Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind
2014

The Little Theatre Rochester, NY

with

Dr. Callie Babbitt

Assistant Professor, Golisano Institute of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind — Human Sustainability and Biological Symbioses

Dr. Callie Babbitt discussed human sustainability and biological symbioses.

The Little Theatre Rochester, NY

Film Synopsis

Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.

One thousand years have passed since the Seven Days of Fire, an apocalyptic war that destroyed civilization and created the vast Toxic Jungle, a poisonous forest swarming with giant mutant insects. Now, only small pockets of humanity survive. One pocket is the kingdom of the Valley of the Wind, where a princess named Nausicaä (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto) explores the jungle and communicates with its inhabitants, including the gigantic, armored trilobite-like creatures called Ohm. She hopes to understand the jungle and find a way for it and humans to coexist. Acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle) co-wrote and directed this anime adventure film.

About the Speaker

Dr. Callie Babbitt is an assistant professor in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she conducts research on the environmental implications of emerging technologies, including consumer electronics, nanomaterials, and lithium ion batteries. She teaches courses such as “Understanding Sustainability,” “Applied Life Cycle Assessment,” and “Sustainable Product Design” as part of the innovative Sustainability PhD, MS, and MArch programs at RIT. Prior to coming to RIT, Dr. Babbitt was a postdoctoral research associate at Arizona State University. She received her PhD and ME in environmental engineering from the University of Florida, and her BS in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.