“What I gained from Biosphere”
—video interviews with Biosphere Students

• Earth Semester
• Earth Semester and Major Credit
• Summer Field School
• Research Projects
• About the Teamwork and the Faculty
• Majors and Future Plans
• Science and Creativity
• Field Trips
  
  

Kristi Argenbright
From premed to a research career in the rainforest

Kristi Argenbright has always loved to climb trees. Dangling 90 feet above the floor of the rainforest biome to collect leaf samples exhilarates her.

"As a sophomore, I fell in love with the rainforest the first time I came to Biosphere 2. My semester here changed my life. I had intended to study medicine but became an environmental science major instead. Now I'm hoping to combine my interest in medicine with study of the rainforest and alternative therapies."

A master's candidate at Texas Christian University, one of the campus's Partner Schools, Argenbright is back at Biosphere 2 looking at the effect of temperature and carbon dioxide increases on plant growth in the thorn scrub.

"In the desert, where the sunsets are spectacular, you are totally surrounded by nature and wildlife. You learn a lot about Earth systems, but you also have a lot of time for inner reflection. At Biosphere 2, I learned that I can make a difference as a steward of our planet1s future."

Photo caption:
Pictured inside the three-acre Biosphere 2 Laboratory, Texas Christian University student Kristi Argenbright knows the benefit of conducting climate change experiments within the world1s largest such facility. By simulating predicted global conditions, she can measure real results.

Theresa McHugh
A community setting where research opens new paths

Ask Theresa McHugh, Notre Dame '01, to name her favorite thing about Earth Semester, and she answers without missing a beat: "The research was the best part of my time here." It's no wonder why. McHugh's enthusiasm about plant ecology earned her a research spot in the Biosphere 2's rainforest biome. Her team studied the rainforest's net primary productivity--the rate at which the rainforest produces biomass material like bark and leaves--and compared the productivity of the man-made Biosphere 2 rainforest to that of a natural rainforest.

Photo caption:
Theresa McHugh is a student of the University of Notre Dame, one of more than 30 Partner Schools that fly their flags along the entrance to the 250-acre Biosphere 2 campus. Much of her research was conducted inside the Laboratory's rainforest and outside campus in the high desert--different climate patterns from those experienced in South Bend, Indiana.

Paresh Patel
A different kind of summer experience

Not too long ago, Paresh Patel found himself faced with the all-important question: How do you spend the summer after your first year of college?

"I wanted to do something productive," says Patel, a Columbia '04, a sophomore from Hawthorne, New Jersey. "My options were getting a job or learning about stuff I had no clue about. I opted for the latter."

That1s how he found himself in the Earth Systems Field School, one of Biosphere 2's undergraduate summer programs. Before he knew it, Patel was standing at the edge of the Gulf of California, observing sea stars and other sea creatures he1d never seen before, hiking to the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and, of course, exploring the Grand Canyon. Patel had never done field sweeps or seen so many vastly different creatures within a small space.

"I just wanted to see what it would be like," he says. "I had never even been camping before. . . .The Earth Systems Field School was a great way to get my feet wet."

Photo caption:
Exploring the science of sustainability doesn't end in a lab. Columbia University student Paresh Patel plays chef in his kitchen at the Biosphere 2 Village. Students regularly gather in somebody1s campus apartment for a meal, to plan the next project, or just to put their feet up.

Jonathan Harris
Seeing it all--from New York to Arizona

"Seeing and experiencing it all" was what Columbia University student Jonathan Harris enjoyed most about his Biosphere 2 courses, which exposed him to a wide range of ideas about environmental research and policy.

"Every class had its own personality," he says. In some classes, the environmental science major had the chance to explore what many consider to be radical conservation methods. In others, he studied the sometimes difficult reality of making and implementing science policy.

"Environmental activism is valuable, but so is the person who sits down and works within the system," Harris says. "Biosphere 2 provided a great opportunity to connect my personal values with my academic goals."

It also allowed the Columbia student the chance to connect to a different kind of environment than he was used to in New York City.

Harris found that he felt at home in both.

When he's in New York, Jonathan loves to explore the city. During his sophomore semester at Biosphere 2, his free time was for hiking.

"I love New York City," he says, 3but I'm also definitely a nature person. The experiences are so polar. I wanted to see it all."

Photo caption:
The high desert surrounding Biosphere 2 offers examples of biodiversity that most students can only read about. That gives Professor Andrew Peterson (left), a plant ecologist, and Columbia student Jonathan Harris (right) unlimited opportunities to discuss Peterson1s research interest--the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on the mechanisms that maintain biodiversity in terrestrial plant communities.

Mamta Dadlani
Learning about the world and yourself

"The way we live and learn at Biosphere 2 is truly unique," says Mamta Dadlani, Barnard College '02, a psychology major. "In Astrophysics of the Solar System, for example, we learned not only how planets form, and what they are made of, but also what the great scientists through the ages were contemplating as they made their discoveries."

Accustomed to dedicated professors and relatively small classes at Barnard, Dadlani marveled about the sense of community that is fostered at Biosphere 2. "Biosphere 2 is an unbelievable learning experience. The small classes, long discussions, fantastic field trips to some of the country1s most advanced observatories, and the chance to work with real scientists on sophisticated equipment are wonderful. You get to know your teachers not only as professionals, but also as people.

"Everyone at Biosphere 2 is there to expand his or her horizons. Being there totally changes your point of view. It gives you a completely new perspective and set of ideas to apply to your life."

Photo caption:
Biosphere 2 gave Barnard College student Mamta Dadlani--pictured back home in New York City in front of the American Museum of Natural History's new planetarium--a unique opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the universe, experiencing firsthand how professional astronomers work.

Ben Dixon
Linking the human dimension to environmental science

"I came from a largely scientific background as a zoology major at Cambridge University. At Biosphere 2, I learned about Earth and the environment from other perspectives as well--social and economic and legal," says Ben Dixon, who was enticed to leave London, England, for the interdisciplinary approach of Earth Semester.

"As part of a close learning community, you get to know the faculty and other students quite well. They challenge your preconceived ideas, and vice versa. I came away with a better understanding how Earth works and the different ways that people think. It makes the program so worthwhile."

After Biosphere 2, Dixon worked for the United Nations Environment and Development Forum in London on U.K. environment policies for Earth Summit 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He's now pursuing a master's degree in environmental technology from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

"Biosphere 2 opened my eyes to the intricacies of environmental issues and how they fit into the global agenda."

Photo caption:
Cambridge University student Ben Dixon returned home to London better informed about the science of sustainability--from social and political as well as natural science perspectives--and the importance of working toward global consensus.

Israel Rocha
Building blocks for a career in environmental policymaking

For Israel Rocha, "00 Columbia, Biosphere 2's Earth Semester couldn1t have been more on point. The political science major is press secretary and director of communications for U.S. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, who represents Texas' 15th District. In his first job out of Columbia as legislative assistant for the congressman, Rocha came into direct contact with environmental issues he had addressed at Biosphere 2.

"Biosphere 2 taught me how the environment impacts every aspect of human society--from art to business--and how everything ties back to the environment," says Rocha. "The independent project I worked on at Biosphere 2, on Central Arizona's water resources, was a perfect segue into my Capitol Hill experience. Our district is in an arid part of Texas. Water resources, clean water and air, and conservation are big issues for our constituents."

Eventually, Rocha will trade his career experience on Capitol Hill for business school or law school with an environmental program. "Biosphere 2 offered a relaxed environment that was conducive to learning."

Photo caption:
The science of sustainability is not confined to the natural and biological sciences. The social sciences are just as important at the Biosphere 2 Center. Columbia graduate Israel Rocha took that experience home to Texas via Washington, D.C., where he is on the front line of environmental policymaking.