Researchers from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs found detectable levels of microcystin, a toxin produced by several common species of cyanobacteria, in 68 percent of a sample of Indiana lakes and reservoirs. That's higher than twice the rate at which microcystin was found in a nationwide survey conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The NonProfit Alliance of Monroe County and the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs will present the Nonprofit Toolkit, a symposium designed to develop the skills of managers, employees and volunteers with community organizations, on Nov. 6 at Bloomington City Hall.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Indiana University a $5 million grant to continue a project that measures levels of airborne toxic chemicals being deposited in the Great Lakes. The Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network project is led at IU by Ronald Hites, Distinguished Professor, and by Ilora Basu, a research scientist in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

The Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) will name the atrium of its IU Bloomington building for one of the school's best-known and most distinguished alumni: TV and radio host, author, philanthropist, advocate and documentary filmmaker Tavis Smiley. A renaming and dedication ceremony will take place Oct. 30.

Indiana University dignitaries dedicated Multidisciplinary Science Building Phase II, the Bloomington campus's newest science building, in a special ceremony on Thursday. The dedication was part of October's month-long Celebrate IU initiative. IU President Michael A. McRobbie led a platform party that included members of the IU Board of Trustees, Provost Karen Hanson, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Bennett Bertenthal, School of Public and Environmental Affairs Dean John Graham, and Provost's Professor of Geological Sciences Lisa Pratt, who has also been chair of the MSB II Design and Oversight Committees. David Johnson, president and CEO of BioCrossroads, was the event's keynote speaker.

A climate-change bill now before Congress is "ill-considered legislation aimed at a worthy objective," write Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs Dean John D. Graham and a co-author in the October 2009 SPEA Insights.

A diverse panel of Indiana University professors will speak on the issue of health care reform Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium at the Indiana Memorial Union. This free, open-to-the-public event is co-sponsored by the Indiana Memorial Union Board and the Teachable Moments Committee of the Commission on Multicultural Understanding.

The European Union Center and other academic units at Indiana University will sponsor a lecture and a day-long conference this week aimed at strengthening ties and communication between Indiana and the 27-nation European Union.

A panel discussion Friday by Indiana University professors on responding to climate change and a talk next Wednesday by the IU Bloomington director of sustainability are part of a series of "Bloomington 350" events leading up to an international day of action on climate change Oct. 24.

Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced today (Oct. 12). Ostrom is the Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. She is co-founder and senior research director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at IU.

Indiana University students will learn about global environmental issues and develop their Russian language skills and IU faculty members will find opportunities for research collaboration with Russian scientists and scholars under a new, federally funded project. The project, a partnership with Russia's Tyumen State University and Tyumen State Agricultural Academy, is funded by a three-year, $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

John D. Graham, dean of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, announced today (Oct. 5) the establishment of the SPEA Dean's Advisory Council, a group of respected leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector. The 21-member panel will provide advice on strategic directions, serve as ambassadors for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and assist with resource development.

Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Paul H. O'Neill will visit Bloomington and Indianapolis Sept. 15-16 as a guest of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. O'Neill, who has a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, has also been a widely respected leader in the business and nonprofit sectors.

Four entrepreneurship professors from Indiana University are listed as top researchers in their field in a research study authored by three Howard University scholars.

Two longtime Indiana University faculty members and a former IU trustee are part of the charter class of the Indiana Conservation Hall of Fame, a group that also includes a U.S. president, a popular author and the father of the Indiana state park system. The Indiana Natural Resources Foundation announced the class this week.

Congress may approve health reform legislation this year, but it remains to be seen whether the changes will stem the rising tide of health-care costs that is threatening the U.S. economy, an Indiana University expert writes in a new policy brief. Eric Wright, director of the IU Center on Health Policy and professor and associate dean of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, writes in the August 2009 issue of SPEA Insights.

A new publication from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs will help students and visitors better understand what makes the IU campus special. Titled The Woodland Campus, the glossy, pocket-size brochure includes information on the history, management and future of the quintessential urban forest, along with a "historic walking tour" focused on mature trees near the core of campus.

Health care reform has moved to the forefront of President Barack Obama's agenda, and citizen and interest groups are gearing up for a massive Washington battle. Indiana University experts from the fields of medicine, public health, law and public policy share their perspectives on the topic.

Leading experts on climate change, the auto industry, nuclear and fossil-fuel energy and other topics will share their insights and recommendations this month in a national energy policy conference sponsored by the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The conference, titled "The Search for a Wise Energy Policy," will take place all day Thursday, June 11 in Washington, D.C.

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is a promising tool that may help the United States meet future energy needs while controlling emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change, Indiana University researchers say in a new policy brief. But CCS presents policy and technical challenges that must be addressed if the nation is to make effective use of its plentiful supplies of coal, write A. James Barnes and Kenneth Richards.

More than 75 scientists, students and university administrators celebrated the opening of the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve's new Field Laboratory, an ecology and environmental sciences research station and classroom facility on the Bloomington campus. The field lab dedication was timed to coincide with Earth Day, April 22.

Eight Indiana University graduate schools and programs are ranked among the nation's top 25 by U.S. News and World Report magazine in its latest annual report, "America's Best Graduate Schools."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today (April 17) that it intends to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Faculty experts at Indiana University express different reactions but agree that the decision could and should put pressure on Congress to take action on greenhouse gases.

Bedbug outbreaks across the United States require a proactive approach, according to Marc Lame, clinical assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and an expert in pest management. Lame says operators of housing that is susceptible to infestations -- such as hotels, college dorms, apartments and shelters -- should make plans for preventing and responding to the problem.

Filmmaker John de Graaf will show and discuss his latest film, What's the Economy for Anyway?, on Monday, April 20, as part of Earth Week activities sponsored by the student Environmental Management Association at Indiana University Bloomington. The screening will be in IU Fine Arts 015, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the film starting at 7:30 p.m.