In conjunction with the art exhibit, “Mediterranean Rivers: Chained and Unchained,” now on display in the Carleton College Perlman Teaching Museum, geology professor emeritus Ed Buchwald will discuss the waterway that flows through Northfield in a presentation entitled “The Cannon River: Tamed and Untamed.”
This event takes place Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema and is free and open to the public.
In his presentation, Buchwald will discuss the origin and regular uses of the Cannon River since the original European settlement of the area during the 19th century. He will also showcase a topographic map of the river, discussing its geological formation.
Buchwald also plans to discuss an interesting research project that decades’ worth of Carleton students were engaged in. “The river was being evaluated as a possible cooling source for a coal-fired power plant that was proposed in the 1970s,” explains Buchwald. The plant was never built but the proposal posed a unique hands-on research opportunity for Carleton students. The biggest concern, says Buchwald, was whether or not the Cannon River contained enough water to cool the plant.
The talk will then conclude with a broader discussion of Buchwald’s work focused on environmental issues and how he has engaged students in environmental advocacy over the years.
Buchwald is the McBride Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies, Emeritus. He was a member of the Carleton faculty from 1967 to 2002, teaching courses in geology and environmental studies.
This event is sponsored by the Perlman Teaching Museum. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4342. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at Third and College Streets in Northfield.