Event will 'Focus' students on global warming
Judy Wexler
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
Tufts students and faculty kicked off participation yesterday in Focus on the Nation, a country-wide initiative to raise awareness about global warming. The group will host a panel of Democratic Congressmen and other speakers on campus today to discuss climate change.
Focus the Nation aims to bring global warming into the limelight during this election year. As part of the initiative, some professors integrated material about climate change into their classes yesterday.
But technical issues prevented students from partaking in a live, national Web cast last night featuring prominent scientists and leaders. The interactive video would have connected the students to environmental advocates from locations across the country, allowing the students to vote on various issues by text message.
Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, actor Edward Norton, and the climate justice activist Van Jones participated in the online discussion.
In today's event, Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who represents Medford and Somerville, and Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), who represents Boston and Cambridge, will speak to students.
Markey, who chairs the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Climate Change, will appear via Web feed from Washington, D.C.
Capuano, State Sen. Jim Marzilli and Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone will also attend tonight's event in Cabot, which will start at 5 p.m.
"The more people that ask questions about climate change, the more the candidates are going to have to respond to it. And if we make the climate something that everyone is concerned about, then policy comes next," said sophomore Adam Frank, the undergraduate coordinator of Focus the Nation at Tufts.
Education about climate change is another component of Focus the Nation. Before classes started in January, Tufts Institute of the Environment helped to put on a climate change literacy seminar run by faculty members for faculty members.
Focus the Nation aims to bring global warming into the limelight during this election year. As part of the initiative, some professors integrated material about climate change into their classes yesterday.
But technical issues prevented students from partaking in a live, national Web cast last night featuring prominent scientists and leaders. The interactive video would have connected the students to environmental advocates from locations across the country, allowing the students to vote on various issues by text message.
Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, actor Edward Norton, and the climate justice activist Van Jones participated in the online discussion.
In today's event, Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who represents Medford and Somerville, and Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), who represents Boston and Cambridge, will speak to students.
Markey, who chairs the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Climate Change, will appear via Web feed from Washington, D.C.
Capuano, State Sen. Jim Marzilli and Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone will also attend tonight's event in Cabot, which will start at 5 p.m.
"The more people that ask questions about climate change, the more the candidates are going to have to respond to it. And if we make the climate something that everyone is concerned about, then policy comes next," said sophomore Adam Frank, the undergraduate coordinator of Focus the Nation at Tufts.
Education about climate change is another component of Focus the Nation. Before classes started in January, Tufts Institute of the Environment helped to put on a climate change literacy seminar run by faculty members for faculty members.
Be the first to comment on this story