For the past 36 years, the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown and the Rotary Club of Martinsburg, West Virginia have convened an annual World Affairs Seminar for students from area high schools to engage in dialogue on a topic of both local and global relevance.
Water Security: Local, National, & Global Perspectives
Storer Ballroom, Shepherd University
Thursday, October 24
8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Context and Rationale
The World Affairs Seminar will provide student service club members and leaders from the seven local high schools of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia an overview of and an opportunity for interactive learning about the advantages and disadvantages of social media at local and global levels. Hopefully, there can be increased emphasis on the benefits of social media: to build relationships; to share expertise; to educate ourselves; to connect with others anytime. Students will hear from a range of social media experts highlighting diverse perspectives and practices, which they can apply in their daily lives and future interactions.
Objectives
To deepen our understanding of the threats to water security in the face of global challenges and to encourage proactive engagement in protecting our water sources here at home.
Approach
Selected speakers will present students with a broad range of “balanced” perspectives, framed in the context of empirical evidence and stimulated by questions and answers and active discussion; and
Students will engage in critical thinking through interactive learning tools and group discussions and develop follow-up opportunities for meaningful engagement at the individual and school levels.
Seminar Agenda
Arrival and Snacks
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Welcome
8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
Dr. Robert Tudor, Provost
Shepherd University
Overview & Logistics
8:40 – 8:45 a.m.
Bill Howard, Executive Director
The Downstream Project
Rotarian & Moderator
Session 1
8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Featured Presentations
Too little, Too Much, Too Dirty: Improving Water Security
Around the World in the Age of Climate Change
Gabriel Sidman, Climate Change Specialist
World Bank Group
Climate Solutions Are Water Solutions:
Blending Water into Climate Action
Dr. John Matthews, Executive Director
Alliance for Global Water Adaptation
Water Security in West Virginia:
Challenges & Opportunities for the Mountain Statea
Dr. Nathaniel Hitt, Senior Scientist
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
How Long is Forever?
PFAS Contamination in the State of West Virginia
Maria Russo, Clean Water Campaign
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
Session 2
10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Panel Discussion and Q & A
Lunch
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session 3
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Breakout Group Discussion
Session 4
12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Breakout Session Summaries
Conclusions and Follow-Up
Take-Home Messages and Opportunities for Further Engagement
Group photo (on the lawn beside the student center) and return to buses