FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus explores threats to Florida’s environment


Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus will launch a lecture series next fall on environmental issues ranging from suburban sprawl to spirituality.

The lecture series, titled “The South Florida Coast: New Horizons in Science and the Humanities,” is funded by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Its goals are to initiate a dialogue among scholars, students, and the community about how to approach some of the state’s most vexing environmental problems.

Lectures will include: “Losing It All to Sprawl”, “Spirituality Goes Green: Scientific and Spiritual Approaches to Global Warming”, and “An Alligator Eating its Own Tail: Florida in the 21st Century”.

The grant supports a growing environmental consciousness on the Biscayne Bay Campus and complements related research.

“This lecture series is another example of our commitment to increasing environmental awareness,” said FIU Vice Provost Damian Fernandez, who oversees the campus. “Our location on the bay presents the perfect opportunity for dialogues on the environment, sustainability and ecological citizenship.”

The City of North Miami will co-sponsor the lecture series, its latest demonstration of support for the Biscayne Bay Campus. Under the direction of North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns the city co-sponsored the campus’s 30th anniversary luncheon and members of the North Miami City Council helped organize a series of events promoting the Campus.

“We have a responsibility to educate Florida residents about the implications of varied environmental threats and motivate future leaders to try to dissipate their impact,” said North Miami City Councilman Michael Blynn.

The Florida Humanities Council is an independent, non-profit organization and is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each year, FHC funds hundreds of public programs throughout the state that explore Florida’s history, folklore, environment, literature, music, and art.

For more information about the lecture series, contact Rebecca Dinar at 305-919-5700 or email rdinar@fiu.edu.

For more information about FHC grants, contact Susan Lockwood, Grants Director at 727-873-2011 or email slockwood@flahum.org.

—FIU—

Media Contact
Rebecca Dinar, 305-919-5700 or rdinar@fiu.edu

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