CNR Faculty Lectures during Homecoming Weekend

Saturday, October 01, 2016 | 10:30am - 2:30pm

10:30-11:30 A.M.
CNR Meets the Public Engagement Challenge: UC California Naturalist
Adina Merenlender, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management 

Professor Merenlender will lead a panel discussion about the University of California's multi-faceted public engagement program. Panelists will discuss the overall work of UC Naturalists to increase the public's interest in the environment, increase public science literacy, and advance the role citizen science can play in science education, participation, and research in California.
Professor Merenlender's primary focus is in the field of conservation biology. In particular, she is interested in the forces that influence loss of biodiversity at all hierarchical levels from genes to ecosystems. She is the founder of the California Naturalist Program. She has a B.S. from UC San Diego and a PhD from the Rochester.

12:00-1:00 P.M.
From Garbage to Gold: Managing California's Grasslands for Climate Change Mitigation

Whendee Silver, Professor, Rudy Grah Chair, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management 

California has a thriving agricultural economy, and is the biggest producer of dairy products in the US. Agriculture in the State is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Our research has been exploring the potential to repurpose the organic waste stream (food, green waste, and livestock waste) for climate change mitigation. Composting these wastes, instead of sending them to landfills or slurry ponds, lowers emissions and produces a valuable organic fertilizer that can enhance sustainable food production. Compost applications to grasslands increased plant growth and lowered atmospheric carbon dioxide helping to slow climate change.
Professor Silver’s research seeks to determine the biochemical effects of climate change and human impact on the environment, and the potential for mitigating these effects. She holds PhD and MS degrees from Yale University. She is the Faculty Climate Action Champion for the UC Berkeley campus.

1:30-2:30 P.M.
Gender Equality: A View from the Loo

Isha Ray, Associate Professor, Energy and Resources Group

Too often, we think of gender equality in terms of associated “hot button” words—education, pay, civil rights. But we neglect an essential part of the female experience—dignity in access to toilets, which has profound implications for achieving gender equality. In this talk, Isha Ray, Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center, will share the experiences of women worldwide and why we need to revolutionize our understanding of sanitation, gender, and human rights.
Professor Ray’s research interests are water, sanitation and development; water and gender; technology and development; and common property resources. She is the Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center and a Faculty member of the Institute for South Asia Studies. She has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Somerville College, Oxford University, and a PhD in Applied Economics from the Food Research Institute at Stanford University.