{"id":61187,"date":"2026-04-10T14:45:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=61187"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:17:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:17:40","slug":"noted-environmental-scientist-to-present-ace-fest-keynote-on-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/noted-environmental-scientist-to-present-ace-fest-keynote-on-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"Noted environmental scientist to present ACE Fest keynote on Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Dr. Deborah Lawrence, chief scientist and director of forest and land at Calyx Global, to speak about \u2018our connection to nature\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ACE Fest Keynote Address<\/strong><br \/><strong>Date: <\/strong>Wednesday, April 15<br \/><strong>Time: <\/strong>10:15-11:15 a.m.<br \/><strong>Location: <\/strong>Lehman Auditorium<br \/><strong>More info: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/ace\">emu.edu\/ace<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dr. Deborah Lawrence<\/strong>, chief scientist and director of forest and land at Calyx Global, will open the 2026 Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival as keynote speaker at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, in Lehman Auditorium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Calyx Global, a Colorado-based carbon credit ratings agency, Lawrence ensures the scientific integrity of its greenhouse gas ratings. She spent 25 years as an environmental sciences professor at the University of Virginia, where she conducted global forest and climate research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She also served as a science advisor to the U.S. Department of State and established SilvaCarbon, a U.S. federal program for forest carbon measurement and monitoring, according to a staff listing on <a href=\"https:\/\/calyxglobal.com\/about\/\">Calyx\u2019s website<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawrence holds a BA in anthropology from Harvard University and a PhD in botany from Duke University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her keynote address will reflect on \u201cour connections to nature and how they have changed over the course of my life,\u201d Lawrence said, \u201cinforming my scholarship, my work, and my daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jennifer Ulrich<\/strong>, chair of the Intellectual Life Committee, said Lawrence\u2019s teaching experience, research, and international background were key factors in selecting her as keynote speaker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said Lawrence readily embraced both the university\u2019s annual theme of environmental sustainability and its Common Read, <em>Braiding Sweetgrass<\/em> by Robin Wall Kimmerer, as she developed her address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am grateful for her willingness to speak with us and look forward to her keynote address,\u201d Ulrich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About ACE Festival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>EMU\u2019s Academic and Creative Excellence Festival provides an opportunity for students to learn from their peers and to showcase their own research, creative projects, and papers. It\u2019s also an opportunity to continue conversations sparked by EMU\u2019s Common Read for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to poster and oral presentations held throughout the day on Thursday, April 15, ACE Fest events include a music department student recital at noon in Lehman Auditorium, an art exhibition opening for senior capstone projects at 4:45 p.m. in the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, and a wind ensemble concert at 7 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>17th EMU Authors&#8217; Reception and Award Presentation<\/strong> will be held from 3:45-5 p.m. in Old Common Grounds (University Commons 177) on Thursday. The annual event, hosted by the Office of the Provost, recognizes and celebrates winners of the university\u2019s <strong>Excellence in Teaching Awards<\/strong> and recipients of student writing awards, as well as EMU faculty, staff, and students who have published scholarly work since Jan. 1, 2025. The awards presentation part of the program will begin at 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An <strong>EMU Career Fair<\/strong>, hosted by the Alumni Engagement Office, will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday at the Hall of Nations. It will provide an opportunity for students to interact directly with employers, connect with alumni professionals, explore career options, and potentially secure internships or employment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ACE Festival is hosted by the Provost\u2019s Office and made possible by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Center for Interfaith Engagement, and the Daniel B. Suter Endowment, which supports EMU\u2019s commitment to fostering curiosity, discovery, and scientific learning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the festival and a schedule of events, visit <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/ace\">emu.edu\/ace<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Deborah Lawrence, chief scientist and director of forest and land at Calyx Global, to speak about \u2018our connection to nature\u2019 ACE Fest Keynote AddressDate: Wednesday, April 15Time: 10:15-11:15 a.m.Location: <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/noted-environmental-scientist-to-present-ace-fest-keynote-on-wednesday\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Noted environmental scientist to present ACE Fest keynote on Wednesday<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":61188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4515,7931,5583,14184,14715,5861,17562,17564,4513,5708,5640,5730],"tags":[18086,18221,17823,18994,18995,15927,18993,6865,18516,18992,9458],"feature":[17427,17426,17241],"class_list":["post-61187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-arts","category-campus-community","category-campus-guests","category-campus-life","category-conferences-and-events","category-digest","category-events","category-student-life","category-sustainability","category-suter-science-center","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-academic-and-creative-excellence-festival","tag-academic-excellence","tag-ace-festival","tag-calyx-global","tag-climate","tag-common-read","tag-dr-deborah-lawrence","tag-environmental-science","tag-environmental-sustainability","tag-office-of-the-provost","tag-provost","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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