Encounters with Holmes Rolston – an Ecological Engineer’s Path

In this seminar we will explore the interface of Holmes Rolston’s foundational work in environmental ethics with different approaches to nature stewardship and restoration, ranging from compensatory mitigation to creation care.  After a brief review of key elements in Rolston’s account, we will touch on extensions of his work by theologians concerned with ecological restoration, including recent work by Bethany Sollereder, with the aim of clarifying possible roles humans can play.

Brian Bledsoe is Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Resilient Infrastructure, and founding director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.  Brian has over 30 years of experience as a civil and environmental engineer, hydrologist, and environmental scientist in the private and public sectors.  He holds degrees from Georgia Tech, North Carolina State University, and Colorado State University (Ph.D. Civil Engineering – Hydraulics).  Before entering the professorate, he worked as a consulting engineer and surveyor, and for the State of North Carolina as a watershed restoration engineer.  Brian’s research is focused on the interface of engineering, hydrology, and ecology with emphasis on infrastructure systems, stormwater and flood management, water quality, and natural infrastructure.  He received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2006, served as a Fulbright Scholar in Chile in 2008, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2017, and is past president of the American Ecological Engineering Society.