Glenn Denning grew up in Brisbane, Australia, loved the outdoors and hated the idea of working in an office. And, he really didn’t have any urge to go to other countries. Then he happened to overhear a conversation in a hallway between two students. That bit of serendipity sent him on a road to a life overseas; to key roles in “green revolutions” in Asia and Africa; and eventually to an office at Columbia University, and the Earth Institute.
Jeffrey Shaman has never been one to study or do anything in isolation, but has always chosen to focus on the intersection of how things work. Given this trait, it is no surprise that his interdisciplinary research looks to reveal how meteorology and hydrology affect the propagation of infectious diseases.
Shillington’s research at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has led her to a deeper appreciation of the societal impacts on populations concentrated around the boundaries of plate tectonic hazards. “There is very much a need to understand fundamental processes at plate boundaries in order to better assess possible hazards and resources in these areas,” says Shillington.
by Kaci Fowler Yochanan Kushnir began his career as a meteorologist in the Israeli Navy, where he started as an operational marine forecaster, and with time became the Navy’s Chief Meteorology Officer. As part of his duties, Kushnir ventured out to sea to collect meteorological and oceanographic data for research. Motivated by these experiences, Kushnir [...]
“What I like,” says Richard Seager, “is the fact that the Earth Institute has so many people working on the climate change and variability issue – from people like me doing the straight climate research to others working on how to build resilience to climate variability and change, to others working on how to prevent the worst climate change through, for example, carbon capture and storage. Whenever I am in that mix, conversations strike up that touch on areas of overlap, which, once opened, provide a wonderful flow of information between the areas of expertise. This sort of place, given its ability to tackle the climate problem in its entirety, could have a huge impact.”
State of the Planet is a forum for discussion on varying viewpoints. The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Earth Institute or Columbia University.
