Environmental Studies Blog

On March 27, Latin American and Latino Studies, Environmental Studies, and Fine Arts UDRs hosted a documentary screening of Waste Land. Students came together from all disciplines to watch the film while eating South American food.

The film is about Vik Muniz, a famous Brazilian artist who currently lives in the United States. Muniz traveled to the world’s largest landfill near Rio de Janeiro to speak with catadores, or people who pick up recyclable material from the landfill for work.

Muniz took photographs of the catadores, then worked with the catadores to make artwork in the shape of the portraits with recyclable materials. After selling photographs of the artwork, all of the money went to the catadores. With the money, they bought equipment and a truck and built a learning center and a library so that people could learn about recycling.

The movie focused on the lives of the catadores and how they were moved by the experiences of creating art from recyclable materials then seeing their portraits become famous.

The screening was followed by a discussion about the lives of the catadores, recycling, and artwork. Overall, it was a meaningful film that brought students of many different disciplines together.

Accepted Students Day, the main recruitment day for the upcoming Class of 2018, was held this past Sunday, April 6th. By the time the Academic Fair opened, students flocked to the Environmental Studies booth that the UDRs, Esther Mann and Adam Krebs, stood at. There was a line of eager students and parents in front of the booth for the two hours that the fair was held. The parents’  most common question was, “Tell me about the major” while the students asked, “Can I double major?” Most people were most interested in the experiential learning opportunities, the ratio of science and social science courses, and internships, yet they also asked about faculty, research opportunities, specific focuses in the major, study abroad opportunities, clubs and ways to get evolved, and future job options. Overall, the students were all extremely excited to start learning Environmental Studies at Brandeis this upcoming fall.

Students in the Environmental Health and Justice Program, taught by Professor Laura Goldin as a part of the Justice Brandeis Semester program, went out to the field to study Volatile Organic Compound Levels (VOCs) in nail salons. They found that many out of the 15 salons they visited had higher than acceptable levels, and gave advice on measures that could be used to lower these levels. You can read more about the study here.

The Russian government and the Greenpeace organization are arguing over the Prirazlomnaya oil rig in the Arctic. The rig is owned by Gazprom, a Russian state-owned company. The base of the rig is so heavy that it cannot be moved, and it sits about 20 meters (66 feet) deep on a seabed.

The issue with the rig is not its structure. Instead, it is the possibility of a spill in the Arctic waters. Campaigners say that “the nature here is unique,” as the animals, such as polar bears, walruses, and narwhals, have nowhere else to go if there is a spill. The arctic ocean has two narrow entrances to the remaining oceans: one by Iceland and the other by Alaska. Therefore, there is little mixing with other seas, causing oil spills to stay in the Arctic. Also, an oil spill would be catastrophic because of the low temperatures in the north. In tropical waters, oil becomes absorbed readily by bacteria and other microorganisms. These microorganisms do not live in cold waters, so the oil would stay in the Arctic for about 100 years. Companies also do not have the technology to collect spilled oil under ice.

Gazprom claims that they have extremely safe measures intact. The rig is in shallow water, enabling the wellhead to be inside the rig. There is also a cut-off system  that offloads the oil into tanks. There are detections on the tanks to detect movement, and if there is too much movement by a factor such as ice, oil stops flowing. The company also claims that they could clean up a spill under the ice by using icebreakers. Two icebreakers are near the rig, which would enable skimmers to enter the water and clean oil if needed.

The safety measurements are not enough for Greenpeace activists, who repeatedly attempt to climb the rig in protest. By climbing the rig, the activists are creating risk to the rig’s possibility of spilling. Workers have even started to spray the rig with fire hoses while the activists attempt to climb up, but the activists claim that the use of inflatable boats and lightweight ropes deters them from being a threat.

This year, when 30 Greenpeace activists attempted to climb the rig, the FSB, Russia’s federal security service, pulled the activists off, pointed guns at them, and opened fire onto the water. The activists are now in jail with charges of “piracy as part of an organized group.” The Netherlands, where the Greenpeace ship that went to the Arctic is registered, is currently challenging the arrests with an argument of the “Convention of the Law of the Sea.”

View the full article here.

 

The diagnosis of ADHD has skyrocketed over the past few decades, causing a shortage in low-dose generic medications. A large percentage of people diagnosed with the disorder likely have no neurological problems at all, and the common diagnosis is likely because of sociological factors. Parents expect more from their children which causes children to need to focus more intently.

A study was done at Michigan State University to find a genetic basis of the disorder. Using both fraternal and identical twins, researchers concluded that traits of hyperactivity and inattentiveness are highly inheritable. There are different regions of the brain where ADHD genes affect neuronal circuitry, showing that there is a physiological feature of the disorder.

Although ADHD is physiological, many patients that have the medication do not have the disorder. Policies such as the Individuals With Disabilities Education act in 1991 and the Food and Drug Administration Act in 1997 allow drug companies to market to the public. The rates of diagnosis in eastern America are also higher than the rates in the western part of the country, giving more evidence of the sociological influences that cause ADHD diagnosis.

When President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, diagnoses began to skyrocket even more. The diagnosis is on the rise because the way our societies define disorder continues to change. Schools used to punish kids who wouldn’t sit still, but now schools support these children with medications and therapy. As Joel Nigg says in the article, “When people don’t fit in, we react by giving their behavior a label, either medicalizing, criminalizing it or moralizing it.”

Medications can hurt people as well as help them, and the increasing diagnosis of ADHD may do both.

See Original Article Here

Below is an article on the recent TapBrandeis project to build hydration stations on campus in The Justice!

Click HERE to read!

The TapBrandeis initiative has been granted $25,000 by The Brandeis Sustainability Fund to install hydration stations throughout campus. TapBrandeis started as a Greening The Ivory Tower project last semester by Alina Pokhrel, Emma Balmuth-Loris, Jamie Garuti, Jeremy Goodman, Sara Taylor. This semester the group is continuing on with the project with the help of the BSF fund to install new hydration stations and encourage a behavioral shift away from the purchase of bottled-water and towards students carrying their own refillable bottle. Another fabulous step towards making Brandeis a more sustainable campus!

Counts for 4 courses – 16 credits – No prerequisites

*Local Spring Academic Internships Still Open, But Hurry!
*Many Special Opportunities: Heller Scholarships, Charles River Watershed Fellowships, and More.
*Fabulous Jobs, Internships and Fellowships, for current undergrads and grad students, alumni and friends.
*Orion Online latest non-profit listings, including summer internship positions

C2C Fellows Training: Sustainability Leadership for Policy and Business

From the organization, “University of Colorado, Boulder: Feb 22-24. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: March 15-17. Lewis and Clark College, Portland Oregon: April 12-14.

Brandeis Heller School Scholarship Announcements

From the organization,”[There} are four scholarship announcements for the Graduate Programs in Sustainable International Development as follows:Poverty and Development Scholarship (southern Africa), Poverty and Development Scholarship (Mississippi Delta), Global Health Scholarship, The Feldman Scholarship for Conservation and Development.” Please see attached fliers for more information.

The Fletcher School – Map Your Future: Admissions Option for Undergraduates From the organization, “Last year, Fletcher introduced Map Your Future, an admissions program designed to allow undergraduates in their final year of study to apply for admission to the MALD or MIB program for a place in the class two years in the future. This provides students with the opportunity secure admission to Fletcher and still accrue work experience to help them maximize their Fletcher experience. The first cohort of students admitted through the Map Your Future program is now living across the world pursuing professional experiences in a range of sectors. Please feel free to direct interested students to the Map Your Future portion of our site, or to contact our office with any questions at fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu

Charles River Watershed Association- Rita Barron Fellowship Program
From CRWA “CRWA has an opening for our Rita Barron Fellowship program.The Fellowship is a one-year, full-time position, and provides a stipend of $30,000 plus benefits for the work period. The Fellowship, now in its ninth year, provides a recent graduate an opportunity to work in a dynamic non-profit organization. This position is intended for a well trained individual entering the field of watershed science and management; individuals with significant experience in this field will not be considered for the position. The position will provide the right candidate with valuable real-world experience in water resources management, significant on the job-training and skill building, and opportunities to work with a variety of other environmental agencies and organizations both locally and abroad. The Fellow is expected to start on June 1, 2013. Outstanding candidates will be interviewed in February and March 2013.” See attachment for more information.

Great Ecology Job Links from Alumni Josh Daskins
Josh, now a grad PhD candidate at Princeton, offers these excellent ecology job resource sites.  See his website: http://scholar.princeton.edu/daskin/announcements for the links,soon to be added to the ENVS website.

From TCPP: “An innovative, fee-for service organization, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT’s) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an internationally recognized Federal center of transportation innovation with a world-class, multidisciplinary technical team with expertise across all modes of transportation. Salary: 30,598.00 to $55,132.00 / Per Year. This vacancy is limited to the first 150 applications received and will close at midnight on the closing date or midnight on the day the 150^thapplication is received, whichever comes first. To apply, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/333062600.”

Green Corps

From the organization,” Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the biggest environmental challenges of our day. In Green Corps year-long paid program, you¹ll get intensive training in the skills you¹ll need to make a difference in the world. You¹ll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems ‹ global warming, deforestation, water pollution, factory farming and many others ‹ with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. And, when you graduate fromGreen Corps, we¹ll help you find a career with one of the nation¹s leading environmental and social change groups. For more information, read below or visit our web site: www.greencorps.org.”

From the organization, “The Pan-Mass Challenge raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through an annual bike-a-thon that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The PMC is accepting applications for the position of Director of Sponsorship and Donor Development. GOALS: Increase sponsorship to underwrite event costs. Grow fundraising from key donors to grow the annual gift to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Drive growth from special fundraising campaigns such as the 100% Fund to support operations to ensure the gift represents 100% of rider raised revenue. For more information and to apply, visit: http://pmc.applicantstack.com/x/detail/a2e7kuimy86f.”

From the organization, “The ACS CAN Project Manager manages all aspects of the annual ACS CAN New England Research Breakfast and contributes towards ACS CAN’s efforts to identify and cultivate new corporate donors. Develops and manages the timeline and all logistical aspects of the event (venue, food, audio-visual, etc). Develops promotional materials for the event. Manages the event website. Provides administrative support to the volunteer committee. Develops plan for and implements day-of event logistics. Maintains communication with all outside vendors. For more information, visit: http://www.acscan.org/careers.”