Peter Schulze, professor of biology and environmental science and director of the Center of Environmental Studies at Austin College, will present the lecture “What Would Your Granddaughter Do: Obstacles to Environmental Progress” at Austin College Wednesday, February 17, at 4:30 p.m. in Wright Campus Center, Room 231. A 4 p.m. reception will precede the presentation. Both the reception and the lecture are free and open to the public.
Thanks to 1970s laws, U.S. air and water pollution are much better now, Schulze said, but we continue to squander soils, aquifers, forests, fisheries, biodiversity, and “ecosystem services” while acidifying the ocean and altering climate on the only place in the entire universe known to support life. “Meanwhile, there are approximately as many hungry people in the world as the entire population in Malthus’s day,” Schulze said. “Refugees are flooding out of the most degraded parts of the planet, and we all have hundreds of chemicals in our bloodstreams whose consequences are known to no one. Why, after so much progress made by the ‘greatest generation,’ has there been so little progress recently?” The scientist seeks to answer these questions with his lecture.
The lecture is presented by Austin College’s Robert and Joyce Johnson Center for Faculty Development and Excellence in Teaching, directed by Randi Tanglen, associate professor of English. Within the mission of the center is the encouragement of “bold exploration of intellectual frontiers” and “fostering lively intellectual dialogue within and across academic disciplines.”
The Johnson Center schedules a number of events throughout the year, with presentations by Austin College faculty and guest lecturers.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book College’s That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates and inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.