Dr. Sarah Kelly, Energy Justice Across the Five Colleges, Oct 1

October 01, 2026 9:00 am - 8:30 pm ET
Multi-part event

2026 Visiting Lecturer: Dr. Sarah Kelly, Dartmouth College

Energy Justice Across the Five Colleges

Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1, 2026

At Smith College & UMass Amherst

 

About the 2026 Visiting Lecturer:

Energy transitions are not only technical challenges. Questions of who pays, who decides, who is consulted, and who carries the burden of new infrastructure are fundamental issues of policy and power. Across New England, these decisions are being shaped in real time within local communities.  

This special visit features Dr. Sarah Kelly, co-founder of the Energy Justice Clinic at Dartmouth College where students collaborate with northern New England communities, ensuring the shift to renewable energy is both fair and fast. Dr. Kelly’s research encompasses water and energy equity, legal geography, and participatory methods, including long-standing work with Indigenous communities in Chile on hydropower and rights.

Dr. Kelly’s two-day visit spans some of the area campuses. At UMass, EGCS and SES serve as the convening hubs. 

Schedule Highlights:

Thursday, October 1, 5:30 pm, Dr. Sarah Kelly public lecture: What does a just transition look like?
For the full schedule, please see the flyer and information below.
Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1: Five-College Geography, Society & Environment 2026 Visiting Lecturer events.
 
Weds Sept 30 5:00 to 6:00 PM: Geography, Society and Environment  Graduate Student Discussion: research methods and trajectories: A discussion with graduate students. Hasbrock 234/6. RSVP required.
Sept 30 6:30 to 8:00 PM  Five College Geography, Society & Environment Network Faculty networking dinner, 6:30 PM, Downtown Amherst. RSVP required.
Thurs Oct 1, 4:00 to 4:45 PM: UMass and Five College undergraduates meet Dr. Kelly: Co-designing energy solutions and collaboratively research energy injustices. RSVP required.
Thurs Oct 1, 5:30 to 6:30, Public Lecture: Dr. Sarah Kelly: What does a just transition look like?  In-person in Morrill 222 or by Zoom. Register and access the remote participation here. 
Thurs Oct 1, 7:00 to 8:30 Five College Geography, Society, and Environment Networking pizza dinner. RSVP requested..
 

Sponsoring Partners

Delivered in partnership with academic departments and centers across UMass Amherst and the Five Colleges:

UMass Amherst: Earth, Geographic & Climate Sciences, GIST, Anthropology, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, School of Environment and Sustainability, ELEVATE, Energy Transition Institute,Clean Energy Extension; Amherst College: Environmental Studies, Anthropology and Sociology; Smith College: Environmental Science and Policy, Spatial Analysis Lab; Mt Holyoke College: Miller Worley Center for the Environment, Geology and Geography, Environmental Studies; and the Five College Lecture Fund.

Join the Five College network

To join the Five College Geography, Society, and Environment network,request membership in the google group: @email. Scholars, students, and community members affiliated with other educational institutions are welcome..

2026 series flyer

Join us this fall for Dr. Kelly's visit!