Faculty Roundtables

One of the primary missions of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute is to encourage multi-disciplinary research and collaboration at the university. But sometimes ideas for mutual projects need germination.

To help spur the brainstorming process, the Graham Institute co-sponsors an "Ethics in Sustainability" Faculty Roundtable on the first or second Friday of every month. The Roundtables, which kicked off in early 2008, are two-hour forums in which U-M faculty members multiple academic disciplines meet over lunch to discuss a specific topic related to the Ethics of Sustainability.

"These Roundtables have spurred some engaging and thought provoking discussion about a wide range of topics from a wide range of perspectives," says Associate Professor Richard K. Norton (Urban and Regional Planning), who organizes and hosts the monthly event. "Topics have included everything from polar bears to New Orleans, and we continue to have participants from not just the Sciences, but also from Fine Arts, Humanities, and other areas. It really is a multi-disciplinary dialog."

The Faculty Roundtables are co-sponsored by the Center for Ethics in Public Life, a new center at the university founded and directed by Professor John R. Chamberlin (Public Policy and Political Science). To learn more about the Roundtables, or to inquire about participating, please contact Professor Norton at rknorton@umich.edu.