Lizzie Wright did. She has a habit of educating through song. And have you heard of Cicada Summer? It’s an entire album about cicadas. Yes, the insects. Wright did a track for that, too (her favorite line: “It’s been 13 years or so since you sang for me. not that long ago since your sound was inside me”).

As an artist doing graduate studies in forestry and entomology, she’s more prone to think of the bugs as endearing, eager teenagers rather than freaky, red-eyed pests. Now, her organization has helped usher a new brood of artists-turned-scientists-turned-artists to the University of Missouri. Or at least created some collaborative pair bonds.

SCAPE project poster. Photo by Lizzie Wright.

Many scientists feel differently about their subjects than the general public, but often aren’t taught how to communicate these ideas. Cue the SCAPE project (Science Communication and Public Engagement). In addition to getting trained by writers and professors interested in communicating with policy makers, the SCAPE members — all graduate students in the sciences — have paired up with graduate students in the arts to create art based on their research. Their findings will be revealed in “The Art of Science,” which takes place at Mizzou this Friday, May 10. It will likely be a welcome respite from this penultimate week of the semester.

What to expect:

• Classics by Lizzie Wright on cicadas, taiga biomes and robots are all covered, as well as “Sycamore Tree,” “Long Leaf Pine Tree,” and a song called, “Us,” about a girl observing trees’ similarity.
• Poetry by Walter Bargen about Mark Carlson’s work on Hinkson Creek hydrology and history.
• Installation with artist Miranda Lee and scientist Hallie Thompson, using mostly tools used in the field to create the installation cubes.
• Matt Rahmer’s doing a photo series from working with a chemist who studies Alzheimer’s disease.

SCAPE invites the MU community to join them for a reception in the Mcquinn Atrium of the Bond Life Sciences Center on campus from 6-8 p.m. for “a night of science, art, music, poetry and a periodic table of cupcakes.” RSVP on Facebook.

Do you admire a colleague, staff member, student or professor for their work on the environment? Now is the time to honor them with the first-ever EASC Awards.

Click here for the nomination form.

The award categories follow the University of Missouri’s four values:

• Respect: for those who persistently show respect for natural resources
• Responsibility: for improving a specific environmental issue on campus
• Discovery: for new research related to the environment, conservation or sustainability
• Excellence: for overall excellence in promoting environmental affairs at the University of Missouri

Who is eligible?

• All awards are open to departments, organizations, faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
• The EASC is happy to honor ongoing work, but we ask that the nominee has been active in their leadership during the past academic year.

Winners will be recognized by the EASC through a certificate, public recognition and a gift. In the future, other prizes may be awarded. There may be more than one winner per category.

The nomination form is simple; only two to three questions per nominee.

Please forward this information to others in your department, organization and community. We want to hear about all the great environmental and sustainability efforts going on around campus!

Deadline to apply has been extended to Monday, May 6 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced by Monday, May 13.

A little background

As a conglomeration of students, faculty and staff, the members of the Environmental Affairs and Sustainability Committee are in a unique position to sponsor and promote this award. The awards subcommittee reflects this diversity: Dr. Dan Cohen, assistant teaching professor of religion; Rachel Brekhus, humanities reference librarian; Alicia LaVaute, Sustainability Office administration assistant; Tina Casagrand, senior journalism undergrad; and Laura Hendricksen, junior Spanish major.

This is the first year the EASC awards are being offered. In the future, they hope to offer more tangible rewards, but patience, young grasshoppers. Isn’t it enough to get recognized?

For questions, please contact EASC Secretary Tina Casagrand at kacz82@mail.missouri.edu.

Please invite your friends to these events, and while you’re there, thank a volunteer!

The Sustain Mizzou executive board started Mizzou Sustainability Week last year. It featured events such as an E-Waste Drive, Fresh Beets Benefit Concert, picnic on Lowry Mall, transportation fair, and keynote about dumpster diving.

A culmination of a lifelong pastime, at age 56, Moreland will embark on a solo journey from the headwaters of the Missouri River to the confluence with the Mississippi river – solo, via kayak.

Moreland always has a smile on her face. Photo from her blog.

Just around the corner

Moreland explored the rivers of southern Missouri for a few years in the mid-‘90s then moved to Columbia, eventually moving not far from Cooper’s Landing on the Missouri River. She spent her first few years adjusting to the community; five years passed before she discovered the Missouri River was no more than ten minutes away. With that revelation, Moreland went to the Alpine Shop and bought two kayaks in 2001. That purchase signified to her that Columbia was home.

With the kayaks purchased, Moreland confided to the salesperson their intended use on the Missouri River. She remembers the salesperson remarking that the sale would not have happened with that knowledge. Moreland, who once lived in Yosemite, busts the myth that the Missouri River is dangerous with a laugh. “It’s my lazy river,” she says.

The Big Muddy does not scare her. She remembers once losing a paddle during a kayak race, and without pause she backpedaled with her hands to retrieve the floating paddle. “I like a challenge,” Moreland says. If she completes this spring’s trip down the Missouri, Moreland will be the first woman to paddle the Missouri River solo.

Missouri River Relief is hosting a benefit concert for Janet tonight at Mojo’s.

Motivated by future generations

This feat is not just self-serving for Moreland. A recent graduate of University of Missouri’s School of Education, she plans to use her trip as a teaching tool to her future students. She hopes to teach science and/or social studies at a local middle school and incorporate lesson plans on the Missouri River into her curriculum. Just before our interview, Moreland had attended a job fair. She hopes to land a teaching position before she leaves so that she can tailor lesson plans to certain subjects and ages of her future students.

The history of Native American habitation along the river, French exploration of North America, early pioneer hunting and trapping, Lewis and Clark’s voyage, the steamboat era and the Army Corps of Engineers dredging and damming of the river will all be incorporated into Moreland’s teaching. “There is so much untold history to teach our children,” Moreland says, especially referring to Native American history, for which she has a soft spot. In July she will stop at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota for a 2-day education event.

Moreland plans two books to interpret her trip: one full of lesson plans and the other a memoir. She will closely study the wildlife at the source area of the Missouri River, where there are several lakes – the largest 230 miles long, and take weather samples.

Above all, Moreland will focus on teaching about stewardship of the Missouri River through lessons on watershed management and water quality. She actively promotes the nonprofit Missouri River Relief through her blog and will continue to do so on her journey. “There’s some sustainability issues that need to be addressed,” Moreland says. She does not want the Missouri to one day have the same fate as the Colorado River, which no longer flows into the ocean because of human interference.

If she does not get a teaching position for the fall, Moreland entertains the idea of continuing her paddle to the Gulf of Mexico, via the Mississippi River. She is not scared of running out of steam; endurance is not an issue for her. Among the many provisions on Moreland’s list, she hopes to construct a terrarium that will hold sprouts of leafy greens so that she can pluck fresh lettuce and spinach at her heart’s desire. Sponsors such as the Alpine Shop and Walt’s Bike Shop have given her gear. She will have a solar charger for her laptop and cell phone, and her kayak already made the trip down the Big Muddy once before. It is the same kayak that Australian man Bob Bellingham took down the Missouri River last summer.

Community support is vital to Janet’s successful voyage. See below for online donations and a benefit concert.

Music and fundraiser tonight

The Riverbillies are coming to town and you’re invited!!!  Please join us for a rockin’ send off and fundraiser for our inspiring, adventure-seeking friend Janet Moreland, as she prepares to embark on a 2600-mile kayaking expedition down the Missouri River as the first WOMAN to ever paddle the entire length of the river solo, from “source to sea”!

A “Love Your Big Muddy Blues Benefit” will be held at Mojo’s on Wednesday, March 27^th from 5-9 pm.  A $10 donation is requested at the door, and there will be a raffle full of awesome prizes, not to mention a Charlie Brown Boogie Down dance-off competition.  Local blues musicians John D’Agostino, Scott McCullough, Dennis Ternamian, Dave Bandy, Steve Andsager and the power Debbie D among others will come together to celebrate and raise awareness about Janet’s trip of a lifetime.

One Woman, One River, 2600 Miles

EVENT DETAILS:

Date:  Wednesday, March 27^th

Time:  5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location: Mojos, 1013 Park Ave. Columbia, MO 65201

Donation: $10 at the door.

Event Page:  http://www.facebook.com/events/427915293960865/

Donate Online: http://www.gofundme.com/loveyourbigmuddy

What can you do in the dark? Plenty! Here are nine suggestions from Inhabitat to get you started.

Who funds the green roof?

The Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee (SFCIC) awards a maximum of $275,000 annually for equipment or renovations that benefit future MU students. Ben is president of Environmental Science Club and an active member of Sustain Mizzou. He presented this plan to the SFCIC, which graciously approved $27,000.

Additionally, Mizzou Advantage supplied $1,100 for an engineer to determine the roof holding capacity of Rollins Dining Hall in April 2012. Campus Facilities contracted Bob D. Campbell Structural Engineers from Kansas City, MO to conduct a review of the building’s structural integrity.

According to Ben’s documents, the Sustainability Office is also willing to contribute up to $3,000 toward the green roof irrigation system. Campus Dining and Campus Facilities have not made such financial commitments at this time.

Rollins residence and dining hall is the area slated for the green roof. It already features many sustainability components, including high-capacity bike racks, a rain garden, white roofs and porous pavement.

Where does the money go?

What’s next?

• Establish a final meeting with the stakeholders and confirm project approval
• Determine an installation date and purchase the materials
• Get the media involved and create awareness

The SFCIC grant will fund the construction of a green roof on Sector 1. The entire roof will be complete if additional funding can be found.

This is on top of a year’s worth of work, in which Ben worked with Sustain Mizzou and the Environmental Science club to:

• Find a sponsoring student organization
• Find a University employee that knows the approval process
• Research and networking
• Meet with Campus Dining (who owns the building)
• Meet with Campus Facilities (who deals with structural maintenance)
• Apply for the first round of grants
• Conduct a structural study by contracting an engineer (determine maximum pounds per square foot)
• Explore outside funding sources
• Find professors who can confirm a need for a green roof system
• Apply for the second round of grants
• Receive grant funding and communicate the message to all stakeholders
• Complete a permission request form (PRF) with Campus Facilities

If you have more questions for Ben, contact him at bgkxw7[at]mail.missouri.edu.

Drone Project member Brendan Gibbons on a practice flight with project drone Tiger-1. Photo by Cade Cleavlin

The MU Drone Journalism Program is one of the newest projects at MU, launched jointly by KBIA-FM, the Missouri School of Journalism and the MU Department of IT, using drones as specialized tools for news applications.

The program took off just this year, inspired by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Drone Journalism Lab, which was established in November of 2011.

Bill Allen, professor in the MU Science and Agricultural Journalism program, worked with KBIA content director Scott Pham, who obtained a grant to fund the project. Matthew Dickinson, professor in the IT program at MU, leads a team of engineering students responsible for developing drone systems useable in a news environment, and helping reporters with “flight training”.

As a whole, the project seeks to do with a reporter and remote control what was once only possible with jet fuel and a licensed pilot. Rather than a gimmicky news toy, we hope to prove that aerial footage is feasible for even small organizations, and can add legitimate value to coverage of broad topics like natural resources.

The project is exciting, controversial and a lot of fun, and overall defined by the industrious spirit of a few people to take existing technology, reshape it a little and use it to pioneer a novel application.

What’s in a name?

The project has already encountered issues of nomenclature. The term “drone” is fixed to concepts of surveillance and counter insurgency, but in reality there is yet no good definition for the $600 hobby crafts we’ve put cameras on.

Does a remote-controlled quadcopter (we’ve been toying with the term “J-Bot”) qualify as a drone? Maybe in some sense. But “drone” implies autonomy, persistence and cold indifference, and we are neither interested nor capable of that.

The technology we use is off-the-shelf, operated by standard R/C controllers. The whole system is available to any consumer, ready to fly, for no more than the cost of a DSLR – well within the operating budget of any hobbyist, professional photographer or newsroom.

In our case, the experimental side is the realm of our IT partners, who have the experience to modify the flight controllers and develop a system that is optimized and specific for use in journalism. First and foremost, we are nothing more or less than a team of reporters, trying to find ways to use a new tool to cover difficult terrain.

Legal-unease

One of the challenges we encountered almost immediately is promoting a professional, journalistic image with our use of the drones. When the media first picked up on the project, the reaction was swift and disapproving; “We need to crack down on these amateur reporters who are doing their best to skirt privacy laws and spy on law-abiding citizens,” or some similar sentiment.

While we haven’t earned this reputation, those concerns aren’t completely unfounded. A need does exist need to hold the media accountable for the information they distribute, as well as the techniques they use to gather it.

Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in the Missouri legislature to limit “information gathering by means of aerial equipment”, which we’re watching with keen interest, but privacy laws already exist that protect citizens from being photographed or (dare I say it?) spied on by the media. The only limit we can – or want – to push with drone journalism is the ability to deliver hard-to-get perspectives on subjects that are often difficult to get a good grasp of from the ground.

What’s possible

Many of the world’s most powerful nature photographs were achieved through aerial imaging. The technology is there, and the concept of illustrating the vastness and complexity of ecosystems has already proven effective. One great photograph can alter a reader’s whole perspective, but the problem now is justifying the expense. Jet fuel, news helicopters and helicopter crews aren’t so accessible to cash-strapped news organizations.

What if, through the use of drones, we could prove that cost is no longer an issue? Organizations would have a new approach to survey their own land, news outlets could deliver better perspectives on their local environments, and the public would have more opportunities to appreciate the (almost) immeasurable complexity of their own natural surroundings.

Take a moment and consider what society has already gained from visual documentation of its natural resources, and reflect on what avenues we’ve yet to explore. Imagine what you’d find in terrain reporters couldn’t otherwise traverse. Imagine the possibilities of more precise conservation efforts, better mapping of changes in the landscape, greater accountability against environmental exploitation, and a broader understanding of one’s own natural surroundings, all made possible by a simple camera on a simple craft that’s readily available for the public to mobilize. Imagine the possibilities.

Imagine what you’d see.

Cade Cleavelin is a junior in the MU Science and Agricultural Journalism Program, and a member of the Drone Journalism Project.

If you see people dressed as bacon and eggs (or peapods, peppers or apples) this week on Speaker’s Circle or at Memorial Union, give them some cash! All proceeds go straight to local farmers in exchange for fresh produce for Tiger Pantry.

For the first time ever, Sustain Mizzou’s local food drive specifically benefits the MU community. As always, volunteers will dress up as fruits and vegetables on Speaker’s Circle and Memorial Union. Why? To cheer on people who donate to the cause! 100 percent of the money buys fresh food from nearby farmers.

Historically, project coordinators have sent the produce to the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri. Now, with new standards allowing fresh produce, Tiger Pantry will accept the Local Food Drive’s donations.

Think the MU campus doesn’t have a food insecurity problem? Think again.

• 15,000+ students on need based aid
• 6,000+ students that are recipients of pell grants
• 1,000+ students that have an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) between $0-$1,000
• Nearly 20 students reported that they were homeless Spring 2012
• Members of our large international student population sometimes struggle financially for many reasons
• Many staff members are paid at or below the poverty level and have to support families
• Some graduate students are paid extremely low stipends and have to support families

If you know someone who might benefit from Tiger Pantry, share this information with them. And if you have a loose change jar, empty it out on Speaker’s Circle or in front of Memorial Union all week.

The 2013 poster for the LFD touts the project’s mission to “Nourish our community and support local farmers.”

PS – While most films have no reserve tickets left, you can still stand in line for tickets an hour before the film starts (see “How to Festival”).

1. For the animal lover

Blackfish asks us to think about how we treat wild animals, with the horrifying true story of Tilikum, a killer whale, who kills three people at Sea World.

Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite; 2013; 82 min.
Friday, Mar 1 / 12:30PM / The Globe
Saturday, Mar 2 / 10:30AM / Missouri Theatre
Saturday, Mar 2 / 10:00PM / Forrest Theater

2. For the energy activist

Pandora’s Promise will change the way you perceive nuclear energy, demystifying the actual risks of the energy source and suggesting how it could be the saviour of our modern way of life on earth.

Dir. Robert Stone; 2013; 87 min.
Friday, Mar 1 / 5:00PM / The Picturehouse
Saturday, Mar 2 / 10:00AM / Forrest Theater
Sunday, Mar 3 / 10:00AM / Forrest Theater

3. For the farmer

This film is so new it doesn’t even have a trailer yet. Photo from http://www.the-mooman.co.uk/

Dir. Andy Heathcote; 2013; 98 min.
Friday, Mar 1 / 12:00PM / Forrest Theater
Saturday, Mar 2 / 3:30PM / The Globe
Sunday, Mar 3 / 10:30AM / Jesse Auditorium

4. For the sushi eater

Leviathan: Promising an immersive sensory experience unlike any other documentary of its kind, a Harvard director explores the commercial fishing industry aboard a North Atlantic trawler in a documentary that predictably will aim to curb fish consumption.

Dir. Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel; 2012; 87 min.
Saturday, Mar 2 / 5:30PM / Big Ragtag
Sunday, Mar 3 / 3:30PM / The Blue Note

5. For the adventurer

The people of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I have to imagine, enjoy their solitude and near perpetual coldness — but they seem to love their snowmobile racing, and the allure of yet-untold, complex, and emotional stories is strong with Northern Light!

Dir. Nick Bentgen; 2013; 104 min.
Friday, Mar 1 / 2:30PM / Big Ragtag
Saturday, Mar 2 / 1:00PM / The Globe
Sunday, Mar 3 / 12:30PM / Little Ragtag

6. For the cowboy

With stunning cinematography, Sweetgrass will make you feel like you’re in Montana, part of a sheep flock, with the best view of mountains and ghost towns you’ll ever have in your life.

Dir. Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Ilisa Barbash; 2009; 101 min.
Sunday, Mar 3 / 1:00PM / Big Ragtag

7. For the anthropologist

As environmentalists, we often lament cultures deemed “lost” to modern civilization. Village at the End of the World challenges this idea with a portrait of a remote Greenland village in the middle of change.

Dir. Sarah Gavron; 2012; 76 min.
Thursday, Feb 28 / 4:30PM / Forrest Theater
Saturday, Mar 2 / 3:30PM / Missouri Theatre
Sunday, Mar 3 / 10:30AM / Big Ragtag

Ben Datema, head of the Environmental Leadership Office, goes over the specs of the new bikes at the Bikeshare launch in August. Photo by Emmie Harcourt.

If you ever find yourself wishing you had a bike for an afternoon ride on the MKT trail or a downtown grocery run, there’s already a great, free solution – the Mizzou BikeShare program, launched this semester by the Missouri Students Association and the Sustainability Office.

The pilot program at the MU Student Center offered 20 bikes for free checkout by MU students. Even without advertising, the early reception has been outstanding. The Student Unions have logged more than 250 signed waivers and 1,000 checkouts, according to a Maneater article. Since its late-August launch, the program has operated at 90% of capacity, and is planning to double the number of bikes available.

A survey has been sent out to all those who participated in the pilot to gather usage and demographic data. James Jordan, Sustainability Coordinator for the Residence Halls Association, says he expects the results to confirm the trends they’ve already noticed. So far, the bikes have proven especially popular among international students, who often borrow them on weekdays for groceries, errands, and other tasks. Weekend bikers tend to represent a different crowd, mostly locals setting out for a day on the MKT trail.

Jordan says the checked-out bikes are a cheaper, safer, and more convenient alternative for exchange students and others who usually buy bikes from surplus auctions. With BikeShare, the students don’t have to worry about buying or selling their bikes, and the BikeShare bikes are maintained in safe condition.

In the future, BikeShare organizers would like to see another spot from which bikes can be checked out, possibly a dorm further from the center of campus. Another improvement they’re considering is adding lights to the bikes for safer night-time use, and possibly expanding the program to groups beyond MU.

Since winter conditions will reduce bike demand (and increase wear-and-tear on bikes left in the rack), the program plans to store 2/3s of its bikes through the winter months, then reopen fully in March. As we all know, however, winter in Missouri is highly unpredictable; the next warm winter day could be a perfect chance to borrow a bike yourself!