A talk by Professor Paige West, Claire Tow Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College and Columbia University

Deep ocean environments are largely under studied and organisms that thrive in these ecosystems, under such extreme conditions, are not well understood. Research in environmental microbiology in recent years has resulted in a dramatic change in the way we view microbial diversity in these systems. New bacterial and archaeal groups have been identified and studied thanks to advances in molecular biology, sequencing and bioinformatic technologies. In this work we take advantage of technological advances in single cell genomics and metagenomics to explore the distribution and metabolic capability of poorly characterized microbial groups. For this presentation we will focus on data associated with single cell genomes recovered from the Mariana Trench and metagenomic samples recovered from the Costa Rica margin. Single cell genomes from the Mariana Trench provide a deeper understanding of the candidate phyla Parcubacteria and their potential for expanded metabolic capacity in the deep ocean. Preliminary results on the Costa Rica margin suggest that sub-seafloor microbial communities are dynamic, as their composition and metabolic potential varies with depth. Within this environment, archaea from the newly described ASGAR super phylum are abundant, which provides a unique opportunity to better understand their metabolic potential. Ultimately the goal of this research is to speculate about the biogeography of the microbial community and their adaptive metabolic processes to low temperature, high-pressure, recalcitrant nutrient sources and energy requirements.

Breathtaking aerial cinematography and insightful interviews take viewers on a journey across three modern stories of tribal sovereignty in America.

Inside Energy, in collaboration with Rocky Mountain PBS and Fast Forward Films, presents “Beyond Standing Rock,” an hourlong documentary that shines a spotlight on the Dakota Access pipeline protest and its roots in a 170-year-long conflict between tribes and the U.S. government over independence, land ownership, and control of resources.

The Carleton College Sustainability Office is excited to announce that we are hosting a Community Repair Fair on Saturday, March 31st from 1-3pm in the Weitz Center. At this event, anyone can bring in broken items such as bikes, clothing, electronics, and small mechanical items and receive assistance fixing them. Local low-waste and repairbusinesses as well as local/college organizations that work with waste and consumption issues will be tabling at the event. We will have a workshop specifically on sock darning and a Q&A session about community tool libraries from the Minnesota Tool Library.

Please mark your calendars for this event and spread the word to your friends. If you would like to volunteer to help people fix clothing, bikes, etc. at this event, or if you have any questions, please email Emma Link (linke@carleton.edu).

The Post-Landfill Action Network PLAN cultivates, educates, and inspires the student-led zero waste movement. They inform students about the waste crisis and equip them with the skills and resources to implement solutions to waste in their campus communities.

The current waste infrastructure of landfills and incinerators pollutes our planet and harms our health and climate. The consumption model of take-make-dispose depletes natural resources and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable communities. Fortunately, we are witnessing innovative solutions to waste across an array of disciplines. From extended producer responsibility and product redesign to repair and refurbishment, governments, businesses, municipalities, and individuals are creating new opportunities for otherwise discarded resources.

PLAN believes that the emerging generation of students can exercise real change if they are equipped with the necessary skills to lead and organize on the microcosm of their campus. Through information sharing, coalition building, and hands on support, PLAN works with students to find replicable solutions and put them into action. Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. Together, we can fix a broken system. The title of today’s presentation is “Challenging the Consumption Economy.”