Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), a Maricopa Community College, will host the 2009 Maricopa Community College District Student Conference April 21-22, 2009. The Student Conference is designed to give students a forum to present academic research on a variety of topics. This year's conference is themed, "The Green Revolution," and all research submitted and presented by Maricopa Community College students will focus on this theme in the areas of living green, water conservation and sustainability in Arizona, global warming, the politics of energy, fossil fuels, and more.
More than 150 students from across the Maricopa Community College District submitted proposals to present at the conference; 30 proposals were chosen. The conference will span a two-day period; the first day will consist of faculty presentations while the second day will include student presentations and a keynote address given by Leilani Munter, a racecar driver and environmentalist. The conference schedule is outlined below; all events are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Integral Consciousness - 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m., Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Michael Powell, a long-time EMCC adjunct faculty member, will present his work on understanding the nature and processes of adult human evolutionary development and a newly emerging deep human structure of consciousness known as integral consciousness. He has a particular interest in how each structure of humanity's development is expressed through the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is these human structural dynamics that create the deep diversities that are vying for recognition, growth, and expression. Our challenges are to recognize that our current existential complexities and challenges need new approaches that incorporate and integrate the healthy perspectives of human thinking and creative innovation. By doing so, we will develop the comprehensive and expansive capacities needed to interconnect our economic, ecological, social, cultural, political, and scientific ways of thinking to achieve a life-sustaining transformation for ourselves, families, groups, workplace, communities, and societies.
Blasting the Coal Mine - 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m., CTL
Dr. Olga Tsoudis, sociology faculty; and Dr. Christina VanPuymbroeck, psychology faculty; will discuss nutrition, health and the destruction of food. Dr. Tsoudis began focusing on her own health and nutrition after she was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus and Crohn's Disease. Dr. VanPuymbroeck has worked in an ASU laboratory studying psychoneuroimmunology, or the interrelationships between the mind, the brain and the immune system, specifically in the case of autoimmune diseases. Together, the speakers will promote that participants proactively focus on their well-being and health before becoming ill.
Energy Shift - 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., CTL
Erik Huntsinger, economics faculty, will encourage students and campus community to think and act more sustainably.
Green Businesses Panel - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., CTL
A discussion, led by the College's Title V Program Director Jonathan Robles and including a variety of guest speakers, about running a green business and what opportunities there are for green businesses in this economy. At 1:50 p.m. the Interclub Council will present an overview of a unique partnership with APS that allowed student clubs to develop a fundraising model focused on sustainability. Clubs were required to submit a business plan that included: importance of sustainability and how this project aids in that effort, marketing strategy, accountability standards, and end goals.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Green Action Arizona Speaker - 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., CTL
Lori (Thomas-Luna) Riddle will discuss "How to become an activist." Riddle was born and raised in the Gila River Indian Community, where she and her extended family were exposed to toxic chemicals including DDT, DDE, and toxosphere, throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Since the exposure, Riddle, a single mother to one daughter, and her family experienced a number of medical issues. In the late 90s, Riddle and a tribal leader co-founded the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment (GRACE). GRACE worked diligently to shut down a continuously non-compliant medical waste incinerator in the area, and later achieved a second victory when another facility was evicted from the community for non-compliance. GRACE plans to continue the work necessary to help further environmental justice.
Riddle is also a sponsor of GREY (Gila River Environmental Youth), which her daughter Laura, now 23, co-founded. Both organizations work toward community awareness in regards to environmental issues, and are grass roots coalitions that frequently partner with other indigenous communities. Riddle also serves as a member of the board of directors for Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Student Presentations - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., Montezuma 273, 274, 275, CTL North, CTL South
Selected students will present research.
Student Presentations - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Montezuma 273, 274, 275, CTL North, CTL South
Selected students will present research. In Fall 2009, a Green Revolution Student Conference Journal will be published which will include all 30 student research papers that are presented during the conference.
Interdisciplinary "Zones" - 11:00a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Ceremonial Plaza
Art Zone - Student art, created using upcycled materials and reclaimed objects will be on display.
Eco-Feminism Zone - A sociological display of eco-feminism will be available for viewing.
Math Zone - Students and other participants will be able to calculate their carbon footprint.
Media and Literature Zone - Estrella Mountain liberal arts faculty and students will discuss media representations of ecological disasters.
Music Zone - "Music of the Earth." Estrella Mountain faculty will perform music with instruments made from natural objects.
Psychology Zone - Estrella Mountain psychology students who have researched the psychological effects of living green will present and have their research available in the Plaza Gallery.
Research Zone - Students and other participants will have access to green research.Science Zone - From 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Estrella Mountain science faculty and students will be collecting electronic materials such as computers, printers, hard drives, fax machines, cell phones, etc. for recycling.
Stress-Free Zone - Estrella Mountain's Fitness Center will discuss how the environment can promote healthful living.
Sustainability Zone - The College's Sustainability Committee will illustrate the negative effects of using plastic bags and water bottles.
Keynote Speaker - 12 :00 p.m. - 1 :00 p.m., Community Room
Leilani Munter, racecar driver and environmentalist, will discuss the human environmental impact and how we can reduce our carbon footprint. Munter is determined to give an eco-friendly overhaul to the "gas-guzzling, billion-dollar juggernaut" of auto racing. She is unafraid to act boldly and lead by example; she only accepts sponsors who are eco-friendly and famously buys and acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint. A model and one-time Catherine Zeta-Jones body double, Munter will star in a high-profile Lucky Brand Jeans ad campaign, and has been featured in Italian Vogue, Esquire, and Men's Journal. She has a degree in biology, is an ambassador for the National Wildlife Foundation, and has spoken to members of Congress regarding the Climate Security Act.
Awards Presentation - 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., Community Room
Student presenters will be honored during an awards presentation to bring the Student Conference to a close. There will be a first, second and third prize winner announced in addition to recognizing the student who had the best poster presentation.
For more information about the student conference, please contact Alex Andrews, English faculty, at 623-935-8094.