Invited to Inspire

IN 1972, a group of Bowdoin faculty and students channeled their alarm over the state of the environment into founding a new academic discipline that would not only teach environmental issues but train students to bring about change.

Today, the environmental studies coordinate major is one of Bowdoin’s most popular. To celebrate fifty years since its inception, fourteen graduates were invited to campus for a two-day symposium in April to discuss their work related to climate and sustainability, environmental design and planning, and storytelling.

“Their collective expertise and wisdom helps us think about how we need to change and evolve to best prepare our students to navigate the environmental problems of today and the future,” said Professor of History and Environmental Studies Connie Chiang.

Teona Williams ’12, assistant professor of geography at Rutgers University, gave the keynote talk. An environmental justice scholar and

Black feminist historian, she spoke about the imperative of integrating environmental activism with social justice. Environmental studies must, she said, “center the needs and well-being of those most vulnerable, because if you help the most marginalized you will, by extension, help everyone.”

The storytelling panel included writers, journalists, and a podcaster: Erica Berry ’14, Emily Guerin ’09, Nat Herz ’09, and Corbin Hiar ’05. One theme discussed was the historical inaccessibility of the field, and how to encourage storytellers from diverse backgrounds to share a broader narrative.

Speaking on climate change were five panelists whose work spans the globe from Boston to Bangkok: Brooks Winner ’10, Payton Deeks ’10, Heather Berman ’18, Greg Goldsmith ’05, and Alison Flint ’05. Though they work with a range of institutions—from public agencies to private business and nonprofit organizations—they share the task of mitigating climate change and helping communities adapt.

The environmental design panel, moderated by senior lecturer in environmental studies Jill Pearlman, included urban planner Grace Cho ’05, coastal resilience expert Sam Brody ’92, US DOT environmental protection specialist Symone Howard ’15, and public landscape architect Adrienne Heflich ’05.

“We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary breadth—the ability to think across and even beyond disciplines—coupled with disciplinary depth,” said Chiang. “Our hope is that students can bring their disciplinary expertise to the table while also being able to ask informed questions and engage in productive conversations with people in other fields.”

Read more and watch the keynote speech by Teona Williams ’12 at bowdo.in/ES50.

History

Commencement Dinner, Eighties Style

Seniors and families enjoy a post-Baccalaureate lobster bake with alternatives for everyone, including charbroiled sirloin steak, citrus garlic chicken, and grilled eggplant and tofu. In the pandemic years, the lunch after Commencement became what Dining calls BYOB(L), for build your own bag lunch, with grilled chicken and roasted vegetable sandwiches and lemon chickpea and quinoa salad. It proved so popular and efficient that Dining has kept the model. When the New York Public Library was scanning old menus, author Michael Cannell P’21, who has a writing desk there, noticed one from Bowdoin. The 1880 “bill of fare” for Commencement dinner included boiled ham, tongue, and corned beef. If you were feeling more of a steamed vibe, you could have plain lobster. Eager to please any palate even then, they served chicken and turkey roasts, salmon, and lobster or chicken salad. If you wanted a dipping sauce, caterer W.R. Field had you and your entrée covered, from walnut ketchup to gooseberry sauce. The big finish included four kinds of pie, three flavors of ice cream, English walnuts, figs, and what is mystifyingly listed as mixed fancy cake. No matter the menu, Bowdoin always cooks up a satisfying send-off.

On Stage