2025 Keynote Presentation & Workshop

Dr. Libarkin will be hosting three events: a writing workshop (Thursday), a department seminar (Thursday), and the keynote presentation (Friday)!

Bringing Research to Community and Community to Research

Dr. Julie Libarkin, Michigan State University

Keynote Presentation on Friday April 4th at 1:00-2:00pm, Tate 101

STEM research is inadequate in addressing systemic injustices in climate, energy, water, transportation, agriculture, and other human-environment systems. Research typically lacks depth of understanding, breadth of perspectives, and comprehensive ethical considerations – most research is not inspired by lived experiences or community practices. Yet, marginalized communities are overwhelmingly affected by environmental injustices. For examples, nearly 50% of households on Tribal lands lack access to safe water or sanitation; this is nearly 50x the rate in the overall U.S. (Womble et al., 2018). The highly publicized example of water pollution in Flint, Michigan (a city with a majority Black population) is perhaps the most egregious regional example of environmental harm enacted on a community of color (Gostin, 2016; Masten et al., 2016). Within education, marginalized students have lowered access to resources and college-ready STEM courses, are less likely to have qualified science teachers, and are steered away from experiences needed to access college STEM majors let alone advanced degrees. In undergraduate and graduate education, many students experience cultural norms that are hostile to diverse perspectives. It is thus unsurprising that much STEM research fails to collaborate with those most impacted by systemic inequities.

Research to Publication Writing Workshop

Dr. Julie Libarkin, Michigan State University

Writing Workshop on Thursday April 3rd at 12:30-2:30, Tate 401-20 + Zoom

This two-hour workshop for graduate students will provide practical guidance in the process for moving research from data/theory to a manuscript. We will briefly cover ethics in publishing, identifying appropriate publication venues, and the publication process.

This workshop assumes you have familiarity with the research methods and norms in your community as well as the relevant literature related to your specific work. Participants are encouraged to come to the workshop with:

1. A specific research product they are hoping to publish.

2. A specific venue (journal, book, etc.) for publication.

3. A willingness to participate!

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a roadmap for turning their own research products into a publishable manuscript and will have practical experience useful for highlighting the road ahead!

RSVP: https://forms.gle/HwYVv8GnvR5fEtPj6

Community engagement in a time of environmental concern

Dr. Julie Libarkin, Michigan State University

Department Seminar on Thursday April 3rd at 4:00-5:00, Tate B20

On March 12, 2025, the US EPA announced the biggest deregulation of environmental protections in history. This deregulation returns environmental protection back to the states – states with a storied history struggling to protect air, water, and land. I am old enough to remember a time of rivers repeatedly catching fire due to pollution, our Great Lakes stagnant with eutrophication, and down-stream fish die-offs from up-river pollution. We are currently living in a time of PFAS health impacts, marine endangering oil spills, widespread air pollution, and climate change induced agricultural disasters.

Science has long held itself apart from society, eschewing advocacy in favor of value-neutrality. We are often told to “focus on the science”, “leave the politics to politicians”, or “stick to the data” – all aiming to remove human experience from the scientific endeavor. This notion of science as dispassionate is a mirage – we are all biased by our lived experiences and so too is science biased by the lenses through which scientists view the world.

Within the Earth and Environmental Sciences, we often find ourselves conducting research in ways that are disconnected from the communities living on the lands we study. Our very research questions emerge from our own isolated conversations, our notions of rigor exclude equally valuable approaches, and our norms for dissemination reach only our own scientific spaces. Yet, if we expand who is engaged in the scientific endeavor, we can mitigate bias and increase impact – a case where many cooks are preferable to one.

During our time together, we will 1) discuss how our own work impacts communities, 2) brainstorm ways we can embrace an ethic of community engagement, and 3) consider the benefits and harms of value-neutrality.