Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida, Dr Maya Trotz, will deliver the feature address at the upcoming “Gender on the Frontlines” Feminist Conference, which will examine the interconnected issues of gender, health and the environment.
The conference, being organised by Tamùkke Feminists in partnership with the University of Guyana’s Institute of Gender Studies, will be held from August 17 to 18 at the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) on the university’s Turkeyen campus under the theme, “Roles, Risks and Urgency in a Changing Environment.”
According to the organisers, the two-day event will bring together academics, activists, policymakers and members of the public to discuss the impacts of environmental change through a gender lens.
Trotz, whose work focuses on coastal communities and environmental resilience, currently serves as Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation-funded Strong Coasts project, which examines nature-based solutions in Belize, Miami and the United States Virgin Islands. She also co-directs BlueGap, a Blue Economy Convergence Accelerator Project that works with communities to address nitrogen pollution and strengthen public awareness through community-based research and engagement.
In comments ahead of the conference, Trotz said her presentation would draw on her work examining the relationship between communities and water in the Caribbean and the United States.
“I want to reframe how we think about care,” she said, arguing that caregivers are often the first to detect environmental changes and emerging risks.
“Caregivers notice changes first. They track exposure before systems do. They hold knowledge that can save lives and ecosystems,” she said.
Trotz also urged greater recognition of the role of care in responding to environmental challenges.
“We stop treating care as background work and start recognizing it as advanced environmental intelligence,” she added.
Reflecting on the conference theme, Trotz said her perspective was shaped by her experiences growing up along Guyana’s coastline.
“When I think about Roles, Risks, and Urgency in a Changing Environment, I go back to a personal shoreline next to the Atlantic Ocean, right where Kitty meets Subryanville. That coast shaped how I understand water, risk, memory and survival,” she said.
Environmental change, she noted, is not a distant or abstract concept but one that affects everyday life.
“It arrives in homes, drains, kitchens, seawalls, gardens, bodies, everyday routines, and your gas tank,” she said.
Organisers said the conference will feature panel discussions, presentations and other activities focused on the intersections of gender, environmental change and public health. A full programme is expected to be released closer to the event.
The organisers have encouraged early registration and have extended the deadline for abstract submissions to June 26. This can be done via https://forms.gle/4sARq8s4k3uwTcYk9
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