Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium
Sea Level Rise: Measurement, Understanding, Adaptation
April 10th & 11th, 2026
Welcome to the 2026 Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium event schedule page. Below you will find the schedule for both days of our two-day symposium. Thanks to the generous support from Linda Lear '62, the Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium was created in 2002. Because of Lear’s incredible generosity to honor the legacy of Elizabeth "Babs" Conant '51, our 2026 Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium is FREE and open to the public.
For guests wishing to attend the events in person, registration is required. Guests can attend one or both of the days, but please note that each day requires its own registration.
Unable to make it in-person? All symposium lectures will be live streamed from our Facebook page as well as our YouTube Channel. Should you miss the live streams, the lectures will be available on our YouTube page.
Friday, April 10, 2026
Chu Room, Shain Library
4:30 PM
2026 GNCE Alumni Environmental Achievement Award Presentation
Join the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment as we present the 2026 GNCE Alumni Environmental Achievement Award to Katherine Serafin ‘08.
From scientific research to film making, land conservation to business practices, and interpreting the natural world through maps to writing biographies of leading environmental activists, the recipients have earned a place on the short list of our outstanding graduates.
4:45 P.M.
Lambert Keynote Opening Lecture
How Waves, Tides, and Rivers Combine to Shape Coastal Hazards and Why It Matters
Katy Serafin ‘08, University of Florida and the 2026 Goodwin-Niering Center Alumni Environmental Award recipient will give the opening keynote lecture. The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A.
5:45 P.M.
Opening Reception
Living Room, Shain Library at Connecticut College
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Our Saturday programming will begin with registration and a continental breakfast in the JTC Gallery in the Cummings Art Center, followed by a full day of interdisciplinary exploration. Saturday includes all lectures, breaks, lunch and a closing reception for all symposium attendees.
9:00 - 9:30 A.M.
Continental Breakfast & Registration Check-In
JTC Gallery, Cummings Arts Center
Join us in the JTC Gallery for guest registration and a continental breakfast. Mingle with industry & academic experts before our full day of exciting programming.
9:30 A.M.
2026 Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium Welcome & Introductions
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
9:45 A.M.
Lecture I
Coastal Sea-Level Acceleration and High-Tide Flooding in the United States
Christopher Piecuch, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
10:45 - 11:00 A.M.
Morning Break
JTC Gallery, Cummings Art Center
11:00 A.M.
Lecture II
Climate Disaster in NYC: Assessing Four Post-Sandy Public Investment Strategies
Tammy Lewis, CUNY-Brooklyn College
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
Noon - 1:30 P.M.
Lunch & Expo Tabeling
1941 Room, College Center at Crozier-Williams (Cro)
1:30 P.M.
Lecture III
The Rise & Fall of Sea Level Measurements: A Brief History & Its Philosophical Lessons
Alisa Bokulich, Boston University
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
2:30 P.M.
Lecture IV
Kelsey Leonard, University of Waterloo
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
3:30 - 3:45 P.M.
Afternoon Break
JTC Gallery, Cummings Art Center
3:45 P.M.
Panel Discussion plus, Q&A with all speakers
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
4:30 P.M.
Closing Reception
JTC Gallery, Cummings Art Center