Most climate scientists agree that carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere following the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, is the primary long-lived greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. The increasing effects of climate change have become obvious in recent years and their growing impacts pose greater threats for future generations. In a major September 10, 2018 speech on climate change United NationsSecretary-Generall António Guterres state:d “If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us.” This seminar series will cover what climate change means for the American people and steps being taken to confront it. Highly qualified experts will present the three seminars.

Ongoing Progress in Fighting Climate Change in the United States

Donald Fournier, Energy Consultant Retired Chair of the Building Research Council and Program Manager for Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), University of Illinois

In spite of the current U.S. administration’s efforts to reverse the Obama presidency’s policies aimed at confronting climate change, progress is being made to address this urgent environmental problem. This seminar will place emphasis on the progress that is being made and the steps required to for rapids decarbonization in the near future. Adaptation to the coming inevitable climate changes will also be discussed.

“Plogging” is picking up plastic while you jog. To celebrate Earth Day, iSEE is hosting a non-competitive plogging fun run/walk in a student residential area of campus. This event is part fitness, part environmental action, part community service — and definitely ALL FUN. Come try out this European fitness trend where you take a bag along on a walk or run to collect trash and recyclables along your path.

Advance registration preferred but not required: https://goo.gl/forms/kmhlJ3IlYGWDjZWr2

Please join us as we celebrate 32 years of our state’s preeminent environmental honor, the Illinois Sustainability Award. Recognized as the nation’s longest continuous sustainability award program, the Awards Ceremony and Technical Symposium will honor this year’s winners on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at the Union League Club of Chicago.

Headlining this signature sustainability event will be keynote speakers, Cathy Stepp, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator, and Jacob Madsen, Director of Sustainability at SC Johnson. Our morning Technical Symposium will focus on the Water-Energy Nexus, with insights provided by Randy Conner, Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Water Management; Aaron Durnbaugh, Director of Sustainability, Loyola University; Kim Leftwich, President and CEO, Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative; and Catherine O’Connor, Director of Engineering, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

The event draws attendees from throughout Illinois, with sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities available.  Register now to secure your space!

Join the Student Sustainability Committee on Tuesday, October 23rd for a tour of Abbott Power Plant (located at 1117 S. Oak St. in Champaign). The tour will begin at 1pm at the south entrance and has a 60-minute runtime. All visitors must wear long pants, shirts with sleeves, and closed-toe shoes. Due to the fact that portions of the tour include open-grate floors, no one wearing shorts, skirts, sandals, or high heels will be allowed on the tour. Bags are also not allowed in the plant. We hope to see you there!

Metered parking is available on Gregory and Armory Streets. Parking is limited to two hours. Metered parking may be paid by credit card by calling 1-866-234-PARK (7275). For more information, visit paybyphone.com.

This seminar series, sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute in partnership with the College of Applied Health Sciences and the School of Social Work Community Learning Lab, invites all community members, students, staff, and faculty to join the conversation about efforts to make our community and nation a healthier and more equitable place.

Speakers: Ruby Mendenhall, Associate Professor, and Tracy Dace, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, DREAAM House

The current national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter (PM) are based on particulate mass. Although epidemiological research conducted in the last few decades have associated PM mass with both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, the heterogeneous and inconsistent nature of these associations suggests that not all components of PM are equally toxic. The capability of ambient particles to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), conveniently called the oxidative potential is proposed as a better metric for relating the PM pollution with health effects.

In this talk, I will present our work on the measurement of oxidative potential of ambient PM from different geographical locations of the United States, i.e. western, southeastern and midwest US. The core objective of this work was to identify the components of ambient PM, which are most responsible for inducing the ROS generation. The role of organic compounds in the ROS activity of PM was assessed by their removal using thermodenuder and solid phase extraction technique, while the contribution of metals was quantified by chelation technique. A class of water-soluble organic compounds known as humic-like substances or HULIS, and transition metals particularly Fe, Cu and Mn were identified as the major species driving the ROS generation mechanism in ambient particles. However, our work shows that there are strong synergistic and antagonistic interactions among the HULIS components and transition metals. Further studies in this direction should help to develop the useful insights on the origin of PM toxicity leading to a better assessment of the human health effects of ambient particulate pollution.

Bio: Dr. Verma is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and his current work is focused on assessing the health impacts of ambient air pollutants. In his 10 years of research career, he has published more than 25 peer-reviewed articles in highly ranked journals and has presented his work in at least 50 seminars/meetings and conferences, including several invited talks. He is the current president of the Health related Aerosol working group at AAAR and has earned numerous awards and recognitions for his work including the invited chair for special symposiums/sessions on Air Pollution and Health in the annual AAAR conferences (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018).

Help us turn off the lights to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of our campus! By participating in iSEE’s Illini Lights Out, you will be demonstrating your commitment to fighting climate change and saving our planet. This symbolic event shows that climate change is an issue that the University of Illinois campus cares about.

Grab your friends and join us as we turn off thousands of light bulbs! Sign up today for one or more of our Illini Lights Out events and get involved in this impactful movement!

We will meet in the lobby of the Foreign Language Building (FLB) at 5:30pm for some brief instructions. Then, we will head out to turn off the lights of our assigned buildings. Return to FLB to drop off your clipboard with the data you collected and for FREE snacks!

The 2018 Midwest Student Conference on Atmospheric Research (MSCAR) is designed to create an opportunity for students, both graduate and undergraduate, to present their research to other students in a conference setting. We wish to create a conference conducive to gaining valuable skills in presenting, networking and problem-solving.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Registration Closes: 28 September
Abstract Submission Closes: 28 September
2018 MSCAR Conference: 27-28 October

Register for the Conference

Submit an Abstract

Watch our Promo Video

Most climate scientists agree that carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere following the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, is the primary long-lived greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. The increasing effects of climate change have become obvious in recent years and their growing impacts pose greater threats for future generations. In a major September 10, 2018 speech on climate change United NationsSecretary-Generall António Guterres state:d “If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us.” This seminar series will cover what climate change means for the American people and steps being taken to confront it. Highly qualified experts will present the three seminars.

Government Policies to Deal With Climate Change

Don Fullerton, Gutgsell Professor, Department of Finance and Institute of Public Affairs (Associate Director), University of Illinois Former Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Analysis), U.S. Treasury Department. As a state of Illinois consultant, Dr. Fullerton examines the use of taxes as a means to address climate change and obtain needed revenue.

We suffer from a host of environmental problems that interact with each other, including climate change, local air pollution, chemical waste, water pollution, and solid waste disposal. Policies to deal with these problems also interact with each other. This presentation will consider the interactions, and how government can balance policies to deal with multiple problems.