Field Report: Women in Science Summit 2016
June 22, 2016
D.C. Randle’s field report from the first annual Women in Science Summit hosted at the California Academy of Sciences. This year, my friend and mentor,
D.C. Randle’s field report from the first annual Women in Science Summit hosted at the California Academy of Sciences. This year, my friend and mentor,
In her new book, Lab Girl, Hope Jahren transforms the sedentary, slow-growing lives of plants into a vibrant series of stories that are interwoven with tales of her own research career. “In the end, I am not sure which is more extraordinary, the plants or the woman who studies them,” writes reviewer Meg Lowman. Read […]
World-acclaimed photojournalist Gary Braasch died on March 7, 2016 while photographing coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Gary’s passion was to visualize climate
The leadership of Bhutan recognizes that one way to ensure the future of GNH — along with its unique value system — is prioritizing access to the natural world for all citizens. Green plants and healthy ecosystems are inextricably linked to human health, a vital part of gross national happiness, and are protected in Bhutan’s environmentally conscious constitution. (Of note, a key drawback to America’s GDP is that it does not measure the value of healthy ecosystems, known as natural capital.) Recently, the King of Bhutan launched a program to protect natural areas, especially national parks. Royal Manas National Park will feature an innovative construction called BATS (Bhutan Aerial Trail System) that entails a massive canopy walkway complex that includes a treetop scientific research station. An international team will work together to develop one of the world’s largest canopy walkway systems to jumpstart research on Bhutan’s biodiversity, but also to infuse a big dose of gross happiness into the fabric of Bhutan’s landscape.
Dr. Lowman is quoted in this article from cbsnews.com regarding the dozens of new species that have been discovered in 2015. The far reaches of
Biodiversity goes to extremes — my son, James Burgess, CEO of Open Biome, is trying to track 2 billion things in our intestines, while I
Bryson Voirin, a long-standing TREE Foundation research associate who has devoted much of his research career to sloth ecology, has written this article about how
Walking into a forest is probably one of the most immersive ecological experiences. It isn’t like walking into any other landscape like a mountain or a desert, both of which introduce their marvels at a deliberate pace. When you step into a forest, it is almost as if the edge zips shut behind you. The trees sieve the bright sunlight into twinkling stars, the soggy ground softens your step and the foliage pushes against the world outside.
“To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.”–Helen Keller Twenty-eight citizen scientists from the California Academy of Sciences traveled to the Amazon jungle for eight days this summer. Their mission: to document their observations of the forest canopy for science, and to contribute […]
As our plane began its descent toward Iquitos, Peru, I knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime. I had been anxiously awaiting