Not just an ordinary conference
by Amee Thompson, Outpost Staff
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In this package: Ranchers and environmentalists talk Western artist listens to nature On the Web: |
The main purpose of the North American Interdisciplinary Conference on Environment and Community is to bring people together from all walks of life to talk about the environment.
"That doesn't really happen at most professional academic conferences," Scott Slovic, organizer of this year's event, said. "Normally we are segregated, we have biologists all meeting together in one place and literary scholars in another."
The conference took place in late February at the University of Nevada, Reno. Next year the conference will be held at Utah State. It offers a chance for professionals and the public to come together in one place and discuss the issues that concern all of them.
"Some of the people told me that the part that excited them most about the conference was the chance they never get on their own campuses to talk to people from other fields," Slovic said.
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"Eventually I would like the center to develop a following of people who would just expect us to have events," Slovic, who is also the director of CEAH, said.
So far the events have not been as sucessful as Slovic would like. Slovic said this is partly due to poor advertising but also a result of the dynamics of the student body. A lot of students work and live off campus and have separate lives, according to Slovic.
"I think we need, one way or another, to develop a mentality among our students and our faculty that these are great things happening," Slovic said. "Things that people would pay a lot of money to see and they are often here for free."
These events, which feature prominent scholars and writers, are also open to the general public.
"The most memorable parts of my life in college and in graduate school were encounters I had with speakers from many fields, even outside of my own discipline," Slovic said.
copyright 03/05/98 Nevada Outpost