Environmental Science and Design Research Institute
Environmental Science and Design 2020 Symposium Lives on Online
The COVID-19 pandemic halted 51Թ’s plans for the 2020 Environmental Science and Design Symposium, but it hasn’t impeded the spirit of the conference. In late April, Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative (ESDRI) leadership, in collaboration with representatives from …
Revised Look at Ancient Glaciers Predicts Faster Melting Rate in Antarctica
Joseph D. Ortiz, Ph.D., professor and assistant chair in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Geology at 51Թ, recently authored a “News and Views” article in Nature Geoscience that discusses research carried out by another research team that reassessed the melt history and timing of the collapse of the Eurasian Ice Sheet Complex during the Last Deglaciation.
Is our drinking water quality threatened here in the Great Lakes region?
Have you ever seen the “nasty green slime” – properly known as a harmful algal bloom, or HAB in Lake Erie? Remember the July 31, 2014 “Do Not Drink/Do Not Boil” public health warning messages in Toledo? Tests revealed that the algae was producing microcystin, a sometimes deadly liver toxin and suspe…
Center for Earth Ethics and 51Թ’s Wick Poetry Center Launch Earth Stanzas, an Interactive Online Earth Day Poetry Project
The Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and the Wick Poetry Center at 51Թ are launching Earth Stanzas, an interactive poetry project in honor of Earth Day, which is celebrated around the world on April 22. draws on the inspiration of eight poets who engage the beauty, depth and interconnectedness of the Earth, and invites readers to interact with the poems and find their own poetic voice.
Collaborative Biodesign Challenge Course Opens New Opportunities
The words “biology” and “design” might not typically intertwine; however, 51Թ’s Biodesign Challenge course was created to challenge the idea that the two separate disciplines could not collaborate.
Internationally Renowned Biodesign Scholar to Headline 51Թ Symposium
Just like the research that goes into understanding and applying a complicated concept like biodesign, holding an entire symposium devoted to it is no small undertaking. So, when a world-renowned scholar on the subject agreed to come do some of the heavy lifting, 51Թ was elat…
51Թ Biologist Joins Tennessee, Toledo Colleagues to Study Arctic Climate Change Effects
In early February, scientists reported the hottest temperature on record in Antarctica: 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Studies show climate change is disproportionately affecting the poles, warming them faster than anywhere else on Earth, and raising questions about what kinds of changes we can expect in arctic ecosystems as temperatures rise. A 51Թ biologist has teamed up with some colleagues in an inter-institutional effort to answer some of those questions.
51Թ artist, biologist unite to design print for national project
Andrea Case sits at a table in 51Թ’s Center for the Visual Arts, carefully contemplating the silhouettes of leaves printed in bold contrasting colors on the paper in front of her. “As a non-artist, I still feel comfortable having an opinion about this art, and trying to figure out what it me…
51Թ Environmental Symposium Offers Impressive Slate of Speakers and Activities
What is the role of BioDesign in addressing environmental issues we face locally and globally? What does it mean to "design with life?" 51Թ researchers have some ideas on these matters and will soon put them on full display at one of the institution's top-tier research forums: the…
Urban Design Students Make an Impact on Erie’s Bayfront
When cities need help imagining new possibilities for their urban places and communities, they call 51Թ’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC). Most recently, 51Թ architecture students had the opportunity to put the skills they learn in the classroom to make an impact on local communities in Erie, Pennsylvania.