Hotter summers, extreme weather, shifting garden zones, and agricultural uncertainty—how is climate change affecting Iowa? Come listen and learn with local climate researchers, conduct climate science experiments, and learn how to reduce your environmental impact at the Iowa Climate Festival, Saturday, April 26 at the Museum of Natural History in Iowa City.
The festival is part of a slew of activities on the University of Iowa campus to commemorate Earth Month. (See sidebar)
Hosted by the UI and the Iowa section of the American Chemical Society, the festival features a morning Iowa Climate Symposium (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) with presentations geared towards a general audience. Learn about the basics of climate science and what a changing climate means for Iowa’s agriculture, public health, and water sustainability. Speakers include chemistry professor Vicki Grassian, chemical and bioengineering professor Charles Stanier, civil and environmental engineering professor Jerry Schnoor, Marnie Stein from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Jerry Hatfield from the United States Department of Agriculture and Wanda Reiter-Kintz from the State Hygienic Laboratory. Panel discussions will follow.
Related stories:
Earth Month media advisory.
UI Gears up to celebrate Earth Month 2014.
The Climate Science Fair kicks off in the afternoon. There, curious minds of all ages can learn what makes a gas a greenhouse gas, how clouds form, how particles in the air cool the earth, what your carbon footprint means for the ocean, and more. Explore pre-historic climates with Don Johnson “The Fossil Guy” at 2 p.m.: a 30-minute talk, for elementary students, will be followed by hands-on time with fossils and replicas. Bring your questions for local climate researchers and green chemists, learn how to reduce your environmental impact, and have some ice cream.
All events are free and open to the public. Registration and more details are available here.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend this event, please contact Arthur Kim in advance at 319-335-2010 or arthur-kim@uiowa.edu.