EPA administrator to visit the University of Minnesota

Jackson will address the latest national environmental policies and challenges to environmental laws

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/13/2012) —Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will visit the University of Minnesota at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, at Coffman Memorial Union. Administrator Jackson will address the role of science in decision making protecting our health, and promoting a healthy economy, as well as recent challenges to national environmental laws.

Professor Deb Swackhamer will moderate the discussion. The conversation will be hosted by the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs’ Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy; Water Resources Center; the Institute on the Environement; the Consortium for Law and Values; and the School of Public Health.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required by Monday, January 16, at http://jacksonumn.eventbrite.com. Space is limited and doors will close promptly at 11 a.m. If you are unable to attend in person, you may view the conversation online at http://www.livestream.com/umntv. It also will be recorded for future viewing. Parking is available for a fee behind Coffman Memorial Union in the East River Parkway Garage.

Lisa P. Jackson was appointed by President Obama as EPA Administrator in 2009. Jackson oversees a staff of more than 18,000 professionals who work across the nation to usher in a green economy; address health threats from pollution in our air, water, and land; and renew the public’s trust in the agency’s work. As a scientist herself, Jackson has vowed that EPA’s efforts will use the best science as “the backbone” for EPA programs. She has been featured on Time magazine’s 2010 and 2011 lists of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

Professor Deborah Swackhamer is the Denny Chair in Science, Technology, and Public Policy and co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Water Resources Center. She also is a professor of Environmental Health Sciences in School of Public Health. She currently serves as chair of the EPA’s Chartered Science Advisory Board.

The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs ranks among the top professional schools of public affairs at public universities in the country. The School is widely recognized for its role in examining public issues and shaping policy and planning at the local, state, national, and international levels, as well as for providing leadership and management expertise to public and nonprofit organizations. The School offers five graduate degrees, including a master of development practice degree in international development that welcomed its first cohort in August 2010.

The Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy (CSTPP)’s mission is to improve people’s lives by advancing the application of science and technology to solve public problems. CSTPP explores the increasingly important role that science and technology plays in society and examines its implications for public policy at the international, national, and state levels. Their aim is to increase civic understanding of the connections between science and policy through outreach and research, and has helped to influence improvements in regulation and innovation.

• © 2009-2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
• The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer
• Last modified on January 13, 2012