Wilson Scholar Discusses Global Water Issues
Woodrow Wilson Scholar Joseph Treaster brings his expertise in global water issues, cross-cultural communication and new media to Alma College for a series of presentations.
Treaster presents a public lecture on “Water and Social Justice: Who Has the Right to a Drink of Water?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2 in the Dow Science Center Room L4.
In addition, Treaster will screen two documentaries that he has helped produce: “One Water,” which explores the global water crisis, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31 in the Swanson Academic Center Room 113, and “Fight for Freedom,” which explores the role of journalism in covering global conflict and crises, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3 in SAC 109.
Joseph Treaster
The presentations are free and open to the public.
Treaster holds an endowed chair at the University of Miami in cross-cultural communication, writes a weekly column called “Water and the World,” and is a regular contributor to the New York Times and Miami Herald. He is the author of three books and the editor of 1H2O.org, the University of Miami’s Internet magazine on the worldwide water crisis.
He has traveled to more than 80 countries as both a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and as a lecturing scholar on the deteriorating state of the world’s water.
He also is a member of the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program, which brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists and business leaders to campuses across the United States for substantive dialogue with students and faculty members.
“Alma College annually hosts a Woodrow Wilson Fellow as a scholar-in-residence for one week out of the year,” says Murray Borrello, co-director of the Center for Responsible Leadership and director of the environmental studies program at Alma College. “Treaster is a journalist and author of books related to global environmental issues who is interested in incorporating new media technology with the quality of journalism.”
Treaster has taught in several countries on his topics of interest, which include crisis reporting on wars and natural disasters; covering Hurricane Katrina and other storms; the insurance industry and claims-paying practice; the challenges facing traditional journalism in the age of the Internet; the fun, adventure and intellectual excitement of interviewing; the changing face of war, from Vietnam to Iraq; and public relations as seen from a journalist’s perspective.
“I’m hoping audiences will take home an understanding of the urgency of the issue of water in the United States and around the world,” says Borrello. “It is our most precious resource, and it will be what we fight wars about. Because we live and work in a region that accounts for 20 percent of the world’s fresh water, we tend to forget water’s importance.”
Posted: Sun, October 23rd, 2011 at 2:17PM
