Environmental Vigilance
Ohio Wesleyan to Host Environmental and Natural Resource Symposium April 27
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University will host a free symposium April 27 to explore how recent federal policy changes and executive orders could impact the environment. The event will include a moderated panel discussion and time for audience questions.
Ohio Wesleyan's 2026 Environmental and Natural Resource Symposium will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 301 of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.
Ohio Wesleyan faculty member Will Georgic, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, will moderate the panel discussion. Georgic's research focuses on studying environmental problems likely to worsen with climate change (including flooding and harmful algal blooms) and informing more efficient policy decisions.
This year's panelists are Laurel Anderson, Ph.D., the Morris Family Professor of Natural Sciences, and Franchesca Nestor, Ph.D., associate professor of Politics and Government.
Anderson's academic interests include temperate forest ecology, invasive plants, global environmental change, and the development of collaborative ecological projects across small colleges. She also earned a 2025 Pushcart Prize for her poetry, which she hopes will inspire readers "to consider human relationships with our planet more thoughtfully, and with more awe, more reverence."
Nestor's research interests include racial and ethnic politics, Congress, congressional committees, food policy, and increasing citizen interest in and understanding of regulatory policy. Her courses include the American Presidency, Congress and Legislative Process, and Environmental Public Policy.
Their discussion will highlight the developments they consider among the most concerning in federal environmental policy over the past 15 months, and include time for audience questions and conversation.
The annual Environmental and Natural Resource Symposium is sponsored by The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship, which works to enhance academic programs and provide real-world opportunities to create future generations of business and world leaders. Learn more about the center at owu.edu/Woltemade.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.