Challenging Assumptions about Gender, Sex, and Vulnerability
Event Details
When:
Thu, May 7, 2026, 4:30pm - 5:20pm
Location:
Online: Zoom
In-Person at WWU:
Academic West 204
Price:
Free
Brought to you by:
College of the Environment, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
Description
Gender and sex identity influence how individuals experience environmental and social harms. Wildfires, earthquakes, and other disasters differentially impact vulnerable communities. People of all genders face reproductive challenges due to exposure to environmental toxicants. In our cities, vulnerable populations navigate a built environment, from housing to public spaces, that assumes everyone is financially stable and able-bodied. Panelists will challenge assumptions about gender, sex, and vulnerability from the perspectives of urban and environmental planning, disaster risk reduction, and toxicology. What assumptions about gender, sex, and vulnerability show up in environmental fields? Human bodies and social expectations around sex and gender vary, but are those differences being represented in scholarship and practice in the ways that matter?
The Environmental Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30pm in Academic Instructional Center West, room 204. Join us at WWU or online on Zoom!
Featuring:
Dr. Laninga is an Associate Professor and Program Director for the Urban Planning and Sustainable Design program. Dr. Laninga studies land use reforms and how communities can adopt policies that will make them more resilient, affordable, and diverse.
Dr. Paci-Green is Associate Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University. Dr. Paci-Green studies natural hazards and how communities can use environmental policy, planning, and education to reduce their disaster risk.
Dr. Sofield is a Professor of environmental toxicology and chemistry in the Environmental Science Department at WWU. Her research group focuses on the effects of emerging contaminants on aquatic life. Ruth is a member of the Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel and a Board member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Questions and Accommodations
- Your point of contact for this event is The Foundation for WWU & Alumni. Call (360) 650-3353 or email Alumni@wwu.edu.
- Advance notice for disability accommodations and special needs is appreciated. Please mention your needs when registering.
- There will be auto-captions for the Zoom webinar.
Visitor Parking at WWU on Weekdays
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: limited paid parking is available at the south C lots and north 6V and 7G lots.
- Purchase your permit at the lot pay stations or use the Parkmobile app.
- More parking details for campus visitors are available online.
Parking at WWU on Weekdays for Visitors with Disabilities
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: both a WWU permit and state disability placard are needed.
- Purchase your permit at the pay stations in lot C or 6V or use the Parkmobile app (use Zone 1200). This allows parking in any disability space. If these are full, you can use a non-reserved space nearby.
- More parking details for campus visitors with disabilities are available online.
The views expressed by our speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Western Washington University.
