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ENVS Newsletter Jan/Feb 2014

Lunch & Learn Series

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Dear ENVS community, It is a bittersweet moment for the Environmental StudiesProgram. When I became director, I had the good fortuneof hiring Ann Greaney-Williams to be our ProgramCoordinator. Without her tireless energy, skill andenthusiasm, we could not have accomplished so much. Nowafter 3+ years, Ann has decided to pursue a new andexciting position at the MIT Energy Initiative and I could notbe happier for her (even though we will miss herimmensely). Please join me in thanking Ann for her hardwork and dedication to the program! A recent exciting development is the creation of a gift account that allows ‘Friends ofENVS’ to target their giving to the program. My hope is to use the funds to organizeor sponsor University-wide events and other special projects. Donors can just add anote or write on their check “Environmental Studies” and it will get to the rightaccount. If someone is making donations on-line www.tufts.edu/givenow, select aSchool: choose “Arts and Sciences”; Select an Area: choose “Other” to pull up

another field and manually type in “Environmental Studies.” Speaking of events, two upcoming events may interests you. The first, The Work ofCulturing: Labor and Local Food, is scheduled for tomorrow March 7th from 1:00- 4:30 pm in the Coolidge Room, Ballou Hall. The second, Gender, Water, andCitizenship: Politics of Development & Democracy in Water Governance in the GlobalSouth, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11th from 11:45am to 1:15pm in theAlumnae Lounge (40 Talbot Avenue). Both events are on the Medford campus. Wehope to see you there. If you are interested in organizing an event for next year, please let us know and wewill explore ways to work with you. Best, Colin Orians

Lunch and Learn Recap: Elena Naumova,Environmental Indicators of Enteric Infectionsand Water Safety in Southern Indiaby Stina Stannik

Elena Naumova, director of the Tufts Initiative for theForecasting and Modeling of Infectious Diseases (InForMid)and Associate Dean for Research at the Tufts School ofEngineering, spoke last week as part of the TuftsEnvironmental Studies and Tufts Institute of theEnvironment Lunch and Learn program. Her presentationon the Environmental Indicators of Enteric Infections andWater Safety in Southern India covered student researchprojects sponsored through a collaboration between theTufts School of Engineering and Christian Medical College

in Vellore, India.

A mathematician by training, Naumova emphasized the importance of translatingdata into usable information that allows for action and policy.

Naumova began by laying out the importance of preventing waterborne diseases.Globally, there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea annually, 2.2 million of which lead todeath. Of those 2.2 million, 80% of the deaths are among infants. Unsafe water is alarge factor in these diseases.

Modern mathematical tools allow for an understanding of waterborne outbreaks in“temporal and spatial patterns”, Naumova said. “Practically all waterborne diseasesexhibit strong seasonal patterns distinct for a specific pathogen in a given population[and] locality”, in a phenomenon known

as seasonality. An example familiar to New England residents, of course, would bethe peaks of flu that occur in the winter. “Variability in seasonal characteristics canprovide clues on important factors influencing disease occurrence, exposure, [and]spread.” These environmental factors, when they are within human control, could bea key to disease prevention. Climate change, however, will affect our ability to usethese seasonal indicators as the patterns we have come to recognize begin to shiftradically.

Naumova further presented statistics on the seasonality of cryptosporidiosis in theUnited States and the United Kingdom, salmonellosis in the United Status, androtavirus in India.

She then laid out two studies conducted by some of her students, Dr. StefanCollinet-Adler, Andrea Brown, Alexandra Kulinkina, and Negin Ashoori. Both studiesexamined the transmission of infectious diarrhea in 300 urban and rural householdsin the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, India. The first study focused on the role offlies, which can carry pathogens such as norovirus, salmonella, and rotavirus. In thetests conducted, 72% of the flies tested positive for potential human pathogens. Thesecond study used GIS to map ground water quality and distribution systems inVellore.

Naumova here noted the importance of recognizing the difference between waterquality and quantity: the focus of these studies was on quality, for lack of waterleads to other severe problems but obviously cannot cause waterborne diseases.

Elena said she is always looking for students who are interested in going abroad andconducting research and will do whatever she can to make that possible!

Environment = Entrepreneurshipby Cooper Katz McKim

At Bard College's Olin Center, I watched snow fall outside a classroom window; oneof my teammates snapped his fingers at me, trying to get me to focus. Ourfour-person group had only 15 minutes to put together a fund-raising pitch beforecompeting. I didn't know these people before starting, but I felt a closeness to

them: we were fellows, C2C fellows.

This past Valentine's weekend, 60 environmentally conscious young people,including myself, gathered at Bard to learn a new flavor of sustainability. It was thethird annual conference of Campus to Congress-Corporation at Bard. Dr. EbanGoodstein, the creator of C2C and Director of Bard's Masters programs, ruminateson his program's inception: "How do we get young people the skills they need soon,and give them the network that provides the power base that'll change the world?

That's the vision of C2C fellows."

It's a good thing we had this energy, because ourschedule was packed to the brim with trainingworkshops, roundtables, team-building exercises,and even three competitions. The weekendchallenged me to be introspective, and think aboutthe environment from 60 new perspectives.

One fellow, Daniel Rich, is a fifth year architecturestudent at Philadelphia University. He believes,"there's a stereotype that undergrads who study

the environment are just tree huggers, and as an architecture student, C2C helpeddispel those myths" As one of those tree huggers, I often feel less valid than thescience-focused environmentalists. Dr. Goodstein's workshops helped overcome thispreconception.

Much of our skill-building was shaped around pitching our entrepreneurial ideas; it'scritical for an environmentalist to be able to communicate a concise, persuasive andarticulate solution that motivates others to join or fund an initiative. The first night,all the fellows participated in an Idea Marketplace, where we pitched a one minutesustainability solution. It forced us to think on our feet, and be persuasive.

Following that, three guest speakers, Miles Crettier, founder of Verticulture (alarge-scale aquaponics production facility), Julian Lesser, founder of Black EarthCompost, and Sean Eldridge, New York Congressional Candidate and LGBT Rightsshared their journey to successful entrepreneurship. They gave fellows newperspectives, and helped crystallize my own goals for the rest of the conference.

Once success was given a face (or three), Dr. Goodstein gave a lecture onfund-raising. The key phrase of his presentation was "just ask” while giving usreal-life examples and tips that we soon put to work.

The fund-raising competition began. My group of four only had 15 minutes toconstruct a pitch for our sustainability solution, the virtues of bug protein. Wefocused on the four key elements of a successful pitch: state the problem, outlinethe specifics, provide the solution, make the ask. It was valuable to put our newtactics to the test, and validating to see a result right away.

We got through the first round with our idea. We then were called to go in front ofthe panel of judges, along with three other groups. After much anxiety... we won!The simple act of doing within a supportive environment made me feel valuable asany environmentalist. I may not be a left-brained guy, but this conference helpedme see that creativity and initiative is as essential any other skill.

I see the experience as microcosm of the world. There are always connections to bemade, simple lessons to be taught, and inspiration to be found. If fellows take thedrive we had over that weekend into our everyday lives, it's hard to imagine howwe'd fail.

By Sunday afternoon, I had made 60 new friends, a ton of new resources toinvestigate, new opportunities, and a sense of accomplishment. Eban's quote rangin my head as the train from Annandale-on-Hudson headed back to New York City:"we're living at an extraordinary moment in the history of humanity, in that nogeneration before us had the opportunity to so profoundly determine the future."

New Environmental Studies Advisor: AlishaRankinby Cooper Katz McKim

Alisha Rankin has been an assistant Professor of Historyat Tufts since 2008; she is now one of the environmentalstudies department’s newest advisors! Her researchfocuses on women’s history, early science, and medicine within the Middle Age and Renaissance periods. She haspublished two books, as well as four major essays andarticles.

Professor Rankin has always been interested instorytelling. During her undergrad at Wellesley, shethought she was going to study English. Instead, she

found herself consistently switching from English to History courses. It was oneinfluential professor who pushed her favor in history's direction. This professorexplained this broad subject was about coalescing interdisciplinary work into acomprehensive and unbiased historical narrative. Professor Rankin's goal becamecomposing a detailed piece that was also a good historical narrative. She couldfollow her love of storytelling, without making anything up. This professor went onto be Rankin's PhD advisor at Harvard.

At Tufts, Rankin has the opportunity to explore new topics within courses sheteaches, as well as in her original research. She is teaching a seminar thissemester called "History of the Book", where she can explore the topic alongsidestudents. She likes teaching these sorts of classes because she can engage indiscussion, rather than just lecture. Some lecturers are great performers, but sheprefers seminar-style class. Professor Rankin says she feels lucky, because she getsto do what she loves every day.

Within her research in science and medicine, food and nutrition are primarycomponents. Environmental history became popular in the 19th and 20th century,but diet was at the center of medicine for much longer. The concept of keeping thefour humors in regulation was dependent on food, after all. Environmental history isa burgeoning research area which Professor Rankin is excited to support.Professor Rankin is excited to be a new advisor for the Environmental StudiesDepartment!

Copyright © 2014 Environmental Studies Program, Tufts University,All rights reserved.

Cooper Katz McKim, editor andEnvironmental Studies ProgramIntern

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