yale environmental n e w s The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies spring 2008 · vol. 13, no. 2 Greetings from New YIBS Director Jeffrey Park see page 2 News from the Director of YIBS By Jeffrey Park RoseRita Riccitelli I was honored last autumn to be asked to serve as the Director of Yale’s faculty positions in Ecology & Evolutionary search for extraterrestrial life. An interdepart- at present, and a substantial public outreach Institute for Biospheric Studies by President Richard Levin and Provost Biology, and each year awards Gaylord mental hiring initiative in the broad field of effort has been proposed for the center. The Donnelley environmental postdoctoral fellow- microbiology has been presented to the Dean final form of the proposed institute is subject Andrew Hamilton. ships to researchers in the biodiversity of both of Yale College and the Provost. Establishing a to many uncertainties. At this stage of plan- our present world and in the geologic past. multi-departmental faculty cluster in the newly ning, however, one thing is clear: YIBS will play I have had the great benefit of succeeding That was 2004. This is 2008 and the stakes we YIBS seeded a faculty position in Geology acquired laboratories of Yale’s West Campus is an important role if the Yale Climate Institute Derek Briggs, whose able leadership of YIBS face are larger. The twin pressures on global & Geophysics, maintaining Yale’s leading one possible outcome of this effort. becomes a reality. has given me momentum and guidance for agriculture exerted by the developing world’s scholarship in how climate and atmospheric Biospheric studies at Yale serves broadly The Winter/Spring 2008 semester has the future. To a large extent, the change in hunger for meat and the developed world’s greenhouse gases are related together in earth based intellectual and societal goals, but an been an exciting one for YIBS, full of opportu- YIBS leadership has been marked by continu- thirst for biofuels has raised the prospect that history. So-called “green” technology softens even broader set of goals was articulated this nity. I thank RoseRita Riccitelli for smoothing ity in its activities: the Donnelley postdoctoral millions of people might need to give up eat- the impact of economic growth on the natural year by Yale faculty across a dozen depart- the leadership transition for me, and whose fellowship program, support for graduate ing, period. world. YIBS has seeded faculty positions in ments and schools. As of this writing, a pro- new title of Assistant Director properly reflects students in YIBS-allied departments, the lively Acknowledging the environmental chal- sustainable engineering, water resource man- posal to create the Yale Climate Institute (YCI) her role in keeping the Institute humming with symposia sponsored by the Center for the lenge is not the same as addressing it. There agement and green architecture. Ecological is being prepared for the Provost. The creation activity. Study of Global Change, the isotope measure- is no way to turn back the calendar to a time disruption will influence the spread of disease of YCI is motivated by the recognition by Yale’s RoseRita is ably supported by Daniele ments and genomic sequencing of the Isotope in which 9 billion human beings lived on pathogens; YIBS seeded a relevant faculty climate scientists, biologists, economists and Dugre-Martin, Senior Administrative Assistant. Center and ECOSAVE lab, respectively, and Earth in a sustainable manner. Such a time position in the School of Epidemiology and policy scholars that the impending impact of Thomas Lovejoy, the chair of the External the ever-tasty sandwiches served at the Friday has never existed. Instead, we must innovate, Public Health. The impersonal dynamics of the human-induced climate change is perhaps the Advisory Committee, has been a consistent YIBS lunch seminars. The global environment adapt and adjust. The enormous scope of the natural world are not the only factor to con- greatest challenge of all time to human inge- source of intellectual and moral support. outside Yale is far from static, however, and environmental challenge informs the proper sider; societal impact is also malleable. YIBS nuity. Strategies to mitigate or adapt to climate Together we look forward to an interesting YIBS will respond to, and hopefully anticipate, role of biospheric studies at a great university has seeded faculty searches in environmental change could be needed too soon to accept future for YIBS. its changes. like Yale. We must understand how life and anthropology, with a focus on the societal the usual intellectual separation of science and American society faces interlocking our planet interact in order to develop sensible impact of globalization, and in demography, policy research within the University. YCI pro- challenges in the 21st century, and it is not policies for managing our own ever-expanding because population pressure catalyzes envi- poses a bold reorganization of Yale’s natural assured success in confronting any one of role in the natural world. Developing new ronmental impact. and social scientists around the four themes them. We wish to maintain economic activity knowledge relevant to this problem is the prin- at levels that satisfy basic needs and desires, cipal goal of YIBS. American society faces interlocking challenges to retain healthy natural environments outside YIBS supports faculty-hiring initiatives the “built” environment, and to use natural across Yale’s departments and schools to in the 21st century, and it is not assured success resources in a manner that is sustainable facilitate research and scholarship in many in confronting any one of them. enough to keep the game going into the 22nd topical areas. YIBS seeds faculty positions century. At the turn of this century it was still across the University by offering salary sup- In addition to the hiring initiatives of the of (1) environmental dynamics and climate his- possible to believe that Earth’s natural envi- port for five years to each new YIBS professor. past decade, the Faculty Council last year tory, (2) climate change mitigation, (3) climate ronment was a sideshow to the main arenas Each year members of the Faculty Council and authorized YIBS to seed a faculty position in change adaptation, and (4) energy resources. of human endeavor: business, technology, the External Advisory Board of YIBS discuss geomicrobiology, the symbiosis of microbial In early March a workshop was held to assess culture, political activity and war. As I write new research opportunities at their respective life within the Earth system. Initiated as a part- the range of climate-related research currently this, a shift in perception is occurring as food meetings. This deliberative process has done nership between the departments of Geology performed at Yale. The range is surprisingly and energy shortages remind us of our two- much to rejuvenate the study of organismal & Geophysics and Ecology & Evolutionary large, from climate effects on disease-vector way interaction with our planet. If motivated biology on campus, and has grafted new Biology, this corner of biospheric studies soon ecology to novel photovoltaic polymer tech- only by personal desires and market forces, research subfields onto existing departments attracted support from other Yale depart- nology to policy ideas that meld free-market a society tends to deplete its environmental and schools. ments. In addition to the Molecular, Cellular & concepts with environmental protection. The resources unthinkingly. In an Environmental YIBS faculty positions have been allocated Developmental Biology department and Yale’s workshop showed that Yale has a sufficient Studies seminar I taught with John Wargo, we to address a wide variety of biospheric con- School of Medicine, stakeholders include mix of faculty research to initiate a credible examined how overfishing in Atlantic waters, cerns. To preserve biodiversity in locations the Chemistry and Astronomy departments, multi-disciplinary effort in climate studies. cover: Squinting Brown Bush Butterly, Bicyclus anynana. facilitated by advances in trawler technology, touched by human activity, one must under- Photo by Kathleen Prudic. See page 25 for article. motivated by the potential use of microbes Some critical research areas, such as biofuels refrigeration and supermarket marketing, has stand how biodiversity sustains itself outside for innovative chemical synthesis and by the and marine biology, are lightly covered at Yale forced millions of people to give up eating cod. human intervention. YIBS has seeded several 2 yale environmental n e w s yale environmental n e w s 3 conferences , s e m i n a r s , s y m p o s i a Hendy, Gaylord Donnelley Postdoctoral Environmental Associate, Department of Ocean and Climate Forum Geology & Geophysics, Marine biodiversity Oceanographic Institution) discussed physi- atmosphere. Niklas Schneider (University during the Cenozoic: assessing the response of cal processes occurring in the Arctic Ocean, of Hawaii) and Annalisa Bracco (Georgia clams and snails to global paleoenvironmental including those that led to an unprecedented Tech) discussed the role of the Pacific and and biogeographic change n Jay Ague, Professor, loss of perennial sea ice in the Arctic during Indian oceans, respectively, in global and Department of Geology & Geophysics, Exergy, the summer of 2007. local