“Consumption” was the theme of this year’s 12th annual Frederick Douglass Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Conference, which joined with the Green Campus Initiative in celebration of Earth Day this past Sunday, April 22. The eco-conscious conference was a two day event held in Kehr Union on April 19 and 20, where students, faculty members and three recognized keynote speakers presented PowerPoint Presentations and informative talks pertaining to consumption of natural resources, media and other relevant topics. Many Bloomsburg University students took advantage of the opportunity to practice their presentation skills and educated their audiences about significant issues occurring in our 21st century society.
“This conference offers students the chance to interact with other students outside of their area of study, and also from other universities,” said Dr. Tina Entzminger, Associate Professor of English at BU and one of the main organizers of the conference, about the benefits this event offers students looking to broaden their college experiences and repertoire. The conference is open to all students and volunteer presenters are always welcome. Joining the Bloomsburg student presenters were a student from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a student and faculty member from Kutztown University. Presentation topics covered a wide scope of interests and titles ranged from “Television Consumption Among Children,” to “U.S. Consumption of Fresh Portable Water,” to “High Heels and Sex: How Women’s Consumption of High Heels Relates to Sexual Endeavors.”
Equally as diverse as the student presentations were the main events of the keynote lectures given in the Kehr Union Ballroom. Frederic Joyce, MD for the Climate Change Project, gave his Thursday afternoon lecture on Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” and discussed climate change and how pollution is contributing to changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. On Thursday evening, President of The Ocean Foundation, Mark Spalding, presented “What the Oceans Are Telling Us and Why It Matters,” and enlightened the audience about human consumption of the marine environment and the widespread effects of our careless pollution. Lastly, Justin Hall-Tipping, CEO of Nanoholdings LLC presented “When Normal Isn’t: How Nontechnology Will Change the World,” on Friday afternoon. During this presentation, Hall-Tipping discussed how nanotechnology could potentially help reduce energy consumption and stated, “In the United States, approximately 56 percent of the energy we generate – equivalent to $1.68 trillion – is wasted.”
It is evident that the subject matter presented during this conference concerns issues to which we all should be paying close attention, and the Frederick Douglass Conference offers students the chance to voice their opinions on important topics. If you are interested in presenting at or being involved in this conference for 2013, you can email Betina Entzminger, BU faculty emeritus, at bentzmin@bloomu.edu if any questions pertaining to the conference proceedings and should submit presentations to her to be approved for next year’s event. Take advantage of this academic occasion and get involved on campus in order to educate your peers, increase your professional network and gain some quality presentation experience.
