GEOG Seminar

Dr. Victoria Herrmann, The Arctic Institute

Please join us for the Geographical Sciences Seminar at a special time, on Wednesday 9/11 at 4 pm in LeFrak 1158 with Dr. Victoria Herrmann of The Arctic Institute.

Students, please join us at 3:15 in the LeFrak kitchen (2123) for an informal chat with Dr. Herrmann before the seminar.

About the talk, and Dr. Herrmann:

The daunting drumbeat of recent reports can make it difficult not to feel hopeless and helpless. Dr. Victoria Herrmann will discuss her application of an academic training to work through and beyond climate inaction by creating the first skills-based volunteering platform for community climate adaptation on cultural heritage and historic preservation. She will speak to the challenges and pathways to engage with on-the-ground capacity building and climate policy in U.S. and U.S. Territory Communities from Alaska to American Samoa. Victoria Herrmann will discuss her research as a National Geographic Explorer on climate change and cultural heritage adaptation and speak about her partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In particular, Victoria will create a space for empowerment on how every person - from preservationists to an accountants - can help bridge the gap between research and community action on preserving our history.  

Dr. Victoria Herrmann is the managing director of The Arctic Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to Arctic security research. As a National Geographic Explorer, she traveled across the country in 2016 and 2017 interviewing 350 local leaders to identify what’s needed most to safeguard coastal communities against the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Her current project, Rise Up to Rising Tides, is creating an online matchmaking platform that connects pro bono experts with climate-affected communities. Dr. Herrmann teaches sustainability management at American University and science communication at the University Centre of the Westfjords, Iceland.