March  Duluth Lyceum, "Science and Community Responsibility"

Co-hosted by Northspan's Welcoming Community Program & The Lyceum Movement, the Duluth Lyceum is a revival of a farmer-led tradition from the early 19th century, where rural communities across the country repurposed historic main street buildings and farm houses into venues for public conversations in philosophy, art, history, and community life. At its height, there were 3,000 Lyceums across the country, hosting circuits of speakers from presidential candidates, to Mark Twain, to W.E.B Dubois.Today, the Duluth Lyceum carries on that tradition by bringing the prominent national and local leaders and thinkers into dialogue with the community, and by creating a space to learn, think, and talk about big ideas with neighbors and friends in a historical and social atmosphere. The 2023 Duluth Lyceum is hosted at The Duluth Folk School/Dovetail Cafe in Duluth, MN on the fourth Thursday of the month from 6:00-7:30PM.

Duluth Lyceum

This month we will discuss the responsibility of community members in understanding and engaging with the science happening around them.

Duluth Folk School

Our theme and question for the March Lyceum is: "Science and Community Responsibility" Come join us for a brief speaker presentation followed by facilitated community discussion on the monthly theme! This will be an opportunity to hear from local experts, discuss topics important to the Duluth community, and engage in a respectful facilitated dialogue where all perspectives are valued.March: What kind of science is happening in our own backyard? Do we as community members have a responsibility to engage with and understand it? The University of Minnesota Duluth’s (UMD’s) community-engaged bioremediation project is seeking to undertake scientific investigation in a way that acknowledges the powerful role that local communities can play in shaping the science that affects them. This project combines chemistry and biology with humanistic disciplines to engage with the public and develop innovative, sustainable, and long-term solutions for mercury remediation.As part of the Lyceum a panel of investigators will provide perspectives on dominant science (what most people consider “traditional, academic science”), Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and the role that non-academic community memberscan play in improving both the quality and the relevancy of the science in our lives.Our panelists will include: Dr. Luke Busta, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and BiochemistrySwenson College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth Dr. Carter Meland, Associate Professor, Department of American Indian StudiesCollege of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth Dr. Elizabeth Boileau, Assistant Professor, Center for Environmental EducationCollege of Education and Human Service Professions, University of Minnesota Duluth