By Steven Krolak
NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Social Sciences Forum at IU Southeast will present a panel discussion entitled, “Climate change and global warming: Perspectives on the past, present and future of our planet,” on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m. in the IU Southeast Library, third floor.
The discussion will be led by faculty panelists Dr. Quinn Dauer, assistant professor of history and international studies; Dr. Kyle Forinash III, professor of physics; and
Dr. Jane Dailey, professor of public relations.
The panel will explore environmental history, the scientific details of climate change and media coverage of global warming.
Dr. Kyle Forinash III, IU Southeast professor of physics, in the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Chile. Photo courtesy of Dr. Kyle Forinash III.
Dr. Dauer, whose work explores the response of states and societies to disasters, will look at current anthropogenic climate change in the context of past climatic shifts, and discuss their social ramifications.
Dr. Forinash is the author of the book, Foundations of Environmental Physics: understanding energy use and human impacts (Island Press, 2010), a primer for junior-level undergraduates and educated laypersons who wish to understand the physical processes that underlie contemporary discussions about the environment. He will present established and emerging physical data on climate change, and assess various future scenarios.
Dr. Dailey’s work focuses on mass communications, including public relations. Her comments will focus on the social understanding of science, looking in part at the role media and other influential groups play.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The Social Sciences Forum is a committee of faculty from different departments within the School of Social Sciences that plans one educational forum per semester on topics of interest to the campus and the wider community. These events have focused on topics ranging from bullying and the death penalty to happiness and climate change.