The Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium

Hal Borns

The Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium is an annual event that features presentations and discussion by Climate Change Institute graduate students and faculty on emerging research and topics related to global environmental change.

2024 Borns Symposium

The 31th Annual Harold W. Borns, Jr. Symposium will be held on April 10-11, 2024 at the Harold W. Borns, Jr. Polar Facility, Room 300 Bryand Global Sciences Center, University of Maine. 

David Clayton Smith Lecture

April 10, 2024 – 4:30 PM

Taking Stock of Climate Progress at the COP: Challenges and Opportunities in International Climate Governance 

Cindy Isenhour, Professor of Anthropology & Climate Change, and Nicholas Micinski, Assistant Professor of Political Science & International Affairs.

Abstract: Delegations from around the world converge at the Conference of Parties (COP) every year to negotiate on how to address climate change. Now in its 28th year, the UN climate negotiations have faced some major successes, along with many persistent challenges. In this lecture, Isenhour and Micniski will take stock of the negotiations and achievements–including the Global Stocktake, Loss & Damage, climate finance, and climate migration–as well as report on their recent UMaine delegation to COP28 in Dubai, UAE.

 

Invited University of Maine Alumnus Lecture

April 11, 2024 – 2:15 PM

Mathematics, Engineering, Geology, Oceanography, Quaternary Studies, Climate Change, Sustainability: Taking Advantage of Life’s Myriad Opportunities 

Daniel Dixon, Sustainability Director & Research Associate Professor.

Abstract: Following a brief overview of my early journey that led me to arrive at UMaine’s Institute for Quaternary Studies, I will highlight a few of the 17 cutting-edge Climate Change Institute ice core research expeditions that I have been privileged to be involved in. These expeditions include five United States International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition traverses and ice core drilling efforts in Alaska, the island of South Georgia, the New Zealand Southern Alps, Patagonia, Chile, and Peru. I will finish up by presenting some of my more recent climate action efforts as UMaine’s Sustainability Director. These include delivering an updated UMaine Climate Action Plan for presidential review; working with the President and CBO to secure $2.4 Million for campus LED lighting upgrades; developing a Strategic Energy and Infrastructure Plan in collaboration with VPFA/CBO and Facilities Management Leadership;  work on UMaine Energy Center design as a core member of the UMaine Energy Team; co-founding the UMS Carbon Commitment Committee and establishing an Enterprise Energy Efficiency fund; assisting State of Maine climate action efforts via the Maine Climate Council Buildings, Infrastructure and Housing Working Group; development of a set of regional climate resilience toolkits with the Penobscot Climate Action Core Project Team; partnering with Campus Compact and Americorps on local community and campus climate change mitigation efforts; and managing the editorial board of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability.
 

Additional information regarding program schedule will be available at a later date.