{"id":28026,"date":"2026-02-17T11:56:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/metcalf\/?page_id=28026"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T18:55:43","slug":"news-events","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/metcalf\/news-events\/","title":{"rendered":"News & Events"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annual Public Lecture Series<\/h1>Watch the 2026 Spring Lecture<\/a><\/div><\/div>
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Join us for an uplifting dose of inspiration and education as part of our Annual Public Lecture Series.<\/strong> Three times each year we bring you a free presentation or discussion with an inspired thought leader, grappling with real-world climate change and environmental issues. Together, we\u2019ll explore the latest research and collaborative efforts to respond to our changing environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All lectures are free. All of our lectures are accessible <\/strong>for deaf and hard of hearing via live ASL interpreters, by request. Learn more when registering for each event!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeson Lecture 2026<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Join Metcalf June 23 for Our Annual Leeson Lecture Featuring an Exclusive Screening of Rosanna Xia\u2019s \u2018Out of Plain Sight\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>Los Angeles Times environmental reporter and 2018 Metcalf alum will screen her award-winning documentary followed by a conversation with Metcalf Executive Director Fara Warner <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metcalf\u2019s Annual Public Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, June 23, with our Annual Leeson Lecture featuring an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary, \u201cOut of Plain Sight,\u201d and a conversation with the filmmaker Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times<\/em> environmental reporter and 2018 alum of Metcalf\u2019s Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists. This event coincides with the Institute\u2019s 28th Annual Workshop, which is focused this year on some of the world\u2019s most urgent environmental challenges: plastics, pollution, and PFAS (also known as forever chemicals).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOut of Plain Sight\u201d is described as \u201ca cinematic expos\u00e9 of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Southern California.\u201d Through her reporting, Xia learns that in the years after World War II, as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been quietly dumped into the ocean, and she uncovers the consequences that continue to haunt the world today. Xia also directed and produced the film, which has received numerous film festival honors, including the Audience Choice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Jackson Wild Media Award for Best Investigative Film. You can watch the trailer here.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to her reporting for the Times<\/em>, Xia was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her celebrated book on climate change adaptation, “California Against the Sea<\/strong><\/a>,” received the PEN America\/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, a gold medal from the California Book Awards, and a special citation from the Library of Congress, among other honors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metcalf\u2019s Leeson Lecture, named in honor of former Metcalf advisory council member Rob Leeson, is free and open to the public. The event will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Corless Auditorium on the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, R.I. <\/p>\n\n\nRegister for the Leeson Lecture<\/a>\n\n\n

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2026 Annual Public Lecture Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A Better World Is Possible<\/h2>

A conversation with environmental journalist graphic novel author Meera Subramanian and author Elizabeth Rush<\/p><\/div><\/div>

View the Lecture<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2025 Annual Public Lecture Series<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Language of Climate Politics<\/h2>

A conversation with climate activist and author Genevieve Guenther
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View the Lecture<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Leeson Lecture<\/h2>

Just Sustainabilities in Policy, Planning and Practice featuring Dr. Julian Agyeman
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View the Lecture<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Equity on the Table<\/h2>

A Conversation about Public Health, Food Access, and Climate Change with Ambarish Karmalkar, Roger Figueroa, and Christine Ekenga<\/p><\/div><\/div>

View the lecture<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\nGet Caught up on Past Lectures on youtube!<\/a>\n\n\n
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News<\/h1>\n\n\n