This contest is open to all Michigan high school and college students. It is co-sponsored by Building Excellence in Science and Technology (BEST Early) and the Benton Spirit Community Newspaper in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, and Honor Credit Union. It

Topics in Environmental Fridays Season IV range from challenges and opportunities facing small island nations, the environmental benefits of cultivated meat biotechnology, the environmental poetry of African Americans, natural resources and environmental conservation in Tobago.

Thank you to Grand Valley State University Professor of Geology Dr. Peter Wampler . His lecture on Safe and Sustainable Water for Haiti can be viewed here on YouTube. To learn more about Professor Wampler's work in Haiti visit and view the following: http://www.gvsu.edu/haitiwater . Also, a paper by Professor Wampler on Evaluation of Hand–Dug Wells in Rural Haiti can be seen here . Wampler is a broadly trained environmental geologist, geomorphologist, and surface water hydrologist with a background in both academic and government regulation of mining and storm water. He received a PhD in 2004 for work on human- and climatic-induced changes along the Clackamas River in Oregon. Since arriving at Grand Valley State University in 2004 he has worked with undergraduate and graduate students on applied geoscience research: 1) evaluating GVSU’s storm water runoff footprint and assisting in designing Best Management Practices for GVSU, 2) investigating water resources, water treatment, and groundwater contamination pathways in rural Haiti, 3) evaluating human impacts to river systems resulting from dams and other structures, and 4) Using Geographic Information Systems to create household radon hazard maps for Michigan using geologic data. Thank you also to our co-host this week, Ms. Alyssa Newsome. She is a junior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) from McAdams, Mississippi. MSMS is a public residential high school for academically gifted and talented students, and it is a member of the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS). She is a member of Wags and Whiskers, FCS and Test Prep Club. She enjoys English and Biology and after graduation, she hopes to major in zoology or microbiology and become a large animal veterinarian.

Thank you Dr. Joy Banner , co-Founder of The Descendants Project and Director of Communications for The Whitney Plantation. Her lecture was on the History of Environmental Racism and can be viewed on YouTube here . She shared her living testimony and personal history about environmental racism. We are glad that Environmental Fridays was an instrument and a platform to highlight the unforgivable disrespect and danger that money, power and greed shows to both ancestors and descendants. We invite you to visit and support The Whitney Plantation and The Descendants Project . Thank you also to our co-host this week, the amazing Regina Ruth Strong , the state of Michigan's first Environmental Justice Public Advocate. She briefly recalled how moving it was when she visited The Whitney Plantation some years ago. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, as well as a Master of Science degree from Purdue University. Regina earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America and is also a Senior Fellow in the Great Lakes Region for the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). 

Thank you to CEO Eustacia Marie Jennings , Principal Consultant of JESS (Jennings Environmental, Safety and Security) Consultants and a seasoned Environmental, Health & Safety Professional. Her lecture on Environmental and Safety Management Systems can be viewed here on YouTube. Thanks to Ms. Nadia Rodriguez and the students at her alma mater, we crossed 50 Zoom attendees, our largest Environmental Fridays audience to date. Jennings completed 12 years at Bahamas Academy where she graduated Valedictorian. She went on to complete an AA degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at the College of the Bahamas graduating with the Governor General’s Award. She completed her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and Environment Studies at McGill University and a Master's Degree in Environmental Management at University of Houston - Clear Lake. She is All But Dissertation for her PhD in Environmental Science at University of North Texas and hopes one day to complete it. She has several Safety and Environmental Certifications. In addition, Jennings has over 20 years in Environmental experience and 10 plus years in Safety spanning numerous industries including the Power, Maritime, Aviation, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Food and Beverage, Entertainment and Tourism Industries. She now spends her time with clients developing Environmental and Safety Management Systems (ESMS) for companies including COVID19 risk management. The core values of JESS are integrity, authenticity, discipline, and creativity which reflect her personal values. The Plan, Do, Check, Act approach to Management Systems and hierarchy of risk controls are at the heart of JESS business model. The company’s slogan “safe people, safe places, safe planet” encourages everyone to make choices that reduce risk and promote environmental conservation. When not working, Jennings enjoys traveling and has visited over 60 countries but she says “none as beautiful as The Bahamas.” Thank you and appreciation goes out to Dr. Sylvia T. Callender-Carter , Global Health Consultant and graduate of Andrews University, Loma Linda University and Adventist University of the Philippines. She suggested and connected Environmental Fridays with Ms. Jennings. Her career spans more than 25 years in Environmental and Occupational Health as well as Community Health. Her key experiences included: Hazard Communication Training & Hazardous Materials Management (Downstate Hospital, Brooklyn). Hazardous Waste Site Emergency Response, at Hunter College where she delivered training to the Teamsters Union and NY State Dept. of Environmental Protection. Her most recent work in public health education was in East Africa where her work was on social justice, health equity and community-based education for clinicians.

Thank you to Dr. Chartanay Bonner , Associate Director for Enrollment Management, Student Success, and Broadening Participation at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering ( JSNN ), Greensboro, North Carolina. Bonner received her Chemistry B.S. degree from Tuskegee University in 2012 and her Chemistry PhD at Western Michigan University (WMU) in 2018. She researched the design, synthesis, and environmental impact of nanomaterials. More specifically, she focused on understanding how emerging contaminants such as silver nanoparticles and heavy metals impact bioremediation processes and sustainability. Bonner also did postdoctoral research in higher education at WMU through a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant. In addition to her career and academic pursuits, Bonner serves as the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers ( NOBCChE ) STEM Festival Chair. Bonner is dedicated to advancing the scientific field by advocating for diversity and inclusion within STEM academia, research, and service. Her lecture on Nanotechnology and the Environment can be viewed here on YouTube. Thanks also to Cali Orman, a native of Biloxi, Mississippi, and a Junior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science . MSMS is a public residential high school for academically gifted and talented students, and it is a member of the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS). She is involved in soccer, the drama club, humanities outreach, interact club, and speech and enjoys studying show production and dramatic performance. After graduation Cali hopes to Intern with Disney’s Imagineering program before attending a university for her business degree.

Thank you to Ms. Alia Juman , Outreach Officer at UWI Seismic Research Centre, and Mr. Roderick Stewart , Research Fellow at Montserrat Volcanic Observatory. Their joint very informative presentation was on St. Vincent’s La Soufreire Volcanic Eruption. Their lecture can be viewed here on YouTube. Thanks also to Alex Davis , a 3rd year BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice student at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC). Currently serving as President of the VINADA Cultural club at USC. His academic goals are to one day hold a PhD in Forensic Criminology/ Intelligence Management and his professional goals are to be a Professor, Criminologist, Commandant of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cadet Force an organization of which he holds dearly and currently serves at the rank of Warrant Officer 2nd Class with too many responsibilities to state and ultimately becoming the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Alex has received many awards most notably the Duke of Edinburgh Awards locally known in Trinidad and Tobago as the President's Awards where he holds the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Leaders awards from said organization. Alex loves the outdoors; be it spending the day at the beach or hiking. He has 4 dogs and is the eldest of his parent's children. His officers describe him as calm, friendly, approachable to his subordinates but firm and no-nonsense. 

Thank you to Dr. Jaeson Clayborn , Assistant Professor in biology at Miami Dade College Padrón Campus. He is Adjunct Professor at Florida International University from which he secured his PhD in Biological Sciences. He also has an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. His passion is education and research in conservation and sustainability. Clayborn’s professional life goals are to understand and preserve the entomological and botanical world, engage local communities through service-learning and inquiry-based activities, and empower people to become citizen scientists. His lecture on Butterfly World 1.0: A Virtual Gaming Experience can be viewed here . Thanks also to Jordan Rogers, a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science . MSMS is a public residential high school for academically gifted and talented students, and it is a member of the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS). Jordan serves as a peer tutor, works with the math outreach program, and is heavily involved in the research program with Mississippi State University. Outside of school, she works as an editor/staff writer for The Vision and is a student in the IBM Quantum and MIT affiliate program, Qubit by Qubit. She has also showed interest in environmental conservation and the awareness of it through multiple projects. Jordan hopes for all people to have a greater understanding of human effects on the environments, so that further destruction can be prevented. 

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.Thank you to Dr Sharda Mahabir , National Coordinator for the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme in Trinidad and Tobago, and Mr. Darion Fraser , Outreach Officer of WASA’s Adopt A River . The Adopt A River programme was developed by Mahabir and it reached 5000 persons and trained over 200 community members in two years. Mahabir has a PhD in Environmental Biology from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, Trinidad. Fraser is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Their joint presentation was on Community-based Environmental Projects. One of their emphases was on the requirement and necessity of collaboration and cooperation in all sectors of society and government and especially by the local community for environmental change to take place. Their lecture can be viewed on YouTube here . Thanks also to my friend and Environmental Fridays regular Dr. Len Archer for co-hosting this session of Environmental Fridays with me. Archer holds the title of Professor Emeritus since his retirement in 2020 from AdventHealth University where he served as the Vice-President for Academic Administration and Academic Dean for Undergraduate programs at AdventHealth University for 10 years. Dr. Archer is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and received his undergraduate degree in Botany and Applied Botany at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad. He then completed an M.S. In Biology at Andrews University and a PhD in Microbiology at Indiana State University. He joined the faculty at AHU in 1993 and served as an academic department chair from 2000 to 2011. He has published in Microbiology and presented at national meetings on student retention and student advisement at the American Association of College Registrars and Academic Officers (AACRAO) where he was a member of AACRAO national committees and the General Conference of SDA Health Professional Education Committee. Dr. Archer has been a nominee for several teaching awards and a recipient of the Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2020, Dr. Archer was the recipient of the AdventHealth University Distinguished Service Award. He remains active as a consultant in academic administration, faculty development, and accreditation