Phipps hosts virtual symposium
Jasmin Graham and Nichole Nageotte will be the keynote speakers at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’s Nature of Place Symposium.
“Voices of Change” will be held virtually from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 15-17.
Themed metamorphosis, the event will discuss how the human response to environmental issues like climate change has nothing to do with technology, knowledge, or intelligence but rather human behavior and mindset. The event will help connect to communities, reconnect with the natural world, and offer a catalyst for real and lasting change toward climate action and an equitable green future.
Graham is the President/CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) and Project Coordinator, MarSci-LACE Project, while Nageotte is a conservation education researcher at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Other featured speakers will be:
n Brooke Tully, Behavior Change Marketer;
n Jonaya Kemper, Game Design Lead P3G Project at Carnegie Mellon University;
n Kayla Cranston, Executive Director of Co-design Science & Innovation, Conservation Psychology Institute at Antioch University;
n Mary Ellen Daneels, Director of Illinois Civics Hub and Democracy School Program;
n Shane Hanlon, Sharing Science Program Manager, American Geophysical Union.
The symposium centers on the implications of biophilia – the innate human connection to nature – which extend across a vast array of disciplines including design and engineering, nutrition, psychology, public health, education, biology and the humanities.
Biophilia is expressed all over the world every day, through complex collaborations such as the design and construction of buildings and landscapes; and intimate, personal encounters including nature hikes and home gardening.
Since 2014, Phipps has held a monthly biophilia: Pittsburgh gatherings to bring creative minds together for learning, exploring and strengthening the bonds between people and the natural world.
Each day of the symposium will consist of three pre-recorded talks, a live session keynote, and a live panel discussion that includes the keynote speaker and the three speakers of the pre-recorded talks. The pre-recorded talks will be distributed to attendees one week before the symposium begins for more convenient viewing.
Visit www.phipps.conservatory.org for tickets or call 412-622-6914 for more information.