Barbara Tewksbury, the William R. Kenan Professor of Geology, was awarded an honorary degree from her undergraduate alma mater, St. Lawrence University, on May 21. The citation awarded to Tewksbury, a 1973 graduate of St. Lawrence, noted "Barbara Tewksbury proves that experiential and cooperative learning in science creates the most innovative and accomplished science graduates."
In her remarks to graduates Tewkbsury discussed the importance of thinking in "deep time," a concept of geologic time. "Just how long do we want humans to be around on this Earth?" Tewksbury asked. "Would you settle for 100 years? Well, no, certainly not. What will it take to have humans make it another 1/1000 of an inch, or 1000 years? ... Well, it kind of depends on what you want life to be like. We're a civilization that depends profoundly on non-renewable resources, and we're extracting and using resources at a staggering rate. I can't think of a single vital resource that is projected to have reserves lasting more than decades or, at most, a couple hundred years. The Earth simply does not have the resources in the ground to fuel our kind of society for that next 1/1000 of an inch.
"So where do you come in, those of you who are graduating today? I sincerely hope that you will do three things. First, reduce your footprint on the Earth to make our resources last as long as possible while we evolve new technologies for the future. If you want the human race to have a shot at just another 1/1000 of an inch, don't insist on having the newest and the biggest. Buy a fuel-efficient car and keep it until it wears out. Buy a small house instead of building a McMansion. Rake your leaves instead of using a leaf blower. Recycle everything that you can. The list is endless, and every person can make a difference.
"Second, learn enough about the Earth that you can make smart choices about where to live. If you build right on the shore, in the middle of a floodplain, across a fault, in a desert where there isn't enough water, or in the shadow of a volcano, you will eventually cost society a lot when we pay big bucks to bail you out. And if our society spends only to maintain itself, we won't have a shot at that next 1/1000 of an inch.
"And last, support research in science and technology. Encourage your children to study math and science. Support government funding for basic research. And support NASA and the private-sector exploration of space. If we want another inch for the human race, we may need to seek it in the stars."
