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The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) encourages you
to become a founding member of the Association for Environmental Studies and
Sciences (AESS; http://aess.info <http://aess.info/> ). AESS will provide
an important vehicle for scholarly exchange of research results and teaching
methods in this multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary field.
The formation of AESS marks a milestone in the development of the
environmental field. It will become the primary professional society for
some whose work largely crosses the boundaries of traditional disciplines.
For others, whose work primarily falls within a single discipline, but whose
interests are much broader, it will serve as a secondary home.
NCSE has worked for nearly 20 years to improve the scientific basis for
decisionmaking on environmental issues. We have long recognized that
collaboration and crossing boundaries is essential to solving the critical
environmental challenges facing humanity and other residents of our planet.
We have also recognized that innovative approaches to education are
essential to preparing a literate public and workforce.
In 2000, we formed the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD)
as a professional organization of environmental leaders. Now, we are
pleased to be participating in the formation of a broader organization that
is open to environmental scholars and students from all fields and in all
stages of their career.
Following is a letter of invitation from the Interim Governing Council of
AESS. We hope that you will join us in an opportunity that has the
potential to be personally transformative and assist in the transformation
of society to improved decisions on environmental issues.
AESS INVITATION LETTER
We invite you to become a founding member of the Association for
Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS; http://aess.info
<http://aess.info/> ). Like many of you, we cherish the expansion and
integration of environmental knowledge. AESS facilitates the
interdisciplinary sharing of that knowledge in ways that enhance
professional development of its members and add value and visibility to
their contributions within higher education.
AESS is an independent faculty-and-student-based professional association,
designed to provide its members with the latest information and tools to
create better courses, strengthen research, develop more satisfying careers,
harness the power of a collective voice for the profession, and enjoy each
other's company at national and regional meetings.
We have already established an electronic newsletter, and a flagship journal
is planned for launch in late 2009. Our first annual conference will take
place next year, October 8-11, 2009, in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to
presentation of research reports, roundtables on professional development
and program building, and generous opportunities for community networking,
this upcoming meeting will feature overlapping sessions with the annual
meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Few people have the opportunity to participate in the founding of an
organization that by virtue of its focus and timing is destined to become a
major catalyst for professional development and educational improvement at
the college and university level. Please take a moment to join with us in
this exciting new endeavor, by signing up at http://aess.info, then vote
on-line to accept the initial constitution and bylaws. The cost of
membership for the first year is only $30 ($15 for students). Because AESS
is a community, we ask our members to strengthen the prospects for
collaboration and networking by promoting the Association's early growth. In
particular, we ask that you encourage your friends and colleagues to follow
your lead.
Sincerely,
Members of the AESS Interim Governing Council:
David Blockstein, National Council for Science and the Environment,
Washington, DC
Debra Davidson, University of Alberta, Canada
William Freudenburg (Secretary), University of California, Santa Barbara
David Hassenzahl (Newsletter), University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Monty Hempel (President), University of Redlands, California
Elizabeth Mills (Newsletter), University of Wisconsin, Madison
Greg Mohr (Treasurer), University of California, Santa Barbara
Brenda Nordenstam, Syracuse University, New York
Peter Nowak, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Stephanie Pfirman, Barnard College, Columbia University
James Proctor, Lewis & Clark College, Oregon
Walter Rosenbaum (Journal Editor), University of Florida,Gainesville
Kimberly Smith, Carleton College, Minnesota
Robert Wilkinson, University of California, Santa Barbara
SUPERSTAR INVITATION
Dear XX:
As a key contributor to the study of the environment, I am sure you share my
frustration about the ability to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship and
discourse-which is so critical to environmental decisionmaking-from within
the confines of institutions that are defined by disciplinarity. While
particular institutions have struggled to break out of these molds, one
critical resource we lack is a professional association designed to serve
the needs of environmental scholars and professionals. Until now that is. I
have been involved with several colleagues over the past two years in the
establishment of the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences
(AESS; http://aess.info <http://aess.info/> ).
At last, we now have a collaborative community of scholars and scientists
that connects members to key people, ideas, and tools for creating
environmental knowledge, along with useful applications for society.
Already 250 members strong, our plans for AESS in the upcoming year include
a flagship academic journal, and our first annual conference, tentatively
slated for October 8-11, in Madison Wisconsin.
As with all associations, the groundwork laid down by founding members will
play a significant role in shaping the future direction and ultimate
influence of this collective, and I am sure I don't need to tell you, the
need for stronger, organized, informed voices in environmental education and
politics is great. That is why I am contacting you today. As someone who has
overcome many obstacles in environmental scholarship to become one of the
leading voices in the field, I believe that in your capacity as a founding
member, your constructive influence on the future direction of this new
association will greatly enhance its potential to contribute to improved
environmental research, education, literacy, and ultimately societal
decision-making.
Please join us today, by signing up at http://aess.info <http://aess.info/>
, for an annual membership fee of $30, and mark your calendar for our first
annual meeting next Fall.
Sincerely,
xx
PRESS RELEASE Suitable for e-newsletter announcement
Faculty, students, and education-minded environmental professionals are
encouraged to join the newly formed Association for Environmental Studies
and Sciences (AESS; http://aess.info). The annual membership fee is $30; $15
for students. A major aim of AESS will be to fill an important gap in our
ability to facilitate understanding of environmental science, policy,
management, ethics, and history, by providing a professional association
that supports the identity, collective voice and continuing education of
individuals involved in interdisciplinary environmental research, teaching,
and problem-solving. A quarterly electronic newsletter has already been
established, and a flagship journal will be launched in 2009. The first
annual meeting will take place next year in Madison, Wisconsin (Oct 8- 11,
2009); a call for proposals will be distributed xx..
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