SPS 2012: Speaker Ian Urbina

After the excitement of experiencing the St. Albans School of Public Service's first ever derecho (click the link for the Washington Post article -- short version: crazy windy thunderstorm!), we've had a tranquil couple of days here on the Cathedral Close.  This morning we hosted Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporter Ian Urbina, a St. Albans School graduate.  Mr. Urbina spoke about the process of investigative journal in general, and then gave SPS insight into his recent work on the controversial natural gas drilling technique hydrauling fracturing (aka "fracking") (click here for a link to a collection of Mr. Urbina's articles on fracking).  During the extensive Q & A that followed, Mr. Urbina also discussed his work with the team that uncovered the prostitution scandal that forced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer from office--work for which Mr. Urbina and his colleagues received the Pulitzer Prize.

In preparation for Mr. Urbina's visit, the SPSers read and discussed several of his articles on hydraulic fracturing yesterday, and then this afternoon discussed the concept of "geo-engineering" as a possible solution to climate change.  The discussion was lively and encompassed not only a discussion of the possible risks of doing things like trying to raise the temperature of the ocean (yes, that's right, a whole ocean!), but whether focusing on a technological fix to potential climate change issues is wise from a policy perspective (in the sense that it might discourage efforts to reduce CO2 emissions).  (Click HERE for a link to the New Yorker article on geo-engineering we discussed.)  Also on Monday (it was a big reading day!), the SPS class of 2012 discussed a Harvard Kennedy School case study focusing on the undercover "hidden camera" variety of investigative journalism.  (Click HERE for an abstract of that case study.)