25th Annual ENVX Symposium Explores Nuanced Ways of Viewing Our Planet’s Future

by Sofia Benavides BA ’23

Lewis & Clark’s 25th annual ENVX Symposium, titled Deconstructing the Apocalypse, will be held on October 16–20. It will include a combination of virtual and in-person events, all of which are free and open to the public.

Jessica Kleiss, associate professor of environmental studies and the ENVX symposium's faculty advisorAwareness about climate change is increasing, but with that awareness comes dire predictions that the media often distorts and embellishes. “This has struck a deep chord of fear and a feeling of lack of agency, especially in young people,” says Jessica Kleiss, associate professor of environmental studies and the symposium’s faculty advisor. “The purpose of this year’s theme is to address climate change in a real and serious way while still keeping ourselves engaged and productive instead of checked out.”

This year, five student cochairs are working with Kleiss on organizing the symposium: Umi Fulgencio BA ’23, Oskar Kohlbrenner BA ’23, Elizabeth McCarthy BA ’24, Francisco Perozo BA ’23, and Keilani Vega BA ’22.

“With this theme, we want to offer deeper ways of seeing the future so we can help people understand the data and realize that it doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of the world,” says cochair Perozo. “We want to help our community think of the future in a way that’s not anxiety inducing.”

This year the symposium will feature two keynote speakers: Dr. Julia Baum and Alex Trembath. Baum works at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where she holds the Faculty of Science President’s Chair and is professor of ocean ecology and global change. She is a marine biologist and has done extensive research on the ways in which the environment affects coral reefs and coastal communities. Trembath is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree in environmental economics and policy. He is deputy director at the Breakthrough Institute, a research center focused on technological solutions to environmental problems.

The 2022 ENVX Symposium organizers: Elizabeth McCarthy, Umi Fulgencio, Francisco Perozo, Oskar Kohlbrenner, and Dr. Jessica Kleiss.“We purposely chose keynote speakers from very different backgrounds to encourage people with all types of interests to get involved,” says Perozo.

New to this year’s symposium is a student-designed art workshop, which was developed in conjunction with Art and Ecology (Art 229), a course taught by Cara Tomlinson, associate professor of art and studio head of painting. “Art can be a way to share narratives and also visual data,” Perozo says. “It’s a means to transmit messages and also to deal with the anxiety that the future brings us … it allows us to meditate on what’s going on.”

There will also be a Climate Data Stories workshop led by Katherine Hegewisch, a project scientist at the University of California at Merced who works in their Applied Climate Science Lab. This interactive workshop will explore real climate data and stories about what the data reveals. “We will cover what we know about the climate, how we know it, what it tells us, and what we can do with this information,” Kleiss says. “It’s designed for all ranges of background–students with no prior experience are warmly encouraged to attend.”

The symposium will close with a virtual career fair followed by a networking event, enabling students to connect with internship and job opportunities while carving out a place for themselves in our planet’s future.

ENVX Symposium Environmental Studies