Since 2001, the Office of Service-Learning has coordinated alternative Spring Break trips for Eckerd students. In 2013, more than 200 students will have the option of participating in 18 projects, domestically and abroad. From the Skaftafell forests of Iceland and the Ecuadorian rain forests to animal sanctuaries in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, students are offered the opportunity to engage in service opportunities beyond campus.

Last year's (2012) Alternative Spring Break trips by the numbers:

23,674 Miles traveled
7,719 Service hours worked
228 Student participants
19 Domestic and international locations for Spring Break service projects

Darden Rice '00	Sophia Haig-Jones '00	Steve Kornell '95

Saturday, February 9, 9 am - 6 pm, James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences
Keynote Address in Miller Auditorium

10:20 - 10:55 am, "Wired to Run: Endocannabinoids and the Evolution of Endurance Running Behaviors" by Greg Gerdeman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Eckerd College
10:55 - 11:30 am, "Genetics: Cycling to Better Healthcare" by James F. Gusella, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Human Genetic Research, Harvard Medical School
11:45 am - 12:30 pm, Student Presentations
*1:45 - 2:20 pm, "Pushing the Limits: Microbial Life at Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents" by Julie Huber '98, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
2:20 - 2:55 pm, "Good to the Bone: Molecular Approaches to Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis" by Jeff Dodge '84, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Eli Lilly and Company
2:55 - 3:30 pm, "Innovation: An Eagle's Eye View" by Steve Updegraff '84, M.D., LASIK Surgeon and Medical Director, Updegraff Vision
5:00 - 6:00 pm, "Beauty and Space: The Role of Buildings in Scientific Collaboration," Keynote Address by Jane Petro '68, M.D., Acting Executive Director, Cosmetic Surgery Foundation and Professor of Surgery, New York Medical College

*Part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Ford Apprentice Scholar Program

The symposium is free and open to the public; reservations are required. Breakfast, lunch and tour included. Click here for more info.

Monday, February 11, 7:30 pm, Miller Auditorium
Walt Musial
Manager of Offshore Wind and Ocean Power Systems, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Offshore wind power can contribute to a clean, robust, and diversified U.S. energy portfolio. Capturing the nation's large offshore wind resource has the potential to mitigate climate change, improve the environment, increase energy security and stimulate the U.S. economy. Mr. Musial will provide a broad understanding of the global offshore wind industry today and the associated technology challenges, economics, permitting procedures, and potential risks and benefits. He will address the motivation for seeking renewable carbon-free energy sources and make the connections between the socio-economic and engineering challenges.

Sponsored by the Environmental Studies discipline

Monday, February 25, 7 pm, Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory 110
Paul H. Carr, Ph.D.
Air Force Research Laboratory Emeritus

In 1972, MIT researchers projected an economic and food-per-capita collapse by 2030, in their book Limits to Growth. Their predictions, which include the population explosion and non-renewable resource depletion, have been accurate to date. Medical advances and the green revolution enabled the exponential growth of the world's population to more than 7 billion. Can birth control technology save us in time? Further, the unsustainable burning of fossil fuels has enhanced our standard of living with the unintended consequence of carbon emissions that cause global warming with its rising sea levels and weather extremes. Fossil-fuel lobbyists and skeptics deny these findings of the UNIPCC (International Panel on Climate Change). Will their denial prevent new technology for non-carbon emitting energy sources to be deployed in time?

From 1967 to 1995, Dr. Carr led the Component Technology Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory, which investigated ultrasound, surface acoustic waves (SAW), superconductors, and laser activated antennas. His 80 scientific papers and 10 patents have contributed to new components for radar, TV, and cell phones. The John Templeton Foundation awarded Dr. Carr grants for the philosophy courses on science and religion he taught at U Mass Lowell. He earned his B.S. and M.S. from MIT and his Ph.D. in physics from Brandeis University. He has been a Sigma Xi member since 1957.

Sponsored by the Eckerd College Sigma Xi chapter

Tuesday, February 26, 7 pm, Miller Auditorium
Kathleen Peters '99
State Representative (R-Fla.), Florida House of Representatives (District 69)

Eckerd alumna Kathleen Peters '99 will speak about her experiences as a graduate of Eckerd College and the numerous public offices she has held, which include Mayor of South Pasadena and Florida House Representative for District 69. She will describe how her education prepared her for a career in public office, as well as share her insights for those interested in pursuing a similar career.

Sponsored by the Eckerd College Pi Sigma Alpha chapter

Thursday, February 28, 7 pm, Fox Hall
Wes Jackson
Executive Director of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and President of Brooklyn Bodega

Brooklyn Bodega (producers of the annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival) aims to highlight Hip-Hop's legacy as an agent of artistic progression, community building and social change. From New York's street gangs in the 1960s to the 2010 New York Times bestseller Decoded by Hip-Hop icon Jay-Z, Wes Jackson brings the whole evolution of this art form full circle. With more than 20 years' experience as an entrepreneur and innovator in the music business, Mr. Jackson's career has been linked to De La Soul, Mos Def, Nas, The Roots, Talib Kweli and others. Under Mr. Jackson's leadership, the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is approaching its ninth year and has grown into the East Coast's No. 1 Hip-Hop event, attracting more than 20,000 annually.

Sponsored by the Eckerd College Organization of Students (ECOS) and the Afro-American Society

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 pm, Miller Auditorium
Robert C. Wigton, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science, Eckerd College

Has the modern Congress failed in its traditional role of fashioning broad national compromises on major questions of public policy? What are the responsibilities of a modern national legislature? Is the current situation really different from earlier political impasses? Dr. Wigton will look at the major causes of the partisan polarization in Washington, symptoms of the problem, voter polarization, the inability of
Congress and the President to work together, and prospects for improvement.

Robert Wigton is Professor of Political Science at Eckerd College and also serves as the College's Pre-Law Advisor. He teaches a wide range of courses on American government, including Congress, the American Presidency; Political Parties; and Constitutional Law. He has published scholarly articles dealing with all three branches of the national government and a number of law review articles dealing with civil rights and American political parties. Professor Wigton is a member of the New York and Florida state bars. His current research deals with election law and the regulation of political parties.

Sponsored by the Eckerd College Pi Sigma Alpha chapter

Thursday, March 7, 7 pm, Miller Auditorium
Mark Tluszcz '89
Co-Founder/CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners

Success comes to those who believe it is possible. The path that Mark has followed has been greatly inspired by his experiences at Eckerd, without which, he declares, "I would not be the dreamer that I am today."

Mark grew up in various parts of Africa, including Egypt, and has lived in Europe for 20 years. While at Eckerd, he majored in international business and history, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1989. Co-Founder/CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, he launched the investment firm in 2000 on the belief that talent is everywhere and entrepreneurs are the real stars. He spends his time traveling extensively across the globe looking for the next big thing. Named to the Forbes Midas List in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 global deal makers in technology and selected in 2010 as one of the 30 most influential persons in Luxembourg, he sits on the boards of the Mangrove Foundation, a philanthropic organization launched by his firm, and Galenicum, a leading European generic drug company. Passionate about Africa, cars, football (soccer) and wine, and fluent in English, French and Spanish, Mark lives with his wife and two children between Luxembourg and Barcelona.

Sponsored by the Letters Collegium and Office of Advancement
Part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Ford Apprentice Scholar Program

Tuesday, March 12, 7 pm, Miller Auditorium
Fait Muedini, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Eckerd College

What is it that the Qur'an actually says about women, and how has it been interpreted by various societies? Significant changes have occurred in many Islamic nations in recent years; however, have these been influenced by or assisted movements for women's rights? Professor Muedini will speak on the topic of women's rights within Islam and Islamic societies.

Sponsored by the Eckerd College Pi Sigma Alpha chapter

Wednesday, March 13, 4 pm, Lewis House
William Hogarth, Ph.D.
Interim Regional Chancellor, USF St. Petersburg; Director, Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO)

Dr. Hogarth served as dean of USF's College of Marine Science from 2007 to 2010 and has been FIO's  director since 2011. He is also the former director of the National Marine Fisheries Service and served as chairman of the International Whaling Commission and the high-profile International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Dr. Hogarth holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the  University of Richmond in Virginia and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University.

Part of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC) Public Forum Series

Wednesday, March 13, 6 pm, Triton Rooms
Panel discussion

A panel of professional women who have succeeded in breaking major barriers in careers traditionally dominated by men will describe their individual experiences. Each will present her story and pathway to success; a Q & A session will follow.

Sponsored by Career Services

Wednesday, March 27, 7:30 pm, Fox Hall
Russ Luther
Faith Relations Manager, Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO)

With a mission to reduce hunger and improve lives of people worldwide, Mr. Luther will highlight how ECHO provides agricultural and appropriate technology training and resources to development organization workers in more than 180 countries. A non-denominational Christian organization, ECHO maintains a tropical agriculture demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, Fla., that serves as a living research classroom and functions as a training resource for ECHO interns, students, and its overseas network.

Co-sponsored by the Human Development discipline and the Center for Spiritual Life

Thursday, March 28, 7 pm, Fox Hall

Pier Vellinga, Ph.D.
Professor in Climate Change and Flood Risk, Wageningen University; Amsterdam Professor in Climate Change and Societal Implications, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

Henry Pollack, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, University of Michigan

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy and the estimated $60 billion in damage, two of the world's leading climate change scientists will offer their insights through a lecture presentation. Dr. Vellinga was lead author of several chapters and Dr. Pollack a contributing author in the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. As one of the first scientists to publish on climate change and its implications regarding water and energy in the eighties, Dr. Vellinga is the chairman of the Knowledge for Climate research program and vice chairman of the Climate Changes Spatial Planning program, both of which support the Netherlands government and companies with operational knowledge required for investment decisions related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Dr. Pollack travels regularly to Antarctica and has conducted scientific research on all seven continents. In 2010, he wrote the book A World Without Ice which provides an analysis of climate change science. In 2003, he wrote Uncertain Science ... Uncertain World.

Sponsored by ASPEC and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College (OLLI)

Tuesday, April 2, 7 pm, Fox Hall

Robert L. Bixby
Executive Director of The Concord Coalition

James "Jim" Davis
Former U.S. Representative (D-Fla.) and Partner at Holland & Knight

Paul B. Hernández
Councilman, City of Hialeah, Florida

Paul Stebbins
Executive Chairman and CEO of World Fuel Services

Rob Lorei, moderator
News and Public Affairs Director, WMNF 88.5FM; Managing Editor and Host, WEDU's "Florida This Week"

Fix the Debt, a nonpartisan movement to put the country on a better fiscal and economic path, includes business, civic, community and political leaders - as well as more than 300,000 grassroots supporters (nearly 20,000 in Florida alone) - who want a bipartisan, comprehensive debt agreement. These members of the statewide campaign will share their insights through a panel discussion.

Sponsored by the Office of Marketing and Communications, EC Pi Sigma Alpha chapter and EC Young Democrats

Wednesday, April 10, 6 pm, Triton Rooms
Panel discussion

This Dine & Discuss Event will feature an inter-generational panel of women, including: Jane Baldwin, Vice President at SunTrust Bank; Claire Knowles, author, leadership consultant and member of ASPEC; Diplomat-in-Residence and ASPEC member Donna Oglesby; Alizza Punzalan-Randle, Director of Community and Media Relations for Eckerd College; and Kristin Smith '94, Associate Vice President of Investments at Raymond James. 

How do women balance work and life obligations? How can networking and mentoring work for you in achieving your professional and personal goals? How can women overcome the distinct challenges they face as women in the public and private spheres? How do women write their own life story as it unfolds? Join us for an intergenerational roundtable of women from ASPEC, the faculty, and our residential and PEL students who will share their own stories of courage, empowerment, and leadership in the professional and personal spheres of life. 

This Dine & Discuss event requires reservations; to reserve a seat, email events@eckerd.edu. Seating is limited.

Sponsored by Career Services, Eckerd's AAUW chapter, Women's Resources Committee and the ASPEC Faculty SunTrust Learning Grant Program

Thursday, April 11, 7 pm, Fox Hall
Ronald K. Porter '05, Ph.D.
Former Ford Scholar

Distinguished Eckerd alumnus Ronald K. Porter '05 will present a powerful and interactive conversation on how the circumstances of our birth affect our daily lives and interactions. With his return to campus, Dr. Porter, who recently completed his Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Berkeley, will merge his scholarship related to power, race, privilege and gender; his love of poetry; and his yogic training.

A recipient of The Philip J. Lee Honor Award, Ronald's international experiences include a semester in Eckerd's London Program, a service learning project in Venezuela, and a Freeman Foundation Grant in Asian Studies summer program which took him to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Freeman Foundation Grant allowed him to visit urban and rural areas, gather research data for his Ford Scholars Project on the trafficking of women and children as well as on HIV/AIDS, participate in teaching children at local orphanages, and explore the social conditions and cultural traditions found in these countries. Ronald was a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship Recipient (4-year scholarship to Eckerd); 2004 Rhodes Scholarship Regional Finalist; 2004 Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Honor Society; Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities 2005; and recipient of multiple honors and Dean's List achievements.

Part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Ford Apprentice Scholar Program

Thursday, April 18, 7 pm, Miller Auditorium
Grace Brown
Photographer

"Project Unbreakable" began in October 2011 as a Tumblr of photos of survivors of sexual assault posing with powerful quotes from their perpetrators. Named to TIME magazine's Top 30 Must-See Tumblr Blogs list, it aims to give a voice to sexual assault survivors. Ms. Brown, the photography project's creator, will talk about her artistic process as well as working with sexual assault survivors.

Sponsored by the Women's Empowerment Society