Paul Smith’s College VIC Announces its Third Annual Lecture Series

Paul Smiths, NY – Paul Smith’s College Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) opens its Fall 2023 lecture series Saturday, October 14, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. with Of Monarchs and Milkweed with Professor Anurag Agrawal, Cornell University.

Dr. Agrawal holds the James Perkins Endowed Chair in Environmental Studies at Cornell University. He obtained both a bachelors (Biology) and masters (Conservation Biology) degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked with the renowned tropical ecologist, Daniel Janzen. In 1999 he earned a PhD in Population Biology from the University of California, Davis. Anurag lectures widely to professionals and the public, and he has won numerous awards including the highest honors from several academic societies focused on biology, plant science, entomology, and ecology. In 2021 he was elected to the US National academy of Sciences. His research melds questions on the ecology and evolution of interactions between wild plants and their insect pests, including aspects of community interactions, chemical ecology, coevolution, and the entire monarch life-cycle. Integrating natural history, bold scientific theories, and interacting with diverse scientists, from students to citizens, is his passion.

The lecture series continues on October 21 with Adam Welz, The End of Eden: Wild Nature in the Age of Climate Breakdown; October 28, Leave No Trace (LNT) Spotlight Lecture, How to Leave No Trace & Reduce Your Waste in the Outdoors and Your Daily Life; and November 4, Jackie Bowen and Rocci Aguirre from the Adirondack Council, VISION 2050 – Redefining the Adirondack Council and Future Advocacy Across the North Country.

The final lecture in the series will be Hotter Planet, Hotter Politics on November 11 with Bill McKibben, the popular author and founder of 350.org and Third act, and his co-lecturer Rev. Lenox Yearwood, Jr., president of Hip Hop Caucus.

All lectures will be held at 3:00 pm in the auditorium at the Frank M. Hutchin’s Lodge at the Paul Smith’s College VIC, 8023 NY-30, Paul Smiths, NY, 12970.  The full schedule can be found at https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/.  The PSC VIC lecture series is sponsored by the Adirondack Council (https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/).

A nature and recreation center, the Paul Smith’s College VIC hosts numerous programs throughout the year. The Frank M. Hutchins Lodge at the VIC is open 7 days a week till October 15 and weekends only until December 1 when it reopens for 7 days a week for winter cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.  Trails are open from dawn to dusk every day all year long.

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences and natural resources. We are able to draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive and adventurous individuals collectively provide experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at paulsmiths.edu »