Environmental conference brings big names to campus

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by Peggy Lai

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The fourth Rice Environmental Conference, held Feb. 2-3, concluded with enthusiastic reactions from those who attended.

Students from Rice, other universities and high schools attended the conference as well as members of the general public.

According to Registration and University Attendance Coordinator Felisa Yang, about 180 people attended the Career Fair held on Friday, and 180 people registered for the conference on Saturday.

There was a very strong showing from the Houston environmental community.

"It gave me some new ideas ... [the conference] was very informative and well-prepared," Elizabeth Valera, a third-year student at the Chinquapin School, said.

Amy Hinsky, a post-graduate student at the University of Houston at Clear Lake, said, "I learned a lot from it, that's for sure."

In response to the panel on the "Future of Houston's Development," Rickey Wilson, an environmental investigator for the City of Houston said, "Basically it's good to see the industry come out and try to make a concerted effort. I think the industry can create a lot of magic."

Baker College masters Arthur and Joan Few were impressed with the fact that the conference was entirely organized by students.

"It's covering some very important issues and I'm impressed with the quality of speakers. However, we would have liked to see more Rice students attend," Arthur Few said.

Conference Director Justus Baird (Baker '96) said that although a lot of Rice students attended the TG on Friday, few showed up for the actual conference.

"We were disappointed in the Rice student attendance," Baird said.

"We were disappointed every year. I don't know how we could've made the program more interesting or more directed towards Rice students."

Jennifer Healey, a Hanszen College junior who did attend the conference, said that she came "to be exposed to some ideas and information."

According to Baird, it was not difficult to get speakers, but it was "challenging to find good speakers for free." Thus, most speakers were contacts or friends of the Rice faculty.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's very well organized," said Judith Jacobsen, a speaker and delegate for the United Nations Conference on Population in Cairo.

"There's a lot of opportunities for working in this area," Jacobsen said. "You don't earn a lot of money, but you can feel great about what you've accomplished in the world."

Jack Matson, executive director of the Leonhard Center at Penn State University said, "It's interesting to me that there seemed to be a consensus [during the conference] on going towards zero pollution as a long-term goal. For students considering the environment [as a career], it's where bright people can really make a difference."

The weather deterred some people from attending the conference and prevented the arrival of speaker Mary Kelley, the executive director of the Texas Center for Policy Studies, and a panelist.

The conference was also broadcast on the Internet, using the program CU-SeeMe, by Patricia Reiff, a faculty member of the Space Physics and Astronomy Department.

Highlights from the conference included a speech on tropical deforestation by President Malcolm Gillis, which cited poverty as the major cause of deforestation.

Jacobson's speech, entitled "When Women Have a Say: How Feminism Has Changed the Population Issue," focused on the politics and scholarship of women concerning this issue.

A panel centered around the future of Houston's development was also well received, assembling among others, Director of City Planning for Houston Robert Litke, Kay Crooker from the Houston Planning Commission, Friendswood Development Company President John Walsh and Assistant General Manager of the METRO John Sedlack, to respond to questions from the audience.

This item appeared in the News section of the February 9, 1996 issue.

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