Children’s Health & Climate Change Symposium
November 13-14th, 2025 @ Haskell Indian Nations University
“Climate change is intrinsically linked to public health, food and water security, migration, peace, and security. It is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics. We have a profound responsibility to the fragile web of life on this Earth, and to this generation and
those that will follow.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
The Rising Voices Changing Coasts (RVCC) Convergence Science Hub is hosting the second annual Children’s Health and Climate Change Symposium November 13 and 14, 2025 at Haskell Indian Nations University. This year’s theme is - It’s All About Water.
In the face of global climate change many places now have so much water at times that it becomes deadly, while others have so little water it threatens life. Extreme weather events like flooding and droughts increasingly pose major health risks to our most vulnerable human populations – especially children.
This year’s Children’s Health and Climate Change Symposium: It’s All About Water will address the full range of climate-related health, wellness, and safety issues. We invite climate scientists, medical and environmental health professionals, and social scientists to share their work. Our target audience is students, especially undergraduate students, including those from tribal colleges and universities. The RVCC Convergence Science Hub aims to encourage students to consider careers in medicine, public, community, and environmental health by showing them the importance of having trained health professionals help prepare their communities to address the current and future climate-related health threats their children will likely face.
Our panel discussions will cover links between climate change and mental health, public design, food sovereignty, and emergency and disaster management. Our keynote speakers include Lori Peek and Helen Russett.
Thurs. November 13, 2025
We will host a medicine and environmental health career fair, followed by an evening banquet with a keynote speaker, as a prelude to our main symposium program Fri. November 14th. We welcome colleges and universities to participate in the career fair!
Poster abstract submission form https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0N9WcG8xueaFFCm
Interested vendors should reach out to admin@rvcchub.org.
Agenda on Thursday
9am - Table set-up
10am-2pm - Health & Medicine Career Fair in Navarre 114
2pm - Table breakdown
2:30pm - Poster setup
3-5pm: Poster session in Navarre 114
6pm Banquet at Curtis Hall on Haskell campus
Agenda on Friday
8:30am: OPENING PROTOCOL || Haskell Auditorium (breakfast provided)
8:45-9am: Welcome by Dr. Wildcat, agenda setting, housekeeping
9-10am: KEYNOTE: Lori Peek
10-11am: PANEL: Food Sovereignty w/Brett Ramey
11-12pm: PANEL: Mental Health w/Kyle Hill
12-1pm: RVCC Presentations - Lunch provided through 1pm
1-2pm: PANEL: Design for Resilience w/Tim Schneider
2-2:45pm: PANEL: Students, w/Stephanie Willis
2:45-3pm: BREAK
3-4pm: PANEL: Caring for Caregivers by Jenniffer Santos-Hernandez
4-4:30: Group discussion & questions, CLOSING PROTOCOL
Fri. November 14, 2025
Children’s Health and Climate Change Symposium: It’s All About Water scheduled for 8:30am-4:30pm at the Haskell Auditorium. Campus map here and pictured below.
The closest parking lot is located next to the Haskell Cultural Center at 2411 Barker Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046
From there, the Auditorium is southeast in the direction of the bus stop on Barker Avenue.
Accommodations
Our hotel block is at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott located at 1 Riverfront Plaza, Lawrence, KS 66044
Light breakfasts are provided at our Career Fair & the Symposium (Thursday-Friday). Box lunches for vendors will be available on Thursday. We are hosting a banquet for registered participants on Thursday at 6pm in Curtis Hall on the Haskell campus. Lunch will be available for all registered participants on Friday. Refreshments will be available throughout both days.
Coffee will be on hand until supplies run out each day. There’s a wonderful coffee shop located at Stidham Union across the lawn from the Auditorium.
If you have emergent printing or other accommodations needs, please reach out to our administrative email address so someone on our team can assist: admin@rvcchub.org
Poster Session
We invite climate scientists, medical and environmental health professionals, social scientists, and students to share their work. Our target audience is students, especially undergraduate students, including those from tribal colleges and universities. Please submit a poster about your work by October 31, 2025 to have it included in this year’s poster session.
Please submit your posters by following the link below (accessed through the “Sign Up” button or the QR code). Please note, although you will be taken to a K State website, this form is to sign up for the poster session for the Children’s Health and Climate Change Symposium at Haskell Indian Nations University.
