While regaling new students about the history of the ESF Women's Caucus, and sharing that as recently as 1994, when the Caucus formed, there were only 3 tenure track faculty members in ESF academic departments (all in different departments), an International student asked me about the current numbers. So I tallied--almost 50, and 2 chairs.
With critical mass, what improvements have we seen?
Well, over the course of this year, some of our male colleagues have walked by the Caucus coffee breaks, noticed people with whom they have needed to confer, and have joined us to do so, without relaying any surprise that until that moment, it had only been women in the room. (It was just the opposite experience that inspired the Caucus' creation in 1994).
But casual conversations with the Professionals of Color would indicate that folks are clearly a mite startled to see that group assembled. And just this week, different colleagues asked for input on how to deal with gendered language, and countering derision and casual sexism. Interestingly enough, NASEM's report this summer reiterated much of what we hear from colleagues, but gave it names. Unwanted sexual attention (unwelcome verbal or physical sexual advances), and sexual coercion (when favorable treatment is conditioned on sexual activity) are very much on the decline, hopefully even more with so much attention on "informed consent." Gender harassment, is the actual most common form of sexual harassment. It is the inappropriate remakes, sexist put-downs, gender-based hostility, that aren't usually recognized by law or university rules, even though persistent gender harassment is harmful. Another interesting finding: those far more severe types of harassment don't occur where gender harassment isn't tolerated. The four risk factors that increase the likelihood that women in academic sciences, engineering and medicine will be targeted with sexual harassment, historically, ESF has them all: "male-dominated work settings; hierarchies that concentrate power in individuals and make students, junior faculty, and others dependent on them for funding, research direction, mentorship, and career advancement; symbolic legal compliance policies and procedures that are ineffective at preventing harassment; and uninformed leadership at all levels lacking the tools, intention, and/or focus needed to undertake the key actions necessary to reduce and prevent sexual harassment.
The challenges and opportunities are significant. Preventing sexual harassment against women is critical to avoiding further loss of talent in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine, and thus to advancing the nation’s economic and social well-being and its overall public health. Making the necessary changes to prevent harassment will require diverse and visionary leadership at all levels as well as the support and participation of every member of the academic and research communities."
Join us this semester, at our networking Coffee Breaks and a Livestream of Together We Can Do Better: A National Convocation for Leaders in Academia on Preventing Sexual Harassment.
27 years post Anita Hill's testimony against Clarence Thomas, the correct answer is still change the climate, not the women.
"From a legal standpoint, sexual harassment is considered a form of workplace discrimination....it becomes unlawful when it is severe or pervasive enough that it creates a hostile work environment or when it includes a quid pro quo meaning that employees have to endure the harassment or risk losing their jobs."
J. Oliver: "We see a lot of men saying they are absolutely terrified of to be alone with a women. Should they be scared?" A. Hill "Not if they are not harassers."
What can we do? Make the process transparent. Bystander Training. Hill asks Oliver to think back to a time when he could have spoken up, but did not, and how he would approach it now. His response "To say, 'that was a pretty creepy thing to do.'" "Would you also say to the person who is in front of this, and say, you know 'how are you? How does this feel for you? Would you like for me to say something?" "If we do nothing, the change is not going to come."
Leaders in higher education, entertainment, technology,
medicine, and politics will discuss NASEM's report and actions to prevent sexual
harassment, to be live-streamed Tues, June 26, noon- 6:15, Pre-publication Consensus Study
Report can be downloaded from NAP
as can the brief Recommendations
Report.
Please contact Heather engelman@esf.edu to RSVP for local viewing (314 Bray), or for the recorded 6/12 Press Conference (1.5 hrs)
Tentative
Agenda
12-12:15 Welcome, Joan Bennett, Chair, Committee on Women in Sci., Engineering, Medicine, NASEM; Distinguished Prof, Rutgers U
12:15-12:45 Remarks from NAS President, Marcia McNutt
12:45-12:55 Background of Study, Frazier Benya, Study Director, NASEM
12:55-1:30 Overview of Report, Beth Hillman, Committee Member and President, Mills College
1:30-1:45 Break
1:45-2:30 Responses and Perspectives from Higher Ed, moderated by John Crockett, Sponsored Research Project Dev & Mgmt, San Diego U. Panel: Ana Mari Cauce, Pres, U Washington; Francisco Rodriquez, Chancellor, LACC District; Deborah Krakow, Prof/Chair, OB/GYN, UCLA; Kirsten Quanbeck, Assoc. Chan, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, UC-Irvine
2:30-3:15 Discussion with Panelists and Study Committee Members
3:15-4:30 Break
4:30-5:15 Perspectives on the Report’s Value to Society and Other Workplaces, Moderated by Valerie Conn, Exec. Dir., Science Philanthropy Alliance. Panel: Anita Hill, Chair, Commission on Sex. Harassment & Advancing Equality in the Workplace and Univ. Prof Social Policy, Law, and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Brandeis Univ; Melissa Melendez, CA State Assembly
5:15-6 Discussion with Panelists & Study Committee Members
In
addition to the points in the press release (below), this resonated with me: Sexual
harassment has adverse effects that not only affect the targets of harassment
but also bystanders, coworkers, workgroups, and entire organizations (i.e., bad for business), and
the damage harassment does to scientific integrity. This, included in the release, also struck home:
“When women
are sexually harassed, their least common response is to formally report the
experience. Many women do not report because they
perceive -- accurately, the report notes -- that they may experience
retaliation or other negative outcomes if they do so.”
A recording of the Press Conference is still forthcoming, but a 4 p. recommendation document is available as are a 2 min recommendation video, a few infographics, and the full (>300 pages) pre-publication of the report, all downloadable from: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/shstudy/index.htm
Also, please note that a draft
schedule for 6/26 (which we’ll livestream in
314 Bray Hall!) is available. And now, the text of NASEM’s press release:
To Prevent Sexual Harassment, Academic Institutions Should Go Beyond
Legal Compliance to Promote a Change in Culture; Current Approaches Have Not
Led to Decline in Harassment
WASHINGTON -- A systemwide change to the culture and climate in higher
education is needed to prevent and effectively respond to sexual harassment,
says a new
report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
There is no evidence that current policies, procedures, and approaches – which
often focus on symbolic compliance with the law and on avoiding liability --
have resulted in a significant reduction in sexual harassment.
The report, which examines sexual harassment of women in academic sciences,
engineering, and medicine, concludes that the cumulative result of sexual
harassment is significant damage to research integrity and a costly loss of talent
in these academic fields. The report urges institutions to consider sexual
harassment equally important as research misconduct in terms of its effect on
the integrity of research.
Colleges and universities and federal agencies should move beyond basic
legal compliance to adopt holistic, evidence-based policies and practices to
address sexual harassment, the report says. It notes that sexual harassment
often occurs in an environment of generalized incivility and disrespect. In
contrast, sexual harassment is less likely to occur when organizational systems
and structures support diversity, inclusion, and respect.
“A change to the culture and climate in our nation’s colleges and
universities can stop the pattern of harassing behavior from impacting the next
generation of women entering science, engineering, and medicine,” said Paula
Johnson, co-chair of the committee that conducted the study and wrote the
report, and president of Wellesley College.
In addition, the report urges Congress and state legislatures to consider a
range of actions, including prohibiting confidentiality in settlement
agreements and allowing lawsuits to be filed directly against alleged
harassers, not just their institutions. It recommends that judges, academic
institutions, and administrative agencies rely on scientific evidence about the
behavior of targets and perpetrators of sexual harassment when assessing both
institutional compliance with the law and the merits of individual claims. And
it urges professional societies to use their influence to address sexual
harassment in the scientific, medical, and engineering communities they
represent, and to help promote professional cultures of civility and respect.
Among the report’s findings:
Sexual
harassment is common in academic science, engineering, and medicine. In a survey the
University of Texas System conducted among its graduate and undergraduate
students, about 20 percent of female science students, more than a quarter
of female engineering students, and more than 40 percent of female medical
students experienced sexual harassment from faculty or staff. The
Pennsylvania State University System conducted a similar survey and found
that 33 percent of its female undergraduates and 43 percent of its female
graduate students (all disciplines) experienced sexual harassment from
faculty or staff; so did 50 percent of female medical students. As
these surveys reveal, women students in academic medicine experience more
frequent sexual harassment perpetrated by faculty and staff than women
students in science and engineering.
In addition, the best available analysis to date found that 58 percent of
women faculty and staff in academia (all disciplines, not limited to science,
engineering, and medicine) experienced sexual harassment. Other research shows
that women of color experience more harassment -- sexual, racial/ethnic, or a
combination of the two -- than other groups.
Organizational
climate is the single most important factor in determining whether sexual
harassment is likely to happen in a work setting. The degree to which an
organization’s climate is seen by those within it as permissive of sexual
harassment has the strongest relationship with how much sexual harassment
occurs in that organization. There is often a perceived tolerance for
sexual harassment in academia, the report says.
Gender
harassment is by far the most common form of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can
take three forms: gender harassment (verbal and nonverbal behaviors that
convey hostility, objectification, exclusion, or second-class status about
members of one gender); unwanted sexual attention (unwelcome verbal or
physical sexual advances, which can include assault); and sexual coercion
(when favorable professional or educational treatment is conditioned on
sexual activity).
Gender harassment – behaviors that communicate that women do not belong or
do not merit respect – is by far the most common type of sexual harassment. Although
often unrecognized as a form of sexual harassment or considered a “lesser” form
of it, gender harassment that is severe or frequent can result in the same
negative outcomes as isolated instances of sexual coercion. And when an
environment is pervaded by gender harassment, other types of sexual harassment
are more likely to occur.
When
women are sexually harassed, their least common response is to formally
report the experience. Many women do not report because they perceive --
accurately, the report notes -- that they may experience retaliation or
other negative outcomes if they do so. Instead, women cope with sexual
harassment most often by ignoring or appeasing the harasser and seeking
social support.
Sexual
harassment undermines women’s professional and educational attainment and
mental and physical health. When women experience sexual harassment in the
workplace, the professional outcomes include declines in job satisfaction,
performance, or productivity; increases in job stress; and withdrawal from
the organization. When students experience sexual harassment, the
educational outcomes include greater truancy, dropping classes, receiving
lower grades, or dropping out. These conclusions are based in part on a
study commissioned by the committee that interviewed women who had
experienced at least one sexually harassing behavior in the last five
years.
Sexual
harassment training has not been demonstrated to change behavior. While sexual harassment
training can be useful in improving knowledge of policies and of behaviors
that constitute sexual harassment, it has not been demonstrated to prevent
sexual harassment or change people’s behaviors or beliefs.
Colleges and Universities Need Strong Leadership, Increased
Transparency and Accountability
Preventing and effectively addressing sexual harassment of women in academia
is a significant challenge, but research shows what will work to prevent sexual
harassment, says the report. College and university presidents, provosts,
deans, and department chairs should make the reduction and prevention of sexual
harassment an explicit goal of their tenure. “Ultimately, success in addressing
this challenge will require strong and effective leadership from administrators
at every level within academia, as well as support and work from all members of
our nation’s college campuses – students, faculty, and staff,” said committee
co-chair Sheila Widnall, Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
The report offers evidence-based recommendations as a road map for academic
institutions:
Address
gender harassment. Leaders in academia and at research and training sites
should pay increased attention to and enact policies that cover gender
harassment, as a way to address the most common form of sexual harassment
and to help prevent other types of harassment.
Improve
transparency and accountability. Systems in which prohibitions against unacceptable
behaviors are clear and that hold members of the community accountable for
meeting behavioral and cultural expectations established by leadership
have lower rates of sexual harassment. Academic institutions should
develop and share clear policies on sexual harassment and standards of
behavior. These policies should include a range of clearly stated,
escalating disciplinary consequences for perpetrators found to have
violated the policy, and the disciplinary actions taken should correspond
to the severity and frequency of the harassment. Decisions regarding
disciplinary actions should be made in a fair and timely way, following an
investigative process that is fair to all sides.
Create
diverse, inclusive, and respectful environments. Academic institutions
should work to create a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment where
these values are aligned with and integrated into the structures,
policies, and procedures of the institution. They should take explicit
steps to achieve greater gender and racial equity in hiring and
promotions, and thus improve the representation of women at every level.
They should combine anti-harassment efforts with civility promotion
programs. Focusing evaluation and reward structures on cooperation and
collegiality rather than solely on individual-level teaching and research
could have a significant impact on improving the environment in academia.
Diffuse
the hierarchical and dependent relationship between faculty and trainees. To reduce the risk of
sexual harassment, academic institutions should consider mechanisms such
as mentoring networks or committee-based advising, and departmental
funding rather than funding only from a principal investigator.
Provide
support for targets of sexual harassment. Academic institutions
should convey that reporting sexual harassment is an honorable and
courageous action. They also should provide alternative, less formal ways
of recording information about the experience and reporting it when a
target is not comfortable filing a formal report. Regardless of whether a
formal report is filed, institutions should provide targets of harassment
with ways to access support services such as health care and legal
services, and develop approaches for preventing targets of harassment from
experiencing retaliation.
The study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NASA, National
Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Henry
Luce Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit
institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the
nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to
science, technology, and medicine. The National Academies operate under
an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by
President Lincoln. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org.
Contacts: Sara Frueh, Media Relations Officer
Andrew Robinson, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information 202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu
Social Media:
Follow us on Twitter: @theNASEM
Follow us on Instagram: @theNASEM
Follow us on Facebook: @NationalAcademies
Copies of Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and
Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are
available at www.nap.edu
How can academic institutions improve in the #MeToo era? Join us for a communal viewing of two sessions that will livestream from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Please RSVP to engelman@esf.edu for either or both, so we
plan snacks accordingly.
Report Release, Tues, June 12, 11am-12:30pm,
217 Bray
NASEM will publicly release the results of the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM)
study entitled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report spans the
research, experiences, and effects of sexual harassment on women and their
careers in science, engineering, and medicine, including evidence-based
findings and recommendations for how organizations can prevent and address
sexual harassment.
Discussion & Response, Tues, June 26, noon- 6:15, 314 Bray
Leaders in higher education, entertainment, technology,
medicine, and politics will discuss the report, as well as actions to prevent sexual
harassment in the academy. Schedule will be available closer to the event.
Recordings of both events are anticipated to be available soon after each date.
"For
purposes of this study, the definition of sexual harassment includes
unwanted sexual advances and requests for sexual favors and other
unwelcome conduct that is sexual in nature, as well as those situations
in which the work or study environment is made intimidating or offensive
as a result of actions that are gender-based and that interfere with an
individual’s academic or work performance, opportunities for
advancement, and morale."
Project sponsors include: HHMI, Henry Luce Foundation, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, NSF, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund
The Take our Daughters to Work movement started as a job shadow day, but early ESF organizers
realized that much would be out of context—and children shouldn’t be participating in
meetings with privileged discussions (administrative
meetings, thesis/dissertation defenses). So, the ESF Women's Caucus built a structured program,
asking presenters to share some aspect of their ESF-fostered field in an
interactive way—commonly through debate, models, and scaled down experiments. For the past 15 years, sons have participated as well as daughters and kids have spent a rotation or two learning about a life skill or
recreational pursuit, also shared by a member of the ESF community.
Our 2018 program welcomed children from 18(!) area schools. Parents brought 19 children; 4 came with a grandparent, sibling or aunt; 8 with family friends. Faculty enrolled 6 children (4 of their own; 2 friends), but as has been the pattern since we started tracking, the bulk of the participants were enrolled by staff members from across campus.
We thank presenters: ֍Plant History – Megan
O’Keefe, Forest and Natural Resources Management ֍
֍Wind Turbines – Maura Stefl and Brittany Wong, Experiential Learning and Outreach֍ ֍Yoga – Mary Hagemann ֍
֍Great Lakes Food Web – Stacy Furgal, Environmental and Forest Biology ֍ ֍Stormwater Infrastructure – Environmental Resource Engineering Club (ERE Club) & NY Water Environment Association (NYWEA) ֍ ֍Designing a Park – Prof. Maren King, Savy Kep, Shaghayegh Shahhosseini, Olivia Pinner, Remi Lynch, Maggie Pasanen, Landscape Architecture & the Center for Community Design Research֍ ֍Analyzing Human-Wildlife Conflict – Dr. Andrea Parker, Environmental Studies֍
More photos available here. We also thank:
Rock star chaperones: Brad Fierke, Vizma Leimanis, Makayla Thornton, Kanika Jakhmola, Steven Grunwald, and Hollis Harrington;
Prep team: Heather Engelman and Nichole Angell
Lunch team: Kanika Jakhmola, Dawn Jewell, Caroline Bailey, Linda McGuigan and Josh Arnold
photographers: Heather Engelman and Paul Otteson
the many offices that contributed stuff for kids to carry out activities: ALUMNI RELATIONS and the
ESF CAMPUS BOOKSTORE, pencils and magnets; SU BOOKSTORE, mugs; COMMUNICATIONS, string
backpacks; OPEN ACADEMY, puzzle pens; PROVOST’s OFFICE and ESF WOMEN’S CAUCUS, lunch, snacks, color printing, potting media; GREENHOUSE, pots and space; CHESTNUT PROJECT,
seed; PHYSICAL PLANT and MORRISVILLE AUXILLIARY SERVICES, set & clean up; COPY
CENTER, B/W printing. Consistent with the 2018 national program theme, each of these
individuals, organizations and offices are, indeed, agents of positive change
On April 12th, Robyn Reed, Head of Access Services, Schaffer Library, Union College, lead the community in a conversation about Afrofuturism and the
Environment. Reed shared a short film titled Pumzi. This award-winning film is a
Kenyan science-fiction story written and directed by Wanuri Kahiu. The film is
set to take place in the future, 30 years after World War III – the water war.
Life on earth is now largely nonexistent. The story line follows Asha, who
curates a museum in an East African territory with exhibits including long gone
plant and animal life. Asha receives a package that suggests that the planet
outside her strictly enclosed community might be viable.
Struck by the possibility, Asha leaves her community to
plant a seed. Trading her own security for the survival of the seed, she
travels across the landscape to search for viable land. The film ends in a
scene of sacrifice and hope.
Following the film, Reed facilitated a discussion, prompting viewers for their impressions; some saw themes of hope, while
others saw hopelessness. The crowd praised the poignancy of the film, which
projected a future in which resource scarcity has driven communities to war and
insecurity. This theme is perhaps especially relevant for much of the African
content, which may disproportionately feel the effects of climate change and
resource depletion.
Afrofuturism is a genre of speculative fiction that, unlike
many science fiction stories, projects a future where black culture is
significant and central. Afrofuturism addresses the fact that mainstream
fictional futurism has failed to include black culture and black bodies from
narratives. Further, as a sociopolitical thought movement, Afrofuturism expresses
that solutions to social and environmental crises cannot and will not come
exclusively from white voices, asserting a space for black culture in ideas for
future innovation. While some see Afrofuturism as hugely speculative, like all
good science fiction, it is potentially deeply prescriptive as is drives
viewers to consider the possible.
Throughout her presentation Robyn Reed provided suggestions
of further movies, books, anthologies, and artists in Afrofuturist genre. These
include but are not limited to the anthologies Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturim and Beyond and Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative
Fiction from the African Diaspora; works from authors such as Octavia
Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, and Samuel Delaney; art work such as
Farbice Monteiro’s The Profecy series;
and perhaps most notably the Black Panther movie, which has been hugely
successful in theaters. To add a personal reference, much of Janelle Monet’s work
has brought Afrofuturism to the popular modern music world.
This event served as a fantastic introduction the
Afrofuturism. Perhaps most notably, Robyn Reed’s presentation on Afrofuturism
serves to remind the ESF community to actively include the perspectives of
minority individuals in conversations about environmental stewardship and the
future direction of our college.
Reed's research interests include studying the intersection of race and science fiction in film and television, Afrofuturism, and information literacy. As a librarian, Reed expressively aims to combat “fake news” by guiding library patrons to more reliable sources for their work.
This event was cosponsored by the Friends of Moon Library
and ESF Women's Caucus. For more information about the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions speaker series, visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/speakers.htm
As part of the requirements of FOR797, Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share responsibility for reporting on the WiSE Professions speaker series. The preceding was written byClaudia N Victoroff, Megan Gallagher and Maisie Baronian.
Over 100 girls were inspired by women at ESF and in the greater Syracuse Community! Girls learned about Paper Science, Manufacturing Engineering,
Medicine, Physical Therapy, Environmental Engineering, Meteorology and
other fields. Thank you so much to presenters: Focused Physical Exam: Amylisa Christophe, Omoefe Ebhohimen, Alexis Sykes, Upstate Medical University Evaluation & Treatment of Common Sports Injuries: Mary Mauro-Bertolo, Physical Therapist How did it Survive? Kim Oswald, Emma Buckardt, Andrew Meashaw, Sierra Coathrup, Jessie Smith, ESF Student Environmental Education Coalition (SEEC) How clouds Form/The Use of Clouds to predict weather: Katie St. Denis, Solvay High Jill of All Trades: Mel Menon, Rose DelVecchio-Darco Manufacturing; Kate Anechiarico- Haun Welding; Patty Golicki and Rebecca Plumpton, -Northeast Region Council of Carpenters, and Salma Muse, Chloe Connors, Ailiyah Morris, and Desaree Seals. Syracuse P-TECH Paper and Bioproducts: Dr. Biljana Bujanovic and Service Track students, ESF Department of Paper and BioProcess Engineering Mercury in Food Webs: Dr. Roxanne Razavi, ESF Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Designing A Green City with Stormwater Management: Isabelle Horvath, Erin Cuddihy, Elena Araya, Meghan Medwid, ESF's ERE Club College Readiness Panel:Mel Menon, facilitator; Panelists: Robertha Barnes (Upstate), Diana Wilson (ESF), Blessy Bethel (LeMoyne), Desaree Seals (Syracuse P-TECH/OCC), Nyell Lopez (Syracuse Univ) Tower Challenge: Bristol-Myers Squibb
On March
27th, 2018, Dr. Christine O'Connell – Associate Director and Assistant Professor,
Alan Alda
Center for Communicating Science, School
of Journalism, Stony Brook University, and Affiliate Faculty, in both the
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the Institute for Advanced
Computational Science –
presented “Speaking about Science and Making It Count.” This was a joint presentation of SUNY ESF’s Adaptive Peaks Seminar Series and the
Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series. The
Department of Environmental Studies and Great Lakes Research Consortium jointly sponsored the seminar with the
ESF Women’s Caucus.
Dr.
O’Connell began by discussing how scientists often have trouble conveying
empathy for their standpoints and being clear in communicating ways in which
the audience can understand. She commented on how scientists’ use of jargon can
make their presentations inaccessible to their audience. Dr. O’Connell
mentioned how this tendency can be rectified by being thoughtful about the
needs of the audience and thinking carefully about the choice of terms used during
a presentation. Scientists often fall victim to the "curse of
knowledge," in that the more one knows about a topic, the more that
individual tends to talk above the average layperson's head on that topic. In
order to reach the average person, scientists must make a concerted effort to
make sure topics are accessible to their listeners.Dr. O’Connell pointed out that scientists are
really bad even about communicating with each other, and around 80% of what is
heard at a conference doesn't end up getting through to audiences because of
that lack of communication.
Dr.
O’Connell then led an activity and talked about passing an imaginary ball as an
analogy for communication. If the receiving individual is not able to
‘catch’your pass, then often the individual
who threw the ball had not indicated (using eye contact and body language)
where the ball was headed. This is a useful analogy for communication; for an
audience to be able to receive information, the person communicating has to be
attentive to their listeners. Dr. O’Connell illustrated that one method of
understanding the audience’s view is by asking questions. Then, using those
questions to connect with that mode of thinking. She stressed that scientists
should feel comfortable talking about themselves and being more personal,
because it will increase the rapport with the audience and make the presenter
more credible. After all, people are more likely to trust information
from people with whom they have formed a connection.
Dr. O’Connell received her BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University and her PhD in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Her research focuses on women inSTEM, science advocacy, and environmental communication, the connections betweenscience and society with a focus on marine spatial planning, ecosystem-based management, waste management, conservation planning, and ecosystem services.
The next
presentation in the WiSE Professions series will be "Afrofuturism and the Environment", April 12, 2018, with a discussion facilitated by Robyn Reed of Union College. For more information about
the WiSE Professions Series, please visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/Speakers.htm or the SUNY ESF’s Women’s Caucus at http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/.
As part of the requirements of FOR797, Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share responsibility for reporting on the WiSE Professions speaker series. The preceding was written byJenny Frank, MS student in the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management; Sally Guillorn, MPS student in the Department of Graduate Program in Environmental Science; Blake Neumann, MS student in the Department of Graduate Program in Environmental Science; and Maggie Tarsel MS student in the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management
On February 22, 2018, Dr. Blandine
Marie Ivette Nacoulma - a Fulbright Scholar from University Ouaga 1 Professor
Joseph KI-ZERBO serving at University of California, Davis as an Assistant
Professor of Environmental Science – presented “Why do elephants attack Baobab
trees in protected areas of Burkina Faso? Toward the elaboration of a strategy
for species conservation.” This
presentation was a join presentation of SUNY ESF’s Advaptive Peaks Seminar
Series and the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series.
The Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Department sponsored the
seminar with the Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund and the ESF Women’s
Caucus.
Dr. Nacoulma discussed a variety of
characteristics of Baobab trees that may indicate a high likelihood of elephant
attack, in which the tree is debarked to some degree, including bark texture,
bark color, tree shape, and diameter at breast height (dbh). The research area consisted of a group of
protected areas or parks with various management plans in Eastern Burkina Faso. As this research is ongoing, final
conclusions were not presented.
The presentation began with
extensive background information regarding the setting of this research: Dr.
Nacoulma’s home country, Burkina Faso, which is a landlocked country in Western
Africa. Dr. Nacoulma also provided a primer on the country’s “Big Two” species. Elephants and Baobab trees are “charismatic
flagship and keystone species” important to ecology and economy of the region,
and “indirectly in conflict.” The
Baobab trees surveyed for Dr. Nacoulma’s research were found within three
adjacent protected areas in Eastern Burkina Faso, each within a different ecological
zone and with a corresponding management plans: Arli National Park, W Burkina
Faso National Park, and Pama Reserve. In
these areas, debarking of Baobab trees by elephants has been observed
repeatedly. Only one other study
exploring this phenomenon has been completed in Western Africa.
Dr. Nacoulma’s research utilized feedback and
input from local people to identify distinct characteristics of Baobab trees,
including bark texture (smooth, rough, and cracked), bark color (pink, white,
dark, and intermediate), tree shape (“broom”, flattened, round, and
“sunshade”), and tree size (dbh). Tree
size was the only characteristic that had a noticeable correlation to
debarking, in that larger trees were more likely to have been attacked. No other measured characteristics had significant
correlation to elephant attacks, indicating that these characteristics do not
predispose the trees to attack. Nutrient analyses are still underway.
Local
people provided potential reasons that elephants attack Baobab trees, including
for a nutritional supplement, as a source of water, because of a need to
destroy, and because elephants compete with Baobab trees to be the largest
organism on the landscape. Finally,
local people gave suggestions on how to address the problem and protect the
trees, including fencing in each tree, providing additional water holes for
elephants, planting more Baobab trees, and culling the elephant
population.
During
the discussion the day prior and the reception following her presentation, Dr.
Naclouma shared many interesting stories about her country’s economy and the
financial benefits of Baobab trees. It is obvious that Baobab trees facing
threats from the unsustainable tourism and illegal hunting which very common in
Africa.
Dr.
Nacoulma holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and Ecology from the University of
Ouagadougou, where she focuses on the diversity, production, uses,
ethno-ecology, ethnobotany and conservation of indigenous trees important for
the livelihood of rural communities in Burkina Faso. Dr. Nacoulma is studying
the functional traits of the baobab as a baseline for its conservation.
The next presentation in the WiSE Professions series will be March 27, 2018 with Dr. Christine O’Connell of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
“Communicating science to the public.”
For more information about the WiSE Professions Series, please visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/Speakers.htm
or the SUNY ESF’s Women’s Caucus at http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/.
As part of the requirements of FOR496/797 Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share responsibility for reporting on the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series. The preceding was prepared by: Xue Dong, PhD student in Environmental and Forest Biology; Megan Gorss, a BS student majoring in Natural Resources Management, in the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management Department; and Colin Mettey, a MS student focusing on Ecology in the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology.
