Oct. 22: Mather Lecture
International expert to address cumulative impact of humans on the landscape
9:26 a.m., Oct. 1, 2015--International expert James (Jai) Syvitski will address the cumulative impact of humans on the landscape at the John R. Mather Visiting Scholars Lecture Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. in the Gore Recital Hall at the Roselle Center for the Arts on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.
The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required by Oct. 15. To register for this event, click here.
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Syvitski is executive director of Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. CSDMS is an international effort in 68 countries to develop, support and disseminate integrated computer models to the broader geoscience community to simulate the evolution of landscapes over different time intervals.
As chair of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, he also provides essential scientific leadership and knowledge of the Earth system to help guide society toward sustainable pathways during rapid global change.
In his lecture, Syvitski will explore the striking extent to which humans are changing the Earth’s biophysical system — the atmosphere, ocean and land surface — and what it means, not just for humanity, but for science and policy, too.
Syvitski contends that while some changes have gained momentum over time, others have gone unrecognized until recently. Global sustainability, he says, involves facing these risks, locally and globally, and aligning governance with stewardship.
“Dr. Syvitski is an internationally known and recognized scholar whose research transcends disciplinary boundaries. His work has provided fundamental guidance as to how we can best navigate the multitude of stressors precipitated by global change,” says Delphis Levia, professor and chair of the Department of Geography.
Syvitski earned doctoral degrees in oceanography and geological science from the University of British Columbia. He served as director of INSTAAR, a University of Colorado Institute from 1995-2007, and presently holds faculty appointments there in geological sciences, applied mathematics, atmosphere and ocean sciences, hydrological sciences and geophysics.
He previously held various appointments with Canadian universities, from 1978-95, and while working as a senior research scientist within the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, from 1981-95.
Syvitski is a 2009 recipient of the Royal Society of Canada’s Huntsman Medal for Outstanding Achievements in Marine Science. A fellow of the American Geophysical Union, he will accept the SEPM Francis Shepard Medal and an honorary doctor of science in sustainability from Newcastle University in 2016.
About the Mather Lecture
The John R. Mather Visiting Scholars Lecture honors the memory of John (Russ) Mather, who served as a professor of geography at University of Delaware from 1963-2003, and as chair of the geography department from 1966-89.
Sandra F. Mather established the lectureship to honor her late husband by enabling the department to host well-known scholars for the active exchange of ideas related to Mather's broad interests in climatology and geography.
The lecture is hosted by the Department of Geography, which is housed in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.
Article by Karen B. Roberts