Undergraduate Semesters
•Earth Semester
•Universe Semester
•Research Semester

Graduate Program
•MPA in Earth Systems Science, Policy, and Management

High School Summer Programs

Summer Programs for Undergraduates

Each year, Biosphere 2 attracts hundreds of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from around the world. Here, you can spend a semester or a summer session immersed in field and academic studies uniquely rooted in the research capabilities of Biosphere 2 and the outstanding field and sky opportunities of the Sonoran Desert.

Undergraduate: Earth Semester

The Earth Semester is an interdisciplinary program that integrates field- and lab-based Earth science and ecology while exploring how human decisions shape the environment. The program is built on the recognition that many environmental problems facing current and future generations are complex and have wide-ranging impacts on social, Earth, and biological systems. We recognize the need for science to play a greater role in policy decisions and for scientists to better communicate the policy implications of their results to decision makers and the public. The purpose of Earth Semester is to train the next generation of scientists, policymakers, thinkers, and citizens to approach these complex issues from within, between, and across disciplinary perspectives.

Earth Semester students investigate issues like energy sustainability, greenhouse gases, and water management, and explore areas like changes in ecological communities caused by natural and human interactions, as well as population dynamics. A multi-scaled perspective is fostered by beginning with the study of local decision making leading on to the regional and global dynamics of the environment. The field, academic, and community-building skills that you gain during Earth Semester will enhance your interactions with Earth and its inhabitants, long after the semester’s end.
You learn in the field, with exercises at sites throughout the beautiful Sonoran Desert and Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Through firsthand experience you gain knowledge about the interrelationship of geology, ecology, and the human impact on the environment. Study is completed through an emphasis on scientific methodologies, field techniques, data collection and analysis, systems modeling, interdisciplinary communication, teamwork, and written and oral presentations.

Undergraduate Spring 2003
Undergraduate Fall 2003/Spring 2004

Undergraduate: Universe Semester

The Biosphere 2 Universe Semester is a unique study of astronomy, designed for any student who may want to take a closer look at the origin and evolution of the universe. One of the primary benefits to studying astronomy at Biosphere 2 is the clear night sky of the Sonoran Desert. Tucson is home to more astronomers and large professional telescopes than any other place in the United States. In this program you also have more frequent access to telescopes than most researchers and professional astronomers enjoy.

Universe Semester courses examine concepts ranging from the basic motions in the night sky to stellar astrophysics. Throughout the semester you have the opportunity to learn the sky: daily and seasonal changes, the wandering of planets, and how to observe and image what you see during research. Because of its distance from city lights, Biosphere 2 is an unparalleled site for astronomy research. At night, you observe using telescopes from 8 to 24 inches in aperture and master skills in visual and photographic observation as well as in modern methods of digital imaging. During Universe Semester you have the chance to experience the life of a professional astronomer during a four-night observing run at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

Choosing from a suite of classes, you may create a program appropriate to your own background and interests. If you are a liberal arts student, you may choose observational astronomy, astrobiology, planetary science, and studies of the universe. As a science major, you might take on more advanced courses that examine nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution; novae and supernovae; galaxies; and the structure of the universe and theories of its origin, evolution, and ultimate fate.

As a Universe Semester student, you may take up to 16 Columbia points of credit and you can choose to attend either during the fall or spring semester.

Undergraduate Spring 2003
Undergraduate Fall 2003/Spring 2004

Undergraduate: Research Semester

The Biosphere 2 Research Semester offers undergraduates an authentic research experience, working closely with faculty mentors on a substantive research project. In the Research Semester program, mentors typically supervise no more than two students, enabling them to spend considerable time guiding students through the research process from conceptualization to publication.
Acceptance into this program is competitive and requires a letter of recommendation from a faculty adviser in the student’s home department and an essay detailing the applicant’s interest in the program and his or her research project of choice. Biosphere Research students also take courses relevant to their fields of research to provide the analytical and technical skills they need to complete their projects successfully, to assess the research of others critically, and to prepare for continued research in their chosen disciplines.

In this challenging but stimulating environment, students experience firsthand the intellectual excitement and satisfaction of participating in scientific research. The program will help students decide if a career in research is the right choice for them and may enhance their chances of being accepted into the graduate school of their choice.

Projects may include
• Effects of global climate change on mechanisms of plant species coexistence
• Energetic and ecological trade-offs between sexual and asexual reproduction in the cacti Opuntia bigelovii and Opuntia fulgida
• Ecophysiology and population ecology of the invasive winter grass Bromus rubens
• Invertebrate diversity in coral reefs
• Effects of carbon dioxide levels on marine invertebrate communities
• Role of turbulence and convection in stars
• Numerical models and analysis of fundamental fluid dynamical instabilities

The program consists of three core components and one elective. The core components are the research project (6 points), an upper-division course on the scientific method (3 points), and a research tutorial (2 points). The elective is a second upper-division course worth 3 or 4 points. The original two major tracks of study offered in this program—environmental biology and science, and astronomy and physics—are now balanced by opportunities for research in geoscience and environmental policy. Each track has specific core components and students have the opportunity to choose an elective. The core components and electives for the biology and astronomy tracks are outlined on pages 39 to 40.

As a Research Semester student you may earn up to 16 Columbia points of credit and you can choose to attend either during the fall or spring semester.

Undergraduate Spring 2003

During the summer months, Biosphere 2 Center offers enriching, skill-building programs for college undergraduates and high school students. College students earn Columbia credit in these four-, five-, and six-week courses. High school students receive a Certificate of Completion and letter of recommendation. Brief descriptions of these programs follow. More detailed descriptions are on pages 36 and 37

Summer Undergraduate Programs

During the summer months, Biosphere 2 Center offers enriching, skill-building programs for college undergraduates and high school students. College students earn Columbia credit in these four-, five-, and six-week courses. High school students receive a Certificate of Completion and letter of recommendation. Brief descriptions of these programs follow. More detailed descriptions are on pages 36 and 37.

Earth Systems Field School: Field Course in Earth and Environmental Sciences : Integrative field schools in ecosystem assessment and management with field trips to Sky Islands, Sonoran Desert ecosystems, the Grand Canyon, and the Colorado Plateau.


Sea of Cortez Field School: Marine ecology course focusing on the Sea of Cortez in the Gulf of California.


Deserts of the Southwest Field School: Field course in understanding arid landscapes as dynamic ecological systems; field exercises in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, particularly the fog desert of Baja, California—the prototype of the desert biome in Biosphere 2.

Biodiversity Institute: Explorations of biodiversity in the field and lab using data students collect from the diverse ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert and Sea of Cortez.


Summer of Stars: Introductory astronomy under a star-filled Arizona sky with a research-grade 24-inch telescope at your disposal.


Undergraduate Summer 2003

Summer High School Programs

Earths Under Glass: An innovative program that invites students to design, construct, and conduct research on self-sustaining closed ecosystems, scaling up from test tube to larger microcosms.

Exploring Earth, Life, and the Summer Sky: A unique program combining astronomy with life and Earth sciences to look at how life establishes and sustains itself. Field trips include the Grand Canyon and other Colorado Plateau sites.

Worlds into Words: Nature-Inspired Writing: Nature writing for high school students, taking inspiration from the wondrous natural environment of Arizona, including the Grand Canyon, and the large community of writers in Tucson.

Columbia University programs continue to expand at the Biosphere 2 Campus. In 2002, Columbia began offering a unique opportunity for graduate students to earn a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Earth Systems Science, Policy, and Management. Students develop the professional skills taught in typical MPA management and policy courses —financial analysis, policy analysis, oral briefings, team building, and computational skills—but this training builds on a summer immersion in science and focuses on Earth science case studies.

This program prepares future policymakers who may need to address global change issues, such as global warming and air, water, and waste-management concerns. The program is designed to close what is seen as a growing rift in understanding between scientists and the professionals who make policy decisions.