2011 Environmental/Adirondack Studies Residency

RESIDENCY SPEAKERS 2011

Keynote Speaker: Bill Vitek

Bill Vitek is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, where he has taught philosophy and ethics for 24 years. Vitek's research and writings are centered on the intersection between social practices and the environmental, cultural, and historical contexts in which they occur. His current focus is on the substantial cultural and social changes that will be necessary in our lifetimes to live without easy access to cheap, carbon-based energy in the form of soils, forests, oil, natural gas and coal. He collaborates with Wes Jackson, and they have two co-edited books together: Rooted in the Land: Essays on Community and Place, and The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability and the Limits of Knowledge. Vitek was the W. Ford Schumann Professor in Democratic Studies at Williams College in 2010-11, and a 2007 Visiting Scholar with The Center for Humans and Nature and with The Land Institute.


Dr. William J. Ehmann is returning to the residency as our science speaker for 2011.  He is currently Associate Provost for Programs and Planning, and Professor of Natural Sciences at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, New York and formerly served Empire State College as Executive Assistant to three presidents and Associate Dean for the Center for Distance Learning.  Dr. Ehmann received his Ph.D. in ecology-biology from Utah State University where he performed field experiments with sagebrush spider communities that tested theories of how nature is organized.  He has founded several environmental science programs, serves as an advisor to grants concerning citizen science, and leads a US Department of Education project to promote graduate success among Hispanic students in health and education fields at Mercy College.  Dr. Ehmann spends free time birdwatching, fishing, and hiking, often in the Adirondacks.


Sadie Ross is the Director of Environmental Sustainability for SUNY Empire State College. In her position she develops environmentally responsible procedures for college operations and creates a culture of conservation. Before joining the college in 2010 Sadie worked for Cooperative Extension Service developing community programs for local farmers and gardeners with a focus on natural resource conservation and land stewardship. Sadie has a master’s degree in horticulture.