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A Tundra of Sickness:
Reflections on the Uneasy Relationship between Toxic Waste, TEK, and Cultural Survival in the Arctic
Joslyn Cassady, PhD, Anthropology, Drew University
Thursday, September 29, 7 p.m. at the Center for Northern Studies

Drawing on 30 months of fieldwork in Arctic Alaska, Cassady will discuss Inupiat responses to toxic waste following the 1992 discovery of an abandoned federal radioactive waste dump. In the process, she will challenge anthropological claims regarding the extent to which “traditional knowledge” (TEK) ensures cultural survival in the Far North today.
Host: Luke Hardt, Northern Studies

Public Lecture
Dr. Bruno Frohlich, Forensic Anthropologist, Smithsonian Institute
Friday, October 7, 7:30 p.m. in Simpson 3, Sterling College

Dr. Frohlich is a forensic archeologist with the Smithsonian Institution and member of Sterling College Board of Trustees. He will discuss and show slides of his recent work in the Eurasian Steppe.

AIDS, Metaphor, and the Politics of Science
Michael J. Bosia, Assistant Professor, St. Michael’s College
Thursday, October 13, 6:30 p.m.in Simpson 3, Sterling College

Despite the seemingly objective nature of medical science, the cultural meanings of AIDS have been remarkably resilient in their influence on scientific understandings of the diseases. By comparing key concepts in France and the U.S., Bosia will explain how at the end of the first quarter century of the pandemic, the disease remains a metaphor for distinctly national conflicts.
Host: Perry Thomas, Dean of the College

Peatlands and Their Role in a Warming World
Jill Bubier, PhD, Mt Holyoke College
Friday, October 14, 7 p.m. at the Center for Northern Studies

Wetland? Bog? Swamp? Fen? These ecosystems store one-third of the world’s soil carbon and play an important role in the exchange of greenhouse gases with the atmosphere. Based on her long-term research in peatland ecology, Bubier will discuss the role of wetlands and peatlands in a warming world.
Host: Kati Dana, Northern Studies

Peatland Ecology Workshop
Saturday, October 15, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.at the Center for Northern Studies

Workshops and talks about all things "peat". Meals and accommodations available for guests from away. Contact Sue Hering at 802/888-4331 or shering@sterlingcollege.edu for details.

Reading the Forested Landscape
Tom Wessels
Saturday, October 22, 7 p.m. at the Fairbanks Museum, St. Johnsbury

Tom Wessels interprets a forest’s history while wandering through it, uncovering the patterns that shape our natural world. An expert in “forest forensics", he uses evidence such as the shapes of trees, the decay of stumps, and the construction of stonewalls to unravel complex stories.

The Granite Landscape
Tom Wessels
Sunday, October 23, All Day at Sterling College

Join Tom Wessels as he explores the origins of granite, how it weathers into dome-shaped mountains, and how disturbances such as fire keep these domes perennially exposed. Seek out fascinating designs in lichens, moss, and heaths. The program features natural history specific to the domes of Acadia National Park, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and New York’s Adirondacks, among others.

Think Globally, Eat Locally: Steps Towards a Local Food Economy
Steven Gorelick, International Society for Ecology and Culture
Thursday, October 27, 6:30 p.m. in Simpson 3, Sterling College

A typical meal in America travels 1,500 miles before arriving at the dinner table, all part of a global food system tailored to agribusinesses, rather than people and nature. Gorelick will look at differences between global and local food systems, and steps we can take towards the local.

The Farm as a Primary Health Provider
Doug Flack, PhD., Flack Family Farm
Thursday, November 3, 6:30 p.m.in Simpson 3, Sterling College

This talk unites farm management practices that create nutient dense food with concepts of optimal nutrition. By contrast, our current food system’s degenerative nutrition illuminates sources of our societal health care crisis. Health insurance is a relationship with a farm based on food wisdom.
Host: Allison Van Akkeren

Land Conservation in Vermont
Darby Bradley, President, Vermont Land Trust
Thursday, November 10, 7 p.m. at the Center for Northern Studies

Since The Nature Conservancy started work here in the 1960s and the Vermont Land Trust was formed in 1977, the land trust community has protected more than 10% of Vermont’s land base. VLT’s President Darby Bradley will discuss the impact and challenges of land conservation in the future.
Host: Bear Swamp Neighborhood Association

Quviasuvik ‘A Time of Happiness, Christmas” – Living in the Modern Inuit Community of Qikiqtarjuaq: Lecture
Nicole Stuckenberger, PhD, Anthropology, Dartmouth College
Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m. at the Center for Northern Studies

Nunavut communities may look like modern settlements with streets and houses, but Inuit continue to organize their households to follow a seasonal cycle on the land. Stuckenberger will discuss her recent fieldwork examining how Inuit combine traditional ways with life in their communities, particularly how they celebrate festivals, including Christmas.
Host: Kati Dana, Northern Studies Faculty

QAGGIQ Festival Theater
Thursday, December 8, 7 p.m. at the Center for Northern Studies

Join students from Stories and Storytelling in their annual performance of northern tales.