SES in the Media

Peter has just recently retired from SES. Please see below his talks about AgroGeology.

check the video in: http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/ or: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z4e2UYD4Y0oy

A case study of how to design a zero-carbon, net-zero-energy home: Integration of subsystems to make a working house. 
Abstract
Our modern economy is very dependent on energy derived mostly from carbon-based sources. The future availability of fossil fuels is expected to decrease and traditional energy sources will become more expensive. Hence there is an urgent need to implement new ways to provide carbon-free energy sources for  buildings, transportation and factories. Mel Tyree will present a talk about his personal experiences in designing, building and owning a home located in Ellenburg, NY, that uses no carbon-based energy
sources—neither bio-fuels nor fossil-fuels.  This house, completed in Jan 2008, cost $65,000 extra to build but will save $165,000 in energy costs over the first 20 years of operation. Measured data on the performance of the house will be presented.
Brief Bio
Mel Tyree is a research scientist in biophysics who used his scientific skills to design his own sustainable  home in Ellenburg, NY. He has a BA from Pomona College and PhD from Cambridge University.

SES Professor, Dr Len Ritter, named chair of independent fact-finding panel

Dr. Leonard Ritter will lead the Independent Fact-Finding Panel announced by Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey to look into the application of 2,4,5-T herbicide by Ontario ministries and agencies in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and possibly the 80s.

 
University Press Release
OMNR Press Release
CTV Story

Scientists and policy-makers hoping to use forests to naturally soak up increasing amounts of carbon dioxide may have overestimated the role of trees as carbon sinks, according to a new study by University of Guelph researchers.

Contrary to expectations, tree growth has declined over the past century despite rising amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere, said Madhur Anand, a professor in Guelph's School of Environmental Sciences. Along with PhD students Lucas Silva and Mark Leithead, she co-authored a paper that appeared in the July issue of PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed international journal published by the Public Library of Science. It was also featured by the journal as a “pick of the month.”

Read the entire press release here.

Some media coverage:

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/08/16/study-questions-forests-effectiveness-storing-carbon
http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/Local/article/676362

The July 2010 monthly prize for the best blog post covering PLoS ONE articles was awarded for coverage the article Recent Widespread Tree Growth Decline Despite Increasing Atmospheric CO2 published recently by SES graduate students Lucas Silva and Mark Leithead and professor Madhur Anand.

The announcement of the prize here:
http://everyone.plos.org/2010/08/01/blog-pick-of-the-month-july-2010/
and Hannah's blog post here:
http://culturingscience.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/canopy-height/

SES Professor Jack Trevors was recent elected to membership in the European Academy of Sciences.  The European Academy of Sciences and Arts was founded in 1990 by Prof. Felix Unger, Cardinal Franz König and Prof. Nikolaus Lobkowicz, prominent figures in their fields. The Academy focuses on interdisciplinary discussion across specialist areas, ideologies and scientific cultures as well as promoting transnational dialog and visionary developments of new scientific knowledge and academic thinking.

As an “independent knowledge pool”, the Academy aims “to debate and work on contemporary topics across disciplinary and national borders, for the good of those living and working in Europe”. The uniqueness of the Academy of Sciences and Arts lies in its ability to work across boundaries for the aesthetics of science. The European Academy of Sciences and Arts now brings together over 1200 scientists and researchers, philosophers and artists from Europe, Asia and the USA, including 25 Nobel Prize winners. This has resulted in a networked ‘think tank’ on ethical and scientific values in a society that is increasingly fragmented. The European Academy of Sciences and Arts, based in Salzburg, focuses on three core areas, namely developing knowledge, disseminating scientific information and implementing major multi-national projects.