General Meeting/Lecture/Project Focus

When: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 12 noon to 2 PM
Where: 403B Engineering Hall

Professor Benito Marinas invites EWB students to a seminar by CEE 449 students jointly with students from Universidad de Las Americas-Puebla (UDLA-P). They will present their design recommendation for a Sustainable Water Supply
System for the Rural Community of Los Llanos located in the State of Puebla, Mexico. The design project for this year
involved for the first time a site visit to UDLA-P and field trips to the target community of Los Llanos.

Students planning to take CEE 449 should especially consider attending this seminar, as well as students taking any other sustainability classes. Professor Marinas would also appreciate any feedback about the seminar, the design, and the international experience for future improvements.

Thursday, April 24th 7:30pm: Carolyn Treadway presents: Awakening from our Trance: Reversing Global Climate Change”

This event takes place at the CHANNING-MURRAY FOUNDATION

When: Monday, April 14, 2008, 7:30 PM
Where: 112 Chemistry Annex

Professor Robert Thompson is one of the leaders in international agricultural policy at Illinois. He has had many years of agricultural experience at the World Bank and in the field, and has given numerous lectures all over the world. Thompson's presentation will include information about agriculture in developing countries, the future of biotechnology, the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels. Questions and discussion after the seminar.

The presentation is now available for public download here.

When: Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 7:15 PM - 9 PM
Where: 243 Wohlers Hall

Mr. Blackburn is the author of The Sustainability Handbook--The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social, Economic and Environmental Responsibility. He will discuss the practical meaning and importance of sustainability to business and universities, and how leading organizations are approaching the concept to gain most value.

He will be drawing from his 35 years of experience in environmental and sustainability management, including his former role as vice president and chief counsel, Environment, Health and Safety and sustainability leader at Baxter International, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical products.

When:  Monday, April 14th, 7:30 PM

Where:  112 Chem Annex

When: Tuesday, April 8th at 7:00 PM
Where: 106 Lincoln Hall 

Nicole Lamers is the former coordinator of the Global Studies in Education program in the College of Education.  In July of 2008, she lead a team of 15 teachers to conduct a study in Pretoria, South Africa, where they probed the issue of water on the governmental, academic and community levels.  Her talk will explore the political and cultural dimensions of the global water crisis, by providing perspective through studies on water issues such as the one in South Africa.  This discussion will focus on the specific issues of development and community participation.

The event will be followed by an EWB-sponsored game of capture the flag on the main quad.

Maggy Momba - Thursday April 3rd at 5pm at Ceramics Building (CB) 218

Professor Maggy Momba is a faculty member at the Tshwane University of Technology and is pursuing research to evaluate and mitigate waterborne contamination in the rural areas of S. Africa with the support of the National Research Council. She was distinguished as one of the top women in water research with an award from Eskom and the Dept. of water Affairs and Forestry in S. Africa. She will be the impact of poor water quality on human health and will demonstrate how microorganisms can be used in the water domain to overcome the problems of the quality of water resources. She will lay emphasis on the efficiency of drinking water treatment to produce safe and clean water.

Where: Channing-Murray Foundation, 1209 W Oregon St.
When: Wednesday, April 9, at 7:30 PM

Peter Rohloff, University of Illinois alumni and director of an NGO working in Guatemala, and University of Illinois visiting scholar Magda Sotz Mux, native Kaqchikel speaker, weaver, and educator from San Juan Comalapa, will hold a discussion on forging international collaborations, development work, and language and cultural revitalization movements in Guatemala. Audience participation and feedback will be encouraged.

This event will take place on Wednesday, April 9th at 7:30 PM at the Channing Murray Foundation (1209 W Oregon St.) on campus in Urbana.