How Biosphere Programs Can Fulfill Science Requirements for Columbia and Barnard Students.

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NEWS

Published on January 24, 2002 | Columbia University Spectator

The Bert W. Martin Foundation awards the CU Biosphere 2 Center $800,000 in undergraduate financial aid to expand enrollment.

By Morika Tsuijimura
Spectator Staff Member

Earlier this month, the Bert W. Martin Foundation awarded Columbia University�s Biosphere 2 Center an $800,000 gift that will give more undergraduate students an opportunity to study in the Center�s Earth Semester program. The money is specifically for financial aid, an important step in expanding enrollment at the Center.

"Because our education programs have only been in existence for 6 years, we do not yet have wealthy alums to support our growth. The Martin Foundation gift is thus highly appreciated," said Charles Wood, Biosphere 2's director of education.

Biosphere 2, Columbia's 250-acre campus located in Oracle, Ariz., runs an experimental education program dedicated to teaching students earth systems science and policy crucial to informed leadership and decision-making for the future. Students, who come from a range of universities, pay the same tuition to attend one of the programs at the biosphere as they do at their respective universities.

There are currently two semester-long programs. Students enrolled in the Earth Semester study ecology, geology, climatology, as well as legal, political, and policy aspects of sustainability. Students enrolled in the Universe Semester, study astrophysics and astronomy under the night sky of the Arizona desert with access to state of the art telescopes.

Peter Neofotis, CC'03, who participated in Earth Semester last spring, described his semester as "inspirational," pointing to not only the Center's educational programs, but also to the support he received from his instructors and classmates. This interaction included several discussions of important issues outside the classroom, helping to create a tight-knit community feel.

"I learned not to oversimplify an issue but to examine it from biological, physical, political, and philosophical perspectives. Such a mode of thinking is clearly a great tool for future environmentalists to have," Neofotis said.

Thanks to the foundation's grant, more students will have the opportunity to take advantage of the program. The foundation, located in Orlando, Fla., is named after Bert W. Martin, a Chicago industrialist and philanthropist who implemented reforestation programs and other forestry practices that supported his endeavors in lumbering and printing.

The Foundation has supported Biosphere 2 in the past with contributions totaling $35,000 in support of the Passport to Learning science education program aimed at elementary and middle school children in the area.

While the Biosphere 2 Center includes a 3.1-acre glass-enclosed research facility with several differnt ecosystems, students in the Earth and Universe Semester programs are not confined indoors. Rather, much of the research is done outside the complex and complemented by numerous field trips.

Rachel Ganiere, SEAS '03, who went to the Center last spring after hearing recommendations from past alums, said �the professors were so much more approachable" than many at Columbia. Ganiere, an environmental engineering student, said she appreciated the field trips, which allowed her to see the actual phenomena described in class. She made the analogy to an art history major who is able to visit the art museums in New York City.

Mamta Dadlani, BC '02, a student in the Universe Semester last spring, wanted to go to Biosphere 2 after taking an introductory astronomy class last year. Dadlani and nine others in the program had full access to huge telescopes and the desert sky. She also interacted closely with the ninety or so students of Earth Semester. Dadlani described casual social events marked by debates about meteor showers--something that is definitely difficult to come by in Morningside Heights.