Political Science in the News

MPPA Students Present to ARC in DC

Students in Sustainable Communities Seminar Present Class Project to the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Tim Ezzell and students in his fall 2017 Sustainable Communities seminar traveled to Washington, D.C. to present a plan Dec. 1st to the Appalachian Regional Commission to improve the traffic to and conservation of the dark skies of Tennessee's Pickett State Park and surrounding area.

The class proposed several initiatives including a Junior Astronomers Club, a telescope library sharing program, a Dark Sky Resort, a dark sky themed food truck, and a dark skies-oriented sustainable lighting initiative. In addition to the conference activities associated with the Appalachian Teaching Project, UT students met with counterparts from 12 other Appalachian-based universities and also toured the U.S. Capitol and D.C.   

The students making the trip Nov. 30 thru Dec. 3 included: Gian Coppola, James Gallup, Nicole Lareau, Zeke Mason, Robin Peeler, Alexander Tallon, and Eve Whittenburg. Robin Peeler captured the sentiment of the entire class about this experience: "We learned so much throughout the project and during the trips to DC and Pickett State Park; we look forward to continue working in the areas of community involvement and dark skies. Dr. 'E'  was an excellent leader and instructor for this class and project."