Dr. Chris Avery, a 2005 Hope College graduate who is chief of staff for the National Climate Assessment at the U.S. Global Change Research Program, will present the address “How Do You Make an Informed Decision in a Changing World?” on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at Hope in Schaap Auditorium of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center.
The presentation, which will delivered in the style of a TED Talk, is through Hope’s Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship in the natural and applied sciences. It will be preceded by a time of socializing and light refreshments beginning at 5 p.m.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Avery manages the development, writing and publication process of the National Climate Assessment — which is the U.S. government’s premier resource for communicating climate change risks, impacts and solutions — and other ongoing assessments.
Prior to joining the U.S. Global Change Research Program, he served as a senior advisor for the National Council for Science and the Environment, leading all communications and public-facing work for the organization. He also worked in the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, focusing on stakeholder engagement.
Prior working with the Department of Energy, he served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Fellow working for Senator Chris Coons. Avery was a member of the senator’s energy and environment legislative team, with additional involvement in federal procurement and scientific integrity issues. Before his work as an AAAS Congressional Fellow, Avery served as a Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies, working on economic policy.
Avery earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry; a Graduate Certificate in science, technology and public policy; and a Master of Science degree in chemistry at the University of Michigan. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Hope.
The Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship at Hope was established in 2005 by faculty colleagues, former students, and friends of Dr. James Gentile. Gentile joined the Hope faculty in 1976 and served as dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences Division from 1988 to 2005, when he became president of Research Corporation, a private foundation in Tucson, Arizona, that supports basic research in the physical sciences. After retiring from Research Corporation, he returned to Hope to serve a two-year appointment as dean from July 2013 through June 2015.
Avery’s visit is made possible by a gift to the Gentile Lectureship from the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, California. The Kavli Foundation is dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of humanity, promoting public understanding of scientific research, and supporting scientists and their work.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center is located at 115 E. 12th St., at the center of the Hope campus between College and Columbia avenues along the former 12th Street. Schaap Auditorium is on the lower level near the building’s southwest corner.