The annual Clifford Symposium is named after College Professor of History Emeritus Nicholas R. Clifford (b. 1930 – d. 2019), who taught history at Middlebury College from 1966 to 1993 and who in his many years as a member of the faculty and administration cultivated critical inquiry. Learn more about Nicholas R. Clifford and his impact on Middlebury and the world.
THE 2019 CLIFFORD SYMPOSIUM
The 2019 Clifford Symposium on The Future of the Global Ocean will feature a keynote address by Dr. Kara Lavender Law, Research Professor of Oceanography, Sea Education Association. Featured speakers Dr. Jennifer Francis (Woods Hole Research Center), Dr. Lisa Gilbert (Williams College), and Dr. Randi Rotjan (Boston University) will help us explore key environmental topics from marine protected areas and submarine thermal vents to ocean plastics and the influence of melting sea ice on continental weather patterns. The symposium will also host a screening of the documentary film Chasing the Thunder, which recounts a remarkable story of environmental activism on the high seas. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society head Paul Watson and filmmaker Mark Benjamin will introduce and answer questions about the film.