All-Day Workshops
Opening Reception
SEJ Awards

 

Agenda

Coverage

Lodging/ Travel

Exhibits/Receptions

Environmental News

About Norman

 

 

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Environmental Journalism 2015: The 25th Annual Conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists officially begins Wednesday afternoon, October 7, at 5:00 p.m., with our opening reception, followed by dinner, special welcomes and SEJ’s awards presentation program.

Before the official beginning, we offer these two all-day workshops below, and an afternoon meet-and-greet gathering.

All sessions, as well as registration, exhibits and breaks, will be at the Embassy Suites & Conference Center,
2501 Conference Drive, Norman, OK 73069, (405) 364-8040, unless otherwise indicated.

Note: All information is subject to change. Please check back often for updates and information on event times, speakers, etc.

 

All-Day Workshops

Grab your breakfast anytime after 6:00 a.m., but be sure to eat in time to board the shuttle bus no later than 7:30 a.m. for the ride to the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 395 W. Lindsey, Norman, OK. Buses will stage outside the doors by the registration desk and will return you to the Embassy Suites by 4:00 p.m.

1. Telling the Big Story Through Graphics

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma
Room: 1120

This map depicting 10-year average sea surface temperatures across the globe was created using the new Ocean Surface Climate Data Record Bundle.                        Image courtesy NCDC/NOAA.

The ability to tell stories through graphics has become crucial to standout storytelling. With severe weather dominating headlines, authoritative reporting requires an understanding of the data kept by the National Centers for Environmental Information (the nation’s weather library, formerly known as the National Climatic Data Center). Develop skills in visual storytelling while using weather data. The mapping skills you develop will be transferable to other subjects, and your skill with NOAA's data will provide context beyond graphics — to printed and spoken storytelling too. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and Google's Geo Media Lab will lead this class. Google Program Manager Vanessa Schneider will demonstrate My Maps and Fusion Tables. Deke Arndt, chief of the Climate Monitoring Branch for NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, will demystify its data. You’ll leave class able to host, visualize and publish data. Open to all journalists, journalism students and SEJ members. You’ll need a Google account and understanding of Google Drive. Pre-registration and $45 fee required. Lunch included.
NOTE: This event is full.

Moderator: Robert Henson, Weather/Climate Science Blogger, Weather Underground, and Author, "Thinking Person's Guide to Climate Change"

 

2. Beginning and Advanced Video Training

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma
Advanced Room: 1130
Beginning Room: 1040

Join us for hands-on video workshops and learn how to shoot, edit and produce your own one-to-two-minute video, then get a professional critique. We’re minimizing the gear talk and maximizing hands-on experience, so that when you’re done you’ll be able to shoot and edit with confidence. Bring any camera or smart-phone that takes video and you’ll be good to go. The workshop will have two tracks, one for beginners, and the other for those who already know how to shoot video with their phone or DSLR camera. Both sessions will be taught by the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, using iMovie or (for the advanced workshop) iMovie, Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro. You pick the track. Open to all journalists, journalism students and SEJ members. Pre-registration and $45 fee required. Lunch included.

Moderator: Adam Glenn, Educator, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism; Digital Media Consultant; Editor, SEJournal, Society of Environmental Journalists

Instructors (Advanced Video Workshop):
Julie Jones, Associate Professor, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma
Carylon Ross, Professor of Communication, Broadcast Journalism, Langston University

Instructors (Basic Video Workshop):
Mashiur Rahaman, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma
Shugofa Dastgeer, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma
 

 

Registration

2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: In the foyer of the Embassy Suites & Conference Center, 2501 Conference Drive, Norman, OK, near the glass doors to the parking lot

If you didn't sign up ahead of time for the Friday dinner and movie, Saturday night party or Sunday brunch at the National Weather Center, there may still be room — please check with registration.

 

SEJ Information Table

2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: In the Conference Center foyer near registration

Sign up here for Friday night's Open Screen (guidelines) and Saturday mini-tours. Read up on SEJ Board candidates, and find information about SEJ Award winners, membership and services. Pick up copies of SEJournal and other SEJ information.

 

SEJ Meet and Greet: Break Barriers and Bread with Members, New and Old

3:00 - 5:00 p.m. (roundtable begins around 4:00 p.m.)
Location: Sooner A&B, Embassy Suites & Conference Center

The Society of Environmental Journalists would not exist without its members. Before the big party, grab a snack and a drink, and meet up with SEJ's newest members, long-timers and environmental journalists from 40 states, eight countries and more than a dozen tribes. We'll relax together and share thinking on ways to increase ethnic diversity and responsiveness in SEJ and our beat. A rolling ice-breaker to get the conversation going will be followed by a casual roundtable discussion about ways to engage members, particularly younger and more diverse members. New to SEJ? Not yet a member? Come learn what SEJ has to offer, and tell us what you’re looking for. Feel free to drop in at any point to meet, greet and eat!

Hosts:
Tina Casagrand, Freelance Journalist
Christy George, Independent TV Producer
Gloria Gonzalez, Senior Editor, Crain Communications and former News Editor, Ecosystem Marketplace
Meaghan Parker, Writer/Editor, Environmental Change and Security Program, Wilson Center
Roger Witherspoon, Reporter, The Huffington Post/Environment; Energy Matters; NewJerseyNewsroom.com

 

Opening Reception, Dinner and SEJ Awards

5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Oklahoma Ballroom, Embassy Suites & Conference Center

Oklahoma has 38 federally recognized tribes and the highest percentage of Native Americans of any state. To kick off this year’s festivities, we’ll celebrate this cultural diversity with opening prayers, traditional song, dance and drumming. Then, we’ll explore how Native peoples in Oklahoma and beyond influence conservation and environmental policies across the state, the nation and the globe. Following dinner, settle in and watch SEJ’s Environmental Journalism Awards, the best of the best environmental reporting and photojournalism on the planet — great work that’s changing the world, one story, one photo, one book at a time. Coverage.

Emcees:
Nancy Gaarder, Weather Reporter, Omaha World-Herald
Sarah Terry-Cobo, Energy Reporter, The Journal Record (Oklahoma City)
Jeff Burnside, Senior Investigative Reporter, KOMO 4 News, Seattle

Welcome: Ed Kelley, Interim Dean, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and former editor, The Oklahoman, will be introduced by the "Singing Sooners."

Moderator: Jennifer Loren, Executive Producer and Host, "Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People," Cherokee Nation Businesses

Speakers:
Marilyn Baptiste, 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner and Xeni Gwet'in Councilor, will join us via satellite from her native land in British Columbia
Casey Camp-Horinek, Native Rights Activist, Environmentalist and Actress, and member of the Ponca Nation
Clara Caufield, Publisher and Reporter, A Cheyenne Voice

 

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Thursday, October 8
Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10
Sunday, October 11