Research Opportunities

The Northwest Institute for Social Change is now encouraging
and accepting entries from high school and college students across North
America for its 2010 Student Sustainability Film Festival. We are inviting students to produce and submit
short films about projects their communities and colleges have instigated to
promote sustainability.

The films should be inspired by real-life events, issues or
solutions.  For example, has your
campus put up a wind turbine? Or, students could examine how and if their
school is encouraging alternative modes of transportation, or could consider
how their college’s food services has chosen to reduce waste.  

Entries are due on Friday, May 14. 

Students will be awarded cash prizes for top-ranked
submissions, as determined by an esteemed board of noted judges and filmmakers,
including Curt Ellis (producer of “King Corn”) and Matt Martin (editor for “No
Impact Man”). Each winning film is awarded a $1000 cash prize. 

All final selections will be screened at a public event in
Portland, Oregon in late May 2010.

Complete rules and submission guidelines are available at: nwisc.com/programs/student_sustainability_film/

Formed in 2007, the Northwest Institute for Social Change is
an educational non-profit based in Portland, Oregon.  We teach students and citizens about the interplay between
media tools and public policy. For more information please visit:  MediaMakingChange.org

Course Announcement

Seminar on Alternatives in Agriculture:  A Focus on the Food System

    Winter Quarter 2010               Tuesdays 4:10 to 6:00              Bowley 101 

This year’s class will critically examine the current state of the industrial food system and possibilities for alternative structures.  Class time will include:

·   student-led interactive discussions and activities designed to help students analyze  food systems and selected components from various perspectives

·  guest presentations by regional food system participants including producers, distributors, and food access advocates.

    This course is open to undergraduates (via PLS 190) and graduate students (via CRD 298 or IAD 290):

    PLS 190 (2 undergrad units; CRN 57786)

    CRD 298 (1 or 2 graduate units; CRN 37824)

    IAD 290 (1 or 2 graduate units; CRN 48873)

    (Graduate students enrolled for 2 units will help organize and lead discussion in one of the class sessions)

   
    This seminar series is organized by a team of undergraduate and graduate students (Katie Bradley, Juliet Braslow, Janaki Jagannath, Michelle Kuhns, Genna Lipari, Ryan Mercurio, Joanna Normoyle, Libby O’Sullivan, Julia Van Soelen Kim) and faculty and staff (Gail Feenstra, Damian Parr, Tom Tomich, Mark Van Horn)

     
    For more information contact Mark Van Horn, mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu

The Keystone Science School, in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy
and the American Petroleum Institute, will conduct a Youth Policy Summit for
40 college students, which will focus on the subject of improving energy
efficiency in California.  Participating students will be asked to negotiate
consensus-based recommendations to be shared with Members of Congress, the
Governor and California state legislature, as well as business and NGO
sector leaders.

Most importantly, we want you to take action! Apply today to be one of the
40 students selected for this amazing opportunity. Applications will be
accepted through June 1st.  For more detailed information, refer to the
attached application packet.

To apply, please email all application materials to Jennifer Alvarez at
jalvarez@ase.org, or fax to (510) 451-4222.
Or visit the web site at www.youthpolicysummit.org
<http://www.youthpolicysummit.org/> , under the Apply Now! Tab.

Have you ever wanted to go to India?
Are you interested in learning and living sustainable and spiritual practices that come from the ancient Indian culture?
Do you want to be immersed in the belly of the mother land and challenge your western perspective?

If so, you are in luck, my friend. Please see the attached application to visit India from Oct-Dec 2009 in the fifth year of California Student Sustainability Coalition's India Knowledge Exchange
Program. The 10-week trip will include a work service project on a seed
saving farm in West Bengal, a meditation course, and a course on ghandi
and Globalization taught by Satish Kumar and Vandana Shiva. The cost of
the program is the flight to India and basic
living expenses ($10-15 per day) which  total approximately $2000 for
the entire trip. Please note you do not have to be a student to
participate in the program.

Email Lauren Jabusch for the application and the information packet. Also,
please feel free to check out the website: http:csscexchange.blogspot.com