Author: CERC Guest Blogger

Summer 2012 SEE-U Study Abroad Experience

by | 3.5.2012 at 5:23pm
SEEU-300x200

Summer 2012 applications for the Student Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduate program are now being accepted. Undergraduate students of all majors can apply for the opportunity to conduct field work and study unique ecosystems abroad.

Putting Wind in Trade’s Sails

by | 2.27.2012 at 12:34pm | 1 Comment
RA 66 Helio on the Untersee, a part of Lake Constance. The solar-powered catamaran is based in Radolfzell.

International maritime trade represents a unique example of global cooperation. With the help of a growing number of renewable energy technologies, the global community can work towards progress in this limited area and use it as a model for addressing emissions in other areas of the global economy.

The Economic Invisibility of Nature

by | 2.21.2012 at 11:32am
CorealReefEcology

In a talk at the TEDGlobal conference in July 2011, Pavan Sukhdev, CEO and founder of environmental consultation firm GIST Advisory, urges us to protect the coral reefs, as they are in serious danger of extinction. In his talk, Sukhdev invokes the “economic invisibility of nature” to describe the value of biodiversity and ecosystems services.

What Darwin Saw

by | 2.15.2012 at 11:10am
Darwin's insight was grounded in sensory observation and humility. His first drawing of an evolutionary tree is distinguished by the profound marking near the top: I think. (Image in the public domain)

Sir Charles Darwin realized that humanity is interwoven with nature, that all of life is in a state of constant flux. The empowerment of nature, made possible by Darwin’s integration of human life into the whole, and grounded in his lived experience and profound humility, is the foundation of modern ecology.

Biodiversity in the Shawangunk Mountains

by | 2.8.2012 at 12:08pm
biodiversity

Recently ranked highest in biological diversity and as one of the “last great places on Earth”, the Shawangunk Mountains are being actively reintroduced to forest fires in an attempt to preserve biodiversity.

Malaria and the Mason-Dixon

by | 2.2.2012 at 1:10pm
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium - Photo by Lukas.S

When push came to shove, it was a microscopic virus that would draw the frontiers of a nation, and help to decide the life and livelihood of millions upon millions of the Americans who came to live there.

The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

by | 1.30.2012 at 3:47pm
Organic Farm with Chicken Tractor

Savraj Singh Danjal, an ecopreneur based in New Jersey, has some practical solutions for your home energy bill — and for traffic, congestion, your view of the night sky, and how to keep your coffee warm.

City of the Future, Today

by | 1.30.2012 at 12:09pm
Model for the Masdar Headquarters, the biggest office building in Masdar City.

Masdar City is trying to pave the way for life without oil.

Ecological Succession: Forest Fires to the Ocean Floor

by | 1.27.2012 at 5:15pm
Hydrothermal Vent 1

A new study reveals that new microbes supplant the active hydrothermal vent’s microbes after the site ceases to produce thermal energy. Though more research is necessary to fully understand the regeneration process in the dormant hydrothermal vents, the study provides an additional platform for ecologists to explore how ecosystems recover from natural unbalances and how species adapt to severe changes in temperature, acidity, and chemical composition.

One Billion Gallons a Day, Naturally

by | 1.23.2012 at 5:46pm | 2 Comments
Over 1 billion gallons per day flow into the city from its pristine reservoir system

If not for the amazing feats of planning and engineering that provide access to clean water, New York City would never have become the essential node in the many meshworks of the world that it is today.