Past Webcasts

Beyond Extraction: Rethinking mining ethics through community and care

(11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT)

While mining practices predate European arrival in the Great Lakes Region, the ethics involved are complex and shaped by competing responsibilities, regulations, and worldviews. In response to modern, large-scale industrial methodologies and their often-detrimental impacts on our ecosystems, partners from communities, government agencies, and industry recently came together to explore these challenges and move engineering ethics education toward a more holistic approach, grounded in well-being and environmental stewardship. When shifting federal priorities reduced capacity, though, the initiative was meaningfully disrupted. Join us for this episode to learn how collaborative teams can adapt to such challenges while continuing to center community voices and uphold ethical commitments in place-based work.

Guest

Sophie Llenos

Michigan State University

PhD candidate in Earth and Environmental Science

Sophie Llenos is a settler guest on Anishinaabe Aki, originally from Toledo, Ohio, and currently based near Waawiyatanong (Detroit), Michigan. Growing up accompanying her civil engineer father to construction sites and camping in Hocking Hills, she developed an early interest in how humans shape and are shaped by the Land. An avid hiker and wife, Sophie’s personal and professional life are grounded in a love of Land and community.

Sophie is a PhD candidate in Earth and Environmental Science at Michigan State University, where her collaborative research focuses on ethical engagement in Land-based industries. She holds a B.S. in Geology with a minor in Anthropology and has worked across museums, parks, nonprofits, and higher education. She serves in leadership roles with the Buckeye Trail Association and the Porter Voice Collective and has contributed to international applied research through the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange. Sophie also holds graduate certificates in Adult Learning, Indigenous Studies, Museum Studies, and Nonprofit Leadership, and is committed to fostering ethical, community-centered approaches to Land stewardship and ensuring future generations have access to and care for the natural world, of which we are all a part.