About

Modeling the Environment and Climate Change

Fall 2009 Lecture Series

Tuesdays, 4-5:30 pm, LH-1

Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time and modeling climate a critical part of studying climate change.  However, modeling climate and its effects on our society is a complex problem that involves many disciplines, including ecology, hydrology, geography, physics, chemistry, social science, and economics.    Climate science involves building models, making predictions, and collecting data, and modeling climate change also involves computer science and mathematics – and might require new techniques since the problems are not only new and difficult, but computationally very demanding (i.e., requiring very fast computers or very many computers).

This lecture series, funded by the Evergreen PLATO Royalty Fund, will bring together faculty, students, and members of the local community interested in the challenges involved in modeling climate change.  The following Evergreen programs will participate: 1) Energy Systems and Climate Change, 2) Data and Information: Quantitative Ecology (DandI), and 3) Mathematical Order of Nature (MON).  Energy Systems will be investigating the physical evidence for climate change as well as social movements for environmental protection and technological advances.  DandI will be studying forest ecology and computer science, and MON the nature of modeling. Each program’s seminar  will involve the lecture series.  The lecture series will be open on a space available basis for two or four credits to other students; graduate credit is available.

Corresponding to each speaker’s talk is a short list of readings recommended by that speaker.  To access these, and to read about and access slides for each talk, click on the appropriate week and speaker name under the “Lecture Schedule” Nav Bar at the top of the site.

Alternative and additional references are also given;  these can be accessed by the “Additional Reading”  Nav Bar at the top of the site.

Organizing Faculty:

Judy Cushing, Peter Dorman, Cheri Lucas Jennings, Carri LeRoy, Richard Weiss, E.J. Zita