Prof. Elena Berg and AUP Green Lead Environmental Science Poster Project and Celebrate Interdisciplinary Collaboration

In testament to the power of interdisciplinary learning, Dr Elena Berg, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Joy and Edward Frieman Environmental Science Center, hosted AUP’s environmental poster presentation session this spring as part of the Center’s second annual scientific conference.

Showcasing over 100 student posters spanning 14 courses and three departments—Computer Science, Mathematics & Environmental Studies (CSMES), Film Studies, and Art History & Fine Arts—the event provided students with an opportunity to present their innovative ideas for the future of our planet across disciplines.

The seeds for the poster event were planted in 2024, when Computer Science, Mathematics and Environmental Science professors Marco Pascucci and Francesca Balestrieri organized a multi-class event combining student talks and research projects. Encouraged by its success, Berg decided to focus exclusively on poster presentations this year, with broader faculty participation, as well as that of Student Government and of the University’s environmental club AUP Green. “The theme is the environment, but I’ve made things purposefully broad. In another shift from last year, I’ve paired up with members of AUP Green and our two CSMES student senators to help organize the event from the get-go,” she explains.

Berg and the participating students aimed to combine the issues discussed in environmental science courses with questions related to contemporary art, including eco-art, land-art and sustainability in the arts. The goal of the project was above all to perpetuate student involvement and give students an opportunity to conduct the kind of work that a lot of scientific students will be doing in their future, all the while raising awareness on campus, across Paris and beyond.

“The environment is absolutely everywhere in our curriculum, and this makes perfect sense,” says Berg. “Of course, most of the posters come out of my department given the history of the event, but I was so pleased to have submissions from Delphine Debord’s Botanical Drawing and Printmaking courses and from Lého Galibert-lainé’s Film Theory and Criticism course,” she adds.

Debord’s students, for instance, submitted delicate, observational drawings of native Parisian flora, offering an artistic complement to the scientific posters on climate change, renewable energy and biodiversity. “If we’d had more time,” Berg mused, “I would have loved to pair up her students with environmental science students to explore the ecological roles of those plants. Maybe next time!”

This spirit of cooperation, she noted, is at the core of AUP’s approach. “The only way we’re going to tackle the world’s enormous environmental challenges is to work together, drawing strength from our respective disciplines.”

Reflecting on the student projects, Berg emphasized the range of inquiry and creativity. Posters explored local sustainability initiatives, global environmental policies and imaginative visual storytelling related to ecological themes. The winners of the competition included posters on handmade films in collaboration with nature; plastic waste; recycling efforts in France versus the United States; turning eco-anxiety into action; and renewable wind energy.

In a short behind-the-scenes video, student participants discuss the process of distilling complex research into accessible visual presentations, an exercise that underscores both communication and critical thinking.

“We’re not just doing science for science’s sake,” one student says in the video. “We’re trying to reach people, to inform them and maybe even inspire them.”

For Berg and her colleagues at the Frieman Center, the poster event is part of a broader commitment to making AUP a “living lab” for environmental inquiry. “The Frieman Center has no external funding. It’s just us,” explains Berg. “So I focus on what I can do with students directly, including running experiments in the beetle lab, brainstorming campus greening initiatives, and organizing events like this.”

By giving students hands-on opportunities to research, collaborate and present, Berg hopes to instill knowledge, creativity and agency. “We’re creating a space where students can experiment and grow before heading out into the wider world. My hope is that they’ll carry that energy into whatever careers they pursue.”