AIChE Climate Conference 2021
April 9th-10th via zoom
our purpose
We aim to provide science backed data on climate change to ALL and inspire a community centered discussion on positive change.
Schedule
April 9th, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
*Follow embedded links to watch recorded presentations
4:00 PM– Opening Remarks by Student Leadership Team
4:05 PM– Dr. Cathy Whitlock
“Montana’s Changing Climate: Past to Future”
4:25 PM - Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Dr. Whitlock’s talk
4:30 PM– Dr. Tony Hartshorn
4:50 PM - Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Dr. Hartshorn’s lecture
5:00 PM– Seonaid “Sho” B. Campbell
Live presentation and Q&A
5:35 PM– Lill Erikson
Montana Grasslands Carbon Program
5:55 PM - Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Lil Erikson’s talk
*schedule subject to change
April 10th, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
*Follow embedded links to watch recorded presentations
10:00 AM– Student Engagement Session
Research presentations and student organization awareness:
Irene Greenberg: Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)
Kristen Switzer: Intersectional Environmentalism & The Creation of the Liaison Position
Atticus Cummings: The Drawdown Brick
Nicholas Fitzmaurice: MSU Green Office Program
10:35 AM– Dr. Tom Armstrong
10:55 AM - Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Dr. Armstrong’s talk
11:05 AM– Bryan Vadheim
“Hit Them in the Pocketbook: Economics in a Sustainable Future”
11:25 AM - Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Bryan Vadheim’s talk
11:35 AM– Dr. Catherine Kirkland
“Wastewater treatment for the 21st century: the case for aerobic granular sludge”
11:55 AM– Breakout Session
Moderated discussion regarding Dr. Kirkland’s talk
12:00 PM– 12:30 PM- Lunch Break
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - Panel, Final Remarks
Live panel with selected speakers
*schedule subject to change
selected speakers
Seonaid B. Campbell Seonaid B. Campbell, whose Scots Gaelic name is pronounced "Show-na," is owner of Studio Lynx. She is a strategic and creative consultant and science communicator working in climate change, documentary film, and as a non-fiction writer. Her goal is to wed art and science to create impactful content that fosters effective decision-making and incites positive action. In other words, she wants people to recognize the beauty and value of the natural world. Campbell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at Montana State University in 1993, then pursued a career in environmental advocacy, conservation, and science education while working for organizations such as the Museum of the Rockies, Teton Science School, the Jackson Hole Land Trust, Snake River Institute and Montana Watercourse. Later, she worked in the adventure travel industry, then moved to Utah to help put on the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Film Labs. She moved to Missoula, Montana, to do a Master of Fine Art in Creative Writing at University of Montana, but enlisted instead in the then-new Media Arts program to fulfil her life-long dream of making documentary films. However, she learned far more about filmmaking on the job. Over the last 21 years, as a producer, location scout and manager, researcher and writer, Campbell has worked on dozens of factual films and television series, fiction films, music videos, and commercials. Her credits include productions for Apple, ARTE, BBC, Discovery Network, ITV, Kensington Productions, National Geographic International, NBC, PBS, Tailfeather Productions, Travel Channel, and TVO, as well as various independents. She has worked with notable directors including Lesley Chilcott, Denis Delestrac, Ron Fricke, Davis Guggenheim, and Ian Leese. Concurrent with filmmaking, Campbell began to write for magazines and publish photography. Her work has appeared in AARP, Big Sky Journal, Fly Fisher Magazine, High Country News, HOME, Montana Magazine, New West, Outside Magazine, The Last Best Plates, The Flyfish Journal, and Western Art & Architecture, as well as two books: Montana Americana Music; Boot Stomping in Big Sky Country by Aaron Parrett and The Rolling Bones by Peter Vincent. At one point, Campbell’s love of fly fishing and museums drove her to spend two years nearly single-handedly curating and creating Undaunted Anglers: Fishing with Lewis and Clark for the Federation of Fly Fishers. The 860-square-foot educational exhibit depicted the species of fish first documented for science by Lewis and Clark and the ways in which fish and fishing were integral to the First Nations of the West. The exhibit is now permanently housed at the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitors Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Campbell has been working in climate change since April 2018, utilizing her knowledge of narrative to find ways to foster knowledge through narrative. She has developed methods to engage stakeholders and decision support systems and, for a California client, embraced her passion for soil and agriculture by creating a strategy that address climate change induced food issues by promoting soil health and abundance through what she calls a Terra Scale.
Dr. Catherine Kirkland Dr. Catherine Kirkland is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering with a focus in environmental engineering, associated with the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) and the Energy Research Institute. Catherine works on advanced mineral precipitation strategies to seal leaky wellbores and is also in active collaboration with partners at TU Delft to study the morphology and activity of aerobic granular sludge sampled from full-scale Dutch wastewater treatment plants. She earned a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Montana State University as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She was previously employed for nearly 5 years at Genesis Engineering, Inc where she worked primarily on subdivision plat applications, floodplain and septic permitting, and stormwater design.
Lill Erickson Lill Erickson founded Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) in 1994 to protect the incomparable landscape and way of life of the Northern Rockies, and to do so in ways that strengthens rural economies. Erickson has been WSE executive director since its inception. Erickson’s expertise is in regenerative agriculture and the use of market-based conservation strategies to achieve environmental protection and economic development goals. She specializes in strategies that incentivize agricultural and food service businesses to convert to regenerative and sustainable practices. In addition to fundraising and overall management of the organization, Erickson supervises development and implementation of all WSE program initiatives. In the late 1990s, Erickson served as an advisor to the Western Regional Team of the Natural Resource Committee of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, which crafted a strategy to promote sustainable development in the U.S. Prior to forming WSE, Erickson was caretaker of a cattle ranch bordering Yellowstone National Park. She also worked as an organizer for conservation nonprofits in the West. For over 35 years Erickson has organized citizen participation in conservation issues. Erickson graduated cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor degree in Journalism and minors in environmental studies and biology.
Bryan Vadheim Bryan works at Vivid Economics, a London-based consultancy, where he specialises in using large satellite datasets and climate models to inform agriculture, forest, and water policy around the world. He works regularly with international development organizations, developing country governments, the private sector and investors in order to better understand the implications of, and inform responses to,climate change. A Montana native, Bryan has long been passionate about natural resources, and graduated with honors and degrees in both Chemical Engineering and Economics from Montana State University. As a recipient of a 2013 Marshall Scholarship, Bryan earned graduate degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics and in Climate Change Science and Policy from the University of Bristol.
Dr. Cathy Whitlock Dr. Cathy Whitlock is a Regents Professor in Earth Sciences at Montana State University and a Fellow of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems. She is also the lead author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment. Dr. Whitlock’s research interests include past climate change and paleoecology with a focus on vegetation, fire, and climate history. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her scholarly contributions and leadership activities in the field of past climatic and environmental change, and she has published over 200 reviewed journal articles and book chapters on this topic. She is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018.
Dr. Thomas R. Armstrong Dr. Thomas R. Armstrong is President of the Madison River Group, LLC (MRG) which launched on January 1st, 2015. He is also an Affiliate Faculty Member at Montana State University and a Guest Researcher at the International Association for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria. MRG projects have included the Montana Climate Assessment, several regional and circum-Arctic climate assessments, and climate communications work for Elon Musk (via SpaceX), to name a few. Prior to MRG, Dr. Armstrong served within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Obama administration as the Executive Director of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP); a 13 Agency program with a $2.5 Billion annual budget- the single largest climate change program in the world. Tom was the lead in the development of the USGCRP's new Ten- Year Strategic Plan (2012-2021) and a key player in the Third Quadrennial National Climate Assessment, the President's Climate Action Plan as well as other activities related to the Federal climate change enterprise. He also served as the U.S. Head of Delegation to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, the Chair of Sustaining Arctic Observing Systems (SAON; an international organization focused on the Arctic with more than 40 major countries participating) and the Deputy Director of the Community on Earth Observing Systems (CEOS); a subsidiary of the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS). Before Joining the White House, Tom served as the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Senior Advisor for Climate Change and helped implement Executive Order S.O. 3289 on climate. He also served as the Vice-Chair for Adaptation Science on the White House CENRS Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR; during both the Bush II and Obama Administrations) and was the Principal for DOI to USGCRP. He has also presented classified briefings to intelligence experts regarding past, present and future impacts of climate change on a wide array of National and international security issues. Dr. Armstrong served within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the Executive Director of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP); a 13 agency Federal Program with a $2.5B annual budget. Tom was a key player in the development of the USGCRP's new Ten Year Strategic Plan (2012-2021), the Third Quadrennial National Climate Assessment, the President's Climate Action Plan and a wide array of other Executive Office policies, Executive Orders and other activities related to the Federal climate change enterprise. During his tenure, Tom also served as the U.S. Head of Delegation to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report and helped lead the U.S. government's technical and policy-level reviews of numerous IPCC reports. Before Joining the White House, Tom served as the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Senior Advisor for Climate Change and was a key figure in the implementation of Secretary Salazar's Executive Order on climate change (S.O. 3289), as well as in the development of the Department's climate change-related policies, organizational elements, and budget strategies. He also served as the Vice-Chair for Adaptation Science on the CENRS Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) and was the Principal for DOI to USGCRP. Some of Tom's other responsibilities include serving as the Director’s Senior Advisor for the Global Change Programs at the U.S. Geological Survey, the DOI lead for the World Climate Conference, the United States Head of Delegation for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Chair of the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), Associate to the Chair for development of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) response to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Implementation Plan, a United States delegate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, advisor on DOI's International Polar Year activities, a DOI Principal to the CEQ-OSTP-NOAA Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, and Chair of the Science Committee for DOI's Climate Change Task Force. Tom has also participated in numerous testimonies and briefings to various Congressional Committees and high-level briefings for the White House at various international forums regarding climate change, adaptation, and circum-Arctic activities.
Dr. Tony Hartshorn - description coming soon
Featured businesses and organizations
sustainability comes in all aspects of life
We recognize and appreciate that sustainability, climate awareness, and climate education are not exclusive to the academic sector. As such, we have reached out to and are excited to feature local organizations and businesses devoted to sustainable business practices and climate goals.
Bozeman Bike Kitchen
The Bozeman Bike Kitchen promotes climate friendly transportation means with their motto: “Every butt on a bike!” Additionally, the Bozeman Bike Kitchen helps to refurbish and recycle bicycles.
Bozeman Bike Kitchen’s Advice on how to live a sustainable life: Take a bike instead of a car!
Western SARE
The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE) funds innovative projects driven by partnerships between researchers, farmers, ranchers, and agriculture professionals focused on sustainable agriculture for improved profitability, stewardship, and quality of life for rural communities. The goal of Western SARE is to find ways to protect the environment while enhancing farm income and quality of life through research and education.
Western SARE’s Advice on how to live a sustainable life: Incorporate three principles of agricultural sustainability: Environment, farm income, quality of life.
Student organization spotlight.
Green office program.
The Green Office Program at Montana State University was launched in Fall 2020 by MSU's Office of Sustainability. The program seeks to bring together a network of environmentally conscious campus members, instilling a sense of agency as these individuals learn to assess and reduce their environmental impact on campus. New Green Offices are inducted into the program every semester, consisting of an established workspace where office members commit to implementing specific strategies to address their environmental impacts.
Intersectional Environmentalism Liaisons
We are a team of graduate students that is part of the Inner Mountain Leadership Program, which brings together graduate students at MSU from all disciplines and works towards being better, more inclusive leaders. This semester, each team of graduate students developed projects to implement on campus that are aimed at improving diversity, equity, and inclusion at MSU.
Our group, which consists of Kristen Switzer, Megan Conley and Summer are working on incorporating intersectional environmentalism on campus. We hope to be able to help amplify BIPOC voices in the environmental movement. We are creating liaison positions within the Campus Climate Coalition that would actively work to amplify BICOP voices in the environmental movement on campus and in the community. We would like to propose the liaison positions to MSU and request funding to provide the individual in each position with compensation every semester. We are looking for students who are interested in developing this position further or who have ideas for projects this position could take on.
campus climate coalition
The Campus Climate Coalition (CCC) is a student-led, faculty-supported, and action-oriented group united through values of intersectional justice and aspirations for institutional change. The CCC fosters a welcoming environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds may come together in the shared pursuit of a more just, equitable, and livable future. Climate change is indelibly interconnected with many other pressing issues including racial injustice, social inequality, and environmental degradation. With the acknowledgment of these interconnections, we seek to utilize relationships to build momentum and further bold, concrete action at a systemic level within the Montana University System and beyond.
meet our team
Samantha Hall (Community Coordinator) - "I am a senior studying chemical engineering. I grew up on Camano Island, Washington where I spent my time on the beach or on a boat. I also love to ski, scuba dive, and hike, so if I'm not in class you can find me outside. I am passionate about renewable energy and will be pursuing a master's degree in electrochemical technology after graduating this spring."
Aimee Walsh (Community Coordinator) - "I am a current sophomore studying Industrial and Management Systems Engineering with a minor in Sustainability. I have a passion for conservation and love all things outdoors. When I am not studying, I spend my time riding horses, backpacking, running, hunting, snowboarding, and exploring Montana. Upon completing my undergraduate degree, I hope to go on to study get my Masters in Engineering here at MSU. My goal is to one day work with companies to make their manufacturing more affordable and sustainable!"
Raye Myers (she/her/hers) (Community Coordinator) - "I am currently a second-year Environmental Studies major with a minor in Hispanic Studies. After growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I decided to attend MSU to be close to mountains, fellow nature-lovers, and try out the colder weather. It has been great to be a part of the AIChE Climate Conference team and further the communication of science and research in order to relay the urgency of climate action. Outside of school, I love spending time with friends, reading, practicing yoga, hiking, drinking tea, and filling up on ice cream!"
Nicholas Fitzmaurice (Community Coordinator) - "I'm a sophomore studying Industrial Management and Systems Engineering with a minor in Sustainability Studies. In addition to my work planning this Climate Conference, I work as a student employee at MSU's Office of Sustainability. I grew up in a small mountain community called Mazama, Washington, and in my free time, you'll find me downhill skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, or playing music with friends."
Lauren Potyk (Community Coordinator) - "I am currently a junior majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in water resources. I am originally from Spokane, Washington, and when I am not working on school I enjoy reading, running, nordic skiing, and backcountry skiing. I love living in Bozeman and recreating in the surrounding area, but I am excited to see where my studies will take me. "
Ellen Brooks (Community Coordinator) - "I am currently a senior in Chemical Engineering and am looking to go into biopharmaceutical or environmental research work post graduation. I was bon and raised in Missoula, Montana and am proud to call myself a Bobcat! I have worked in several labs on campus and love to explore both academically and in my free time. When not studying, you can find me cross country skiing, cycling, running, or painting. I consider myself a connoisseur of hot chocolates and am definitely considering a part time career as a crazy cat lady in the future. "
Callista Schoettmer (Chair) - "Hello! I get the privilege of working with highly motivated and interesting people in our community. I am a senior in chemical engineering with a deep passion for community, story telling and glaciers. Outside of school I love painting and teaching art classes!"
Theodore Danielson (Community Coordinator) I am a junior in chemical engineering. I grew up in Saint Leonard, Maryland, and came to MSU to get outside and explore. My weekends are frequently spent hiking in Yellowstone. When not in class, I enjoy backpacking and snowboarding, and during the summers I snorkel and fish in the Florida Keys. I plan to take my engineering degree into the Navy as a nuclear power officer aboard a submarine.