Nature in Danger – Panel Discussion

Join us for a critical discussion on the environmental toll of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the path toward recovery. This two-session event, presented by the Ukrainian Institute of America and Ukrainian Jersey City, will explore both the devastating impact of the war on Ukraine’s ecosystems and the urgent efforts underway to restore and protect the country’s natural future. A distinguished group of expert practitioners working on the ground in Ukraine will lead the panel discussions, sharing firsthand insights and solutions.

This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested. Donations are appreciated.

PROGRAM

2:30 PM Registration – Coffee – Networking

3:00 PM Opening Remarks

3:15 PM Session 1: Scarred Lands: The War’s Devastation of Ukraine’s Environment

• Oleksandr Borsuk, Deputy Head of the Science Department, Сhornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (via zoom)
• Prof. Calvin Norman, Assistant Teaching Professor of Forestry, Penn State – College of Agricultural Sciences
• Corey Scher, Postdoctoral Researcher, Conflict Ecology Lab, Oregon State University
  
• Taylor Zajicek, Mellon Teaching Fellow in the Harriman Institute, Columbia University
• Moderator: Oksana Kukurudza, Ukrainian Jersey City

4:15 PM Coffee Break

4:30 PM Session 2: Restoring Life: Reclaiming Ukraine’s Ecosystems and Future

• Brian Milakovsky, Researcher, Regional East European Fire Monitoring Center
• Serhiy Shevchenko, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Founder of the NGO ‘Generation of Warm Ukraine’ (via zoom)
• Gabriel Steinberg, Co-Founder, Demining Research Community and Co-Founder and Lead Software Engineer, Safe Pro AI
• Chris Whatley, Executive Director, HALO USA
• Moderator: Jasper Baur, PhD Candidate, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University

5:30 PM Closing Remarks

5:45 PM Reception