The Louisville Science Center, in partnership with 89.3 WFPL and with participation from the University of Louisville, will host a conversation on the environmental implications for the Ohio River Valley. The conversation will be the second in a series of after-hours, informal dialogue around timely science topics. The series, Scientific Proofs, will include six or eight conversations during the course of the year, designed to foster a more scientifically literate community by encouraging idea exchange, information sharing, and educational opportunities for individuals in an impartial venue.
This conversation, Climate Change in the Ohio River Valley, will explore the growing evidence of global warming in our watershed. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data show that, by 2020, Louisville’s mean air temperature is set to rise between 2.3 and 3.9 degrees (F). Join us for an engaging discussion about the implications of that projection. Panelists will delve into the potential—and current—impacts on our natural resources and public health; the role of regional industries like manufacturing and mining; and what’s being done to mitigate these impacts as well as adapt to them. The conversation will be guided by audience questions and facilitated by Kristin Espeland Gourlay, managing editor of the Ohio River Radio Consortium.
The February 26 dialogue features:
Robert R. Jacobs, PhD - Director, Masters of Public Health Program and Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Jacobs is a professor of environmental sciences and director of the MPH program. His research interests include the health effects associated with exposures to organic dust in agricultural and industrial environments as well as international environmental health. He received his Ph.D. in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina.
Dan Jones, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Dan Jones founded 21st Century Parks, Inc., a non-profit managing a private/public partnership to develop The Fork, a 4000-5000 acre park and trail system in the last major undeveloped corridor surrounding Louisville, Kentucky. Jones holds a B.A. in East Asian Languages and Literature, a Master in Forestry from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in American and World History from Indiana University.
Keith Mountain, Professor and Chair of Geography and Geosciences, U of L
Keith Mountain is a climatologist with a specialty in glaciology and global climate change. He has been part of more than 30 expeditions to study existing glaciers and ice sheets so as to understand the Earth’s climate history. His research relates to the details of how glaciers and ice sheets interact with the climate system and what the current global retreat of glaciers tells us about climate change, prospects for the Earth’s future climate, and how humankind can expect to interact with this change. He has been on the faculty at the University of Louisville since 1994 and is involved with climate analyses for Louisville, Kentucky and the Ohio Valley.
Arthur Williams, Senior Environmental Consultant, The Regulatory Assistance Project
Art Williams helps the Regulatory Assistance Project assist public officials on electric utility regulation. Until recently, he was director of the Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District. Previously, Williams was a partner heading the environmental practice of the Louisville law firm Woodward, Hobson, and Fulton, and served as commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. He holds a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee.
The dialogue is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and advance reservations are required. To reserve tickets, call (502) 560-7130 or . A cash bar will be available.
