the specific science, terminology, technology, and engineering principles related to the production of pulp and paper. The paper industry is one of the largest and most successful chemical process industries in North America. The PSE program in NC State’s College of Natural Resources has an outstanding reputation and graduates from the program enjoy some of the highest salaries and placement rates of all the programs at NC State. The PSE B.S. degree permits students to enter the paper industry and many other related industries.

For over 50 years, graduates from the PSE program have gone on to make significant contributions to the paper industry, other chemical process industries, and many other professional arenas. Alumni include vice-presidents, mill managers, technical managers, research directors, consultants, sales personnel, business owners, professors, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and clergymen.

Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Sports Management Online Masters Degree Accepting Applications

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

Are you ready to make the move that will advance your career in parks, recreation, tourism, or sports?

NC State University is currently taking applications for the Fall 2013 cohort of Online Masters Degree students for Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Sports Management Professionals. Applications will be accepted until April 30th.

The online masters degree provides students with a solid professional and business education where the courses are matched with the needs of the industry. The faculty are national and international leaders in their fields who are dedicated to providing students with the skills they need to lead and gain a competitive advantage.

Highlights of the PRTM Online program include:
• 7 week accelerated class format which focuses on one subject at a time
• Online classes meet once a week in the evenings allowing for full employment and flexible schedule
• Students are admitted as a cohort with opportunities for networking and collaboration
• No GRE required if you have 2 years professional work experience

By emphasizing key management functions indicative of parks, recreation, tourism, and sport industries, the program ensures that students will graduate with a mastery of advanced principles and procedures. The contemporary instructional methods emphasize group discussions, frequent interactions with faculty, and meaningful assignments which provide valuable skills and knowledge critical for career advancement.

NC State University is a leader in quality online distance education. The Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management department was founded in 1947 and became the first nationally-accredited degree program of its kind in the United States.

Questions?: PRTMOnline@ncsu.edu
Website: http://cnr.ncsu.edu/prtmonline
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PRTMOnline
Blog: http://prtmonline.wordpress.com

Outdoor Education Helps Minority Students Close Gap in Environmental Literacy

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

Environmental education programs that took middle school students outdoors to learn helped minority students close a gap in environmental literacy, according to research from North Carolina State University.

Students at Centennial Middle School in Raleigh, NC learn about tree measurement

The study, published March 22 in PLOS ONE, showed that time outdoors seemed to impact African-American and Hispanic students more than Caucasian students, improving minority students’ ecological knowledge and cognitive skills, two measures of environmental literacy. The statewide study also measured environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior such as recycling and conserving water. “We are interested in whether outdoor experiences can be part of a catch-up strategy that can help in narrowing the environmental literacy gap for minority students,” said lead author Kathryn Stevenson, an NC State graduate student who has taught outdoor education classes in California and high school biology and science in North Carolina.Researchers tested the environmental literacy of sixth- and eighth-grade students in 18 North Carolina schools in the fall and spring. Half of the schools studied had registered an environmental education program with the state.Using a published environmental curriculum, such as Project Learning Tree, Project WET or Project WILD, helped build students’ cognitive skills, researchers found. Learning in an outdoor environment improved students’ ecological knowledge, environmental attitudes and behavior.

“This is one of the first studies on a broad scale to focus on environmental literacy, which is more than mastering facts,” said co-author Nils Peterson, associate professor of fisheries and wildlife in NC State’s College of Natural Resources. “Being environmentally literate means that students learn cognitive skills so that they can analyze and solve problems, and it involves environmental attitudes and behaviors as well.”

Girls and boys appeared to have complementary strengths that contributed to environmental literacy. Boys scored highest on knowledge, while girls led in environmental attitudes and cognitive skills.

Sixth graders showed greater gains in environmental literacy than eighth graders, suggesting that early middle school is the best window for environmental literacy efforts, Stevenson said.

Teachers’ level of education played an important role in building environmental literacy. Those with a master’s degree had students with higher levels of overall environmental literacy.

Teachers who had spent three to five years in the classroom were more effective at building students’ cognitive skills than new teachers. Efforts are needed to engage veteran teachers in environmental education, Stevenson said.

In a follow-up to the study, Stevenson is studying coastal North Carolina students’ perceptions of climate change.

– ford –

Resources: Environmental Literacy Fact Sheet

Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Environmental, Institutional, and Demographic Predictors of Environmental Literacy among Middle School Children”

Authors: Kathryn T. Stevenson, M. Nils Peterson, Howard D. Bondell, Angela G. Mertig and Susan E. Moore

Published: March 22, 2013, in PLOS ONE

Abstract: Building environmental literacy (EL) in children and adolescents is critical to meeting current and emerging environmental challenges worldwide. Although environmental education (EE) efforts have begun to address this need, empirical research holistically evaluating drivers of EL is critical. This study begins to fill this gap with an examination of school-wide EE programs among middle schools in North Carolina, including the use of published EE curricula and time outdoors while controlling for teacher education level and experience, student attributes (age, gender, and ethnicity), and school attributes (socio-economic status, student-teacher ratio, and locale). Our sample included an EE group selected from schools with registered school-wide EE programs, and a control group randomly selected from NC middle schools that were not registered as EE schools. Students were given an EL survey at the beginning and end of the spring 2012 semester. Use of published EE curricula, time outdoors, and having teachers with advanced degrees and mid-level teaching experience (between 3 and 5 years) were positively related with EL whereas minority status (Hispanic and black) was negatively related with EL. Results suggest that school-wide EE programs were not associated with improved EL, but the use of published EE curricula paired with time outdoors represents a strategy that may improve all key components of student EL. Further, investments in teacher development and efforts to maintain enthusiasm for EE among teachers with more than 5 years of experience may help to boost student EL levels. Middle school represents a pivotal time for influencing EL, as improvement was slower among older students. Differences in EL levels based on gender suggest boys and girls may possess complementary skills sets when approaching environmental issues. Our findings suggest ethnicity related disparities in EL levels may be mitigated by time spent in nature, especially among black and Hispanic students.

Media Coverage:
RedOrbit
Newswise
CHANS-Net
Phys.org
KPCC, Southern California Public Radio

Lupold Establishes Endowment to Honor Mentors

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

Natural Resources’ Dean Mary Watzin with donor, Mac Lupold, on Signing Day

The College of Natural Resources at NC State University is honored to announce the establishment of the Hugh McColl Lupold Mentors Endowment in the College of Natural Resources. The endowment recognizes three mentors, Bill Milliken, Cal Colvin, and Dale Wright, who coached and encouraged Lupold through his working career.

Lupold credits Milliken, Colvin and Wright with strong support throughout his career and established this endowment in recognition of their contributions to forestry and wood products and to his success. “Mac,” as he is commonly referred, is a Forest Products Consultant (Lupold Consulting) in Camden, SC specializing in wood supply, mill audits, sales and marketing.

Lupold is a 1959 alum of the Forestry program at NC State University. While enrolled here, he was a member of 30&3, Blue Key, Golden Chain, student government and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

He was president of the National Particleboard Association, received the College of Natural Resources Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005 and has served on numerous boards of affiliated forestry associations. At NC State he chaired the NC Forestry Foundation, the Wood Products Task Force, the College of Natural Resources’ Achieve! Campaign and other efforts.

Merit-based awards will be made from this endowment to a rising junior in the College of Natural Resources who has demonstrated leadership potential, who is an aspiring entrepreneur, with preference to students interested in wood products manufacturing and other forest products activity. Awards will be for one academic year and may be renewed based on specific criteria being met.