Pittsburgh, PA 2004

SEJ's 14th annual conference, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, took place October 20-24. On Wednesday, attendees heard a variety of views on the role of celebrities in environmental advocacy, received a surprise welcome to Pittsburgh from Teresa Heinz Kerry, and winners of SEJ's third annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment were announced. Ken Ward Jr. took home the Stolberg Award for distinguished volunteer service. Thursday, ten different tours transported conferees to sites ranging from dams and longwall mining to brownfields and the continent's largest bird-banding operation. In the evening, the venue was the Carnegie Museum of Natural History with a keynote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and behind-the-scenes peeks at the museum's vast insect collection. Friday and Saturday were spent in sessions at the Carnegie Mellon campus or local mini-tours, hearing from EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt and other representatives of government, as well as industry leaders, top scientists, and environmental advocates on a multitude of topics. Saturday night, attendees rocked the boat to No Bad JuJu during a 3-hour cruise on Pittsburgh's rivers. The conference wrapped up Sunday morning at the National Aviary with tours of its many exhibits, and a plenary on Pittsburgh's environmental history. Agenda and speaker bios. Conference coverage. Photo gallery. SEJournal coverage (stories on pages 4 and 7). Conference exhibitors and independent hospitality events.

Conference host / co-chair: Carnegie Mellon University / Don Hopey