By: Sofia Liszka
This weekend, Miami University’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exciting lineup of events for interested students, alumni and community members to attend. From a speaker address and panel discussions to nature tours and a formal banquet, there is something for everyone to enjoy in celebration of IES and its accomplishments since its inception in 1969. Headlining the weekend is keynote speaker Gina McCarthy, former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2017. McCarthy currently works at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she is a professor in its Department of Environmental Health and director of its Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment. These roles at Harvard are strengthened by McCarthy’s accomplishments at the national level in initiatives like the Clean Power Plan and Clean Water Rule. To see a fuller profile of Gina McCarthy and her work before her address at Miami University, see this announcement from Miami’s College of Arts and Science.McCarthy’s presentation will be delivered at Wilks Theater in Armstrong Student Center at 5 pm on Friday, September 13. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Following the address, there will be an alumni reception and Q&A event in Armstrong. Those interested in attending the reception must register here prior to the event. Saturday’s anniversary banquet also requires attendee registration via the same form. Also taking place on Friday is a tour of the campus geothermal plant. On Saturday, the events for the day include morning panel discussions and afternoon tours of the Institute for Food and local Fernald Nature Preserve. The anniversary banquet that night will conclude the celebratory weekend.While IES has made its full event schedule available online, any other questions about the weekend should be directed to IES50thAnniversary@MiamiOH.edu. For more information about IES, its accomplishments and the weekend ahead, visit the IES homepage.Cover photo courtesy of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability