N. Demers: Activities

ACTIVITIES

Please enjoy your visit, and contact me with your thoughts.

My role as an educator and researcher is invigorating. I am actively engaged in local growth-management issues. I participate in professional organizations of scientists and educators, and also take time to enjoy life as a citizen of one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.

Mining Impacts to the Human and Natural Environments

A compilation of Mining impacts resources and issues

On the Ides of March, 2008, with an all volunteer group of scientists including me, we held the

First International Conference on

Mining impacts to Human and Natural Environments

March 15, 2008

Best Western Conference Center Punta Gorda, Fl.

For a complete audio and power point record of the conference simply click on the title of the conference

The Responsible Growth Management Coalition was formed in 1988 to promote responsible growth management in Lee County within the parameters of the Florida Statutes and Administrative Code through informed citizen participation. I became a member in 1998, shortly after moving to southwest Florida to join "the nation's newest university". I serve as board member and secretary.

I also serve as the RGMC representative to the Estero Bay Agency on Bay Management. The ABM is a non-regulatory advisory committee to the South Florida Regional Planning Council. Its directive is to make comments and recommendations regarding the management of Estero Bay and its watershed. The ABM collects and maintains data and it reviews and comments to regulatory agencies on issues affecting the watershed.

ESTERO BAY LAND MANAGEMENT CELA TEGA

Monday June 9, 2008 8:15 am - 4:15 pm

FGCU SUGDEN Welcome Center Room 108

Working to conserve the gopher tortoise and the fascinating world in which it lives

The conversion of empty lands to urban areas radically changes the landscape. The fate of the Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), a species of special concern is appealing to examine as an interesting indicator species. I am also a member of the Gopher Tortoise Council which was formed in 1978 by a group of biologists and others concerned about the range-wide decline of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). The Council offers professional advice for management, conservation, and protection of gopher tortoises; encourages the study of the life history, ecology, and management of gopher tortoises and other upland species; conducts active public information and conservation education programs, and seeks effective protection of the gopher tortoise and other upland species throughout the southeastern United States.

Another benefit of being a faculty member at an institution of higher education is being supported and encouraged to vigorously pursue lifelong learning. Agencies and organizations offer tremendous opportunities to keep up to date with the latest technologies and issues.

My professional activities are enhanced and supported by the Whitaker Center. The Center is collaborative project of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education at FGCU. Our vision and mission focus on improving science, mathematics, and technology education at all levels.

Summers are enriched by participating in the GRC. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Visualization in Science and Education in Oxford, England in the summer of 2005 was an exciting conference. I was able to interact with colleagues working to develop even more outstanding resources to help teach and understand science with visualization tools. The FGCU Biotechnology program helped me attend the GRC on Science and Technology Policy at Big Sky Montana during the summer of 2004. I learned more about all the factors that influence Science and Technology Policy. The experience enriches the way I teach scientific and interdisciplinary courses.

In addition to membership on professional organization such as the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and the ISDCI (International Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology) I also review journal articles for the National Science Teacher's Association's Journal of College Science Teaching.

Another group I am very pleased to be associated with is the Eastern Section of the Fish Health Society. Each year there is a workshop sponsored by the USGS Leetown Science Center where researchers and graduate students present their latest finding- this link will take you to the abstracts for past workshops. Topics include not only fish health, but also invertebrate and coral reef health topics .

Enjoy Life!

The best times are when it is simply enough to stop
	grow orchids
enjoy our Chihuahuas
	and simply watch the world go by.

To that end, my husband and I both enjoy reading (he mostly reads about cooking and I read about science, history, mysteries and anything else that someone tells me about that the first sentence really grabs me)! We also love to swim and ride bikes. I have always enjoyed taking photographs, and when I find my "round tuit" I'll post some on this site.

We have also recently taken up the sport of disc golf. Fortunately this is a great way to merge our love of travel with some good exercise as there are over a thousand disc golf courses in the US (PDGA course directory)!

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the author and in no way represent those of FGCU or the FGCU board of trustees

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Last updated August 10, 2008