IYPE Lecture Series

The following programs take place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, CO 80205. All require advance registration. Please call +1303-322-7009 or +1-800-925-2250, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

National Parks, Prized and at Risk
Adam Schwindt, MS, environmental physiologist and lab manager, Health Sciences Department

Places such as Denali, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks mesmerize and inspire a sense of beauty and awe for unspoiled wilderness. Cold temperatures, remote geographic locations, and extreme elevation epitomize these unique environments. These features also place these areas at great risk of exposure to airborne pollutants, which travel thousands of miles to fall out on our national parks. In this lecture, Schwindt will use images and information from the multidisciplinary team which he was a part to trace the remarkable journey of these pollutants and lead a discussion about how America’s industrial history and the current industrial revolution in parts of Asia are impacting our most cherished national lands.

Thursday, 21 August, 7:00 p.m., Ricketson Auditorium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
$12 member, $15 nonmember

A Geologist’s View: Climate Change and Colorado
Bob Raynolds, PhD, research associate, Earth Sciences Department

What impacts Colorado’s climate? This important course will evaluate global climate change and its impact on Colorado. We will review water resources, biodiversity, and the challenges associated with ongoing changes to our landscape. A daylong field trip is included to see firsthand the changes affecting our surroundings.

Mondays & Thursdays, 7–18 August, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Denver Museum of Nature & Science,
Field trip: Saturday, 16 August, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
$145 member, $170 nonmember

Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
David Montgomery, PhD, author and professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Dirt—it’s everywhere we go, but we don’t think much about it. Turns out it’s worth thinking about! Montgomery, an award-winning leader in geomorphology, shares the disquieting notion that we are running out of dirt. Cultivated soils erode slowly enough to be overlooked in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. Using an engaging blend of history, archaeology, and geology, Montgomery will explain how societies have continually risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. He will share his hope that the rise of organic and no-till farming will create an agricultural revolution to avoid the fate of previous civilizations. He is the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations.

Thursday, 11 September, 7:00 p.m., Gates Planetarium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
$12 member, $15 nonmember
Book sale + signing

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Paul Aldretti, adjunct professor, Environmental Studies Department, Naropa University; Rebecca Cales, community outreach specialist, Transportation Solutions; and Susan Buhr, PhD, director of education and outreach, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and owner of StepWise Coaching, LLC

With all of the talk of global climate change and how human actions are impacting the planet, it can seem overwhelming to figure out what each of us can do to reduce our “carbon footprint.” In this useful course, you’ll first calculate your personal carbon footprint. Then these experts will share easy tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint within your daily routine. Subjects will include transportation options, eating locally, reducing and recycling, making thoughtful energy decisions, and creating your own action plan. The Museum has been thinking of ways to reduce carbon emissions too. During this course, you will receive a private tour of the Museum’s new solar panels, which were installed on the roof this spring. This short but memorable overview will help you feel empowered to really make a difference.

Saturday, 4 October, 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Classroom 311, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
$75 member, $100 nonmember