NC State is participating in the effort to tackle environmental issues by hosting a Climate Symposium Aug. 27 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Stewart Theatre in Talley Student Union. The event is free to the public, and representation from Duke, Meredith and UNC-Chapel Hill will also be in attendance.
The topic of this evening’s conversation is the relationship between climate change and agriculture. It is entitled “Climate Smart Agriculture: Innovation and Resiliency.”
There will be seven speakers from both the United States and France, including Ryan Boyles, NC State climatologist and university director of the Southeast Climate Science Center; Virginia Burkett, chief scientist for Climate and Land Use Change of the United States Geological Survey and Olivier Le Gall, deputy director of the French National Institute of Agricultural Research.
NC State was chosen as a site to host the Climate Symposium because of its connection to France through its French Business School, SKEMA, as well as the large French population in the nearby Research Triangle area. The university also stresses the importance of the relationship between agriculture and climate change, according to Megan Landwehr, communication and media specialist for the Office of International Affairs.
David Dixon, manager of global partnerships for the Office of International Affairs, also cited that the Southeast Science and Climate Center and Southeast Regional Climate Hub are located nearby as a reason that NC State was chosen over other institutions to host this talk.
“We always hear that NC State is a preeminent research institution, and I think holding this conference further demonstrates this idea and asserts this identity,” said Jessica Hatcher, a senior studying English education.
It is an honor for NC State to have been chosen, considering this is only the second year of the talks. The French Embassy selected NC State as the site to hold the Climate Symposium, according to Landwehr.
NC State has increased its internationalization efforts in recent years. The university won the Senator Paul Simon Award for Internationalization in 2014 which recognized these advances.
The College of Sciences and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences are supporting the event, according to Landwehr.
“I think it’s great that this talk is free,” Hatcher said. “Making this accessible to everyone is vital to our future because climate change and agriculture are relevant to everyone as we all live on this planet and use natural resources.”
It will be live streamed online and can be accessed at: go.ncsu.edu/facts.
