April 26-27, 2019 Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY
Vassar College is pleased to announce our first Student Research Conferences on Asia and the Environment. Our neighbor Bard College has organized several highly successful annual conferences in the past and we hope to continue their success by keeping the conference in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
Undergraduate and graduate students engaged in research related to Asia and the environment are invited to submit posters and papers for presentation at this conference. Please see the CFP below for details.
Call for Papers
Asia is home to over 60% of the world population and is facing many profound environmental challenges. Scholars and students inside and outside Asia have done research to understand these environmental problems and their implications to the local communities and for the world. Environmental dynamics may emerge in the physical environment, but are embedded and mediated by the economic, social, political, and cultural institution, both specific to the region and connected with the larger world. Through interdisciplinary and cross-cultural conversations, we will learn about the holistic nature of environmental problems and stimulate possible solutions both in Asia and beyond.
With the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, specifically Luce Initiative on Asia and the Environment, Vassar College is sponsoring the student research conference, by providing a venue for students to present undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. level research at the intersection of these critical issues. We are open to studies on environmental related issues across Asia, including but not limit to East, Southeast, and South Asia, in the natural sciences, social science and humanity. Works that address transnational, transregional and cross-border concerns are encouraged. In addition to analytic papers, we will also consider artist and curator presentations, reports from involved parties, and discussions of pedagogical strategies for teaching on Asia and the Environment.
We have invited Shi Lihong（史立红）, a prominent environmentalist, journalist, and filmmaker as one of the keynote speakers (the director of Waking the Green Tiger and Searching for Sacred Mountain, and others). We are looking forward to a vibrant discussion from the conference participants.
Attendance Information
The conference will be held on the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, on April 26-27 2019. Vassar College is easily accessible by train from New York City. Registration is $60 which cover all meal expenses for participants (detail will follow). Participants are also invited to tour Vassar Ecological Preserve and Poughkeepsie Farm Project (a thriving local Community Supported Agriculture community) on Friday, April 26 afternoon.
Lodging is available in the various establishments in the local area. A number of standard and King-bed Rooms have been reserved at a deep discount $89/night rate at DaysInn at a first-come, first-serve basis. Please contact the hotel directly and mention Vassar Earthscience and Geography Group to receive the rate before March 26, 2019.
To learn more about the conference, please contact Professor Yu Zhou, professor of Geography and Asian Studies yuzhou@vassar.edu. Please also sign up for our mailing list here.
To register and submit an abstract for a panel, or an idea for a poster presentation, please register and send a 200 max abstract in the registration form. Undergraduate students must also include a letter of support from a professor and send it to vassarliase@vassar.edu.
Proposals will be accepted through Feb. 15, 2019.