Hanover College: Rivers Institute: Media and Science Conference Schedule

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Friday, February 26, 2010

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Registration
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.	Welcome
9:15 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.	Keynote Speakers
	`Alan Vicory, Executive Director of the Ohio River Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) discusses The Ohio River Valley: Vital Resources, Vibrant Rivers. Abundant fresh water is arguably the Ohio Valley’s greatest asset. Also abundant are the challenges in its management and protection for today’s and future generations. Mr. Vicory will overview the “lay of the water” and offer observations to media and water professionals in working together to achieve mutual effectiveness.`
	Marcia Alvar, Manager, Station-Based Projects, NPR Local News Initiative discusses A Vigilant Curiosity About the World. As local news outlets continue to shrink and the media space between national and hyper-local coverage widens, NPR stations have a growing opportunity to deepen their coverage of local and regional news. New collaborations and groundbreaking research conducted by NPR’s Local News Initiative illuminate both the promise and the pitfalls as we work to produce the kind of news and information coverage our audience most values.
10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.	Break
IN DEPTH LOOK AT CHALLENGES
11:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.	`The Watershed Jerry Schulte, Manager of Source Water Protection & Emergency Response, ORSANCO`
11:50 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.	Lunch
12:45 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.	`The Airshed Lauren Anderson, Executive Director, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District`
1:30 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.	`Biodiversity Dr. Chris Lorentz, Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Ohio River Research and Education, Thomas More College`
2:15 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.	`Industry & Development Dr. Wesley W. Wilson, Professor, University of Oregon`
3:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.	Break
STUDENT/SCIENTIST RESEARCH PROJECTS `(choose from several panels and presentations)`
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Research Projects Session I
`Behavior of Crawfish Frogs ~ Andrew Hoffman` `Environmental News of Bioregional Communities ~ David Poulson` `Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in the Ohio River Basin ~ Charles Somerville` `Developing Reintroduction Guidelines for Endangered Turtles ~ Omar Attum`
4:10 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.	Research Projects Session II
`Responses of Salamanders to Environmental Vibration ~ Marie Damron` `The Ohio River Ecological Research Program ~ Dr. Doug Dixon` `BioBlitz “Citizen Scientist” ~ Dr. Daryl Karns` `Conserving Soils and Ecosystem Services ~ Dr. Margaret Carreiro`
4:50 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.	Research Projects Session III
`Impacts of Surface Mining and Coal Extraction ~ Maranda Elswick` `Ion Exchange Material Absorption of Heavy Metals ~ Alberto Lubrano & Morgan Mills` `Carnivorous Bladderworts ~ Doug Darnowski` `Climate change & Invasive Species Impact ~ Allison Smith` `Grass Invader Reduces Biodiversity and Alters Ecosystem Functions~ S. Luke Flory`
6:00 p.m.	Optional Community Forum `(Louisville Science Center)`

Saturday, February 27, 2010

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.	Schedule Overview
9:20 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.	Promising—and Not So Promising—Trends in Regional Environmental Coverage Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review, covers science coverage for the CJR. With his 10,000 foot view, he’s trained his eye on the kind of coverage environment and science stories have received in the Ohio River Valley. What gets covered? What gets shunned? What’s been hyped? What’s been given little air time or few column inches? What are regional media outlets getting right, and getting wrong? Whether you’re a researcher or a reporter, you’ll want to learn about the trends Curtis uncovers. You might see an opportunity for coverage, or a misconception to set straight.
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Reporters Roundtable: Regional Environmental Stories We’re Following `Hear from regional environmental reporters, Jim Bruggers, Louisville Courier-Journal and Cynthia Berger, WPSU in College Station, PA, about the stories they’re following long term, the stories they want to cover but never seem to have the time, and the stories they believe have strong regional interest. Researchers are encouraged to ask questions about reporters’ coverage choices. Moderator: Kristin Espeland Gourlay, WFPL News`
10:55 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.	Break
WORKSHOPS: WORKING WITH THE MEDIA
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.	How to Work with Journalists Researchers, learn from veteran environment reporter, Mark Neuzil, Minnpost.com and the University of St. Thomas, about what the media want, how to approach a reporter about your work, and how to handle interviews, for print or broadcast. Drawing media attention to your work—and knowing what to do with it once you’ve got it—can not only help communicate the broader impacts of your research to the public, but also show potential funders and your institution you're serious about public engagement.
	How to Talk to Scientists `Reporters, whether you’re a pro or a newbie, let Robert Wyss, University of Connecticut, author of “Covering the Environment: How Journalists Work the Green Beat” (Routledge, 2007), 35 years in environmental journalism guide your approach to interviewing scientists. From interview techniques, to finding the right sources, to boiling down scientific lingo, you’ll learn how to be a more effective interpreter of what happens in the lab and field and why it matters to your audience.`
	Missed Opportunities and Connections: Underreported Stories and Untapped Sources Dr. Robert Kingsolver, Bellarmine University Center for Regional Environmental Studies; Tom Fitzgerald, Kentucky Resources Council; Dr. Chris Lorentz, Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Ohio River Research and Education, Thomas More College Open to all participants, this panel will explore environmental and science trends in the region that matter but seem to slip under the news media’s radar. What stories seem too complicated, too uncertain to tell, until you start talking to the right people? Why are some environmental issues in the Ohio River Valley always in the spotlight, and what deserves to be there? As reporters, are we missing stories that might matter to our audience? And as researchers and advocates, are we missing opportunities to interest reporters in our work?
12:10 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.	Lunch
1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Final Panel and Q&A: Workshop Leaders Reflect on the Way Forward for (Regional) Environmental Journalism Conference presenters, Marcia Alvar, NPR’s Local Journalism Initiative; Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review; Bob Wyss, University of Connecticut; Mark Neuzil, University of St. Thomas, report on their workshop and panel experiences, and reflect on the future of environmental journalism—especially regional environment journalism. With news media shrinking and consolidating, how can reporters and editors keep the important environment and science stories front and center? How can researchers help ensure that coverage is strong and relevant?

AFTER THE CONFERENCE…
If time and resources allow you to spend an afternoon or another evening in Louisville, here are some events and recommendations you may want to explore:

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