The Earth Institute uses a multi-disciplinary approach to address the world’s most pressing challenges. We bring together:

• Earth and environmental sciences, ecology, engineering and architecture, law, medicine and public health, economics, political science, public policy, ethics and management, and moreto help address problems of:• climate change, renewable energy, ecosystem maintenance, water quality, food production, air quality, urban development, waste management, and the manufacture of goods and services with the least possible environ-mental impact.

By a combination of population growth, economic growth, material consumption and ignorance, human impact on environmental systems threatens to damage those systems and their ability to sustain human life. The solu-tion is something we have come to term sustainability.

Complex global problems cannot be solved by any single discipline, academic department, school or research center. What makes the Earth Institute unique is that it is designed to institutionalize interaction among many academic and professional fields. The institute has built an interdisciplinary community of hundreds of scien-tists, faculty and scholars to understand and solve these issues.

Education for

Earth’s FutureLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory applies the findings from basic research in the Earth Sciences to develop the resources and pedagogy needed by educators, so that an informed citizenry can address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Increasing public awareness and knowledge of humanity’s relationship to the environment through education and out-reach is a core part of Lamont’s mission. Continuing advances in the understanding of our planet and the impacts of Earth processes on human society gained through Earth science research are communicated through both formal and informal programs to students and educators. Our research – which encompasses observational and analytical methods and computer modeling applied to local, regional, and global phenomena – focuses on such important issues as climate change and global warming, extreme weather, earthquakes, landslides and other natural hazards, biodiversity and ecosys-tem sustainability, air and water pollution, and rising sea levels. Our education and outreach programs emphasize the roles of multi-disciplinary perspectives, inquiry based on real data, and the importance of field observations.

Our education programs bring together:Frontier science and technology to inform the development of educational materials with the tools and resources underlying improvements in K-16 science education.

They help integrate:Research and education at every academic level in order to build meaningful partnerships and make long-lasting contri-butions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning in classrooms, schools, museums, and other teach-ing and learning communities.

Lamont Summer Intern Program

The Lamont Summer Intern Program has, over the last 30 years, brought to the Observa-tory more than 590 talented undergraduates from a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines to work with world-renowned scientists. The Program extends beyond academic research by establishing a meaningful mentorship that encourages active student participation in research activities experienced by professional scientists.

The program is a unique multifaceted partnership, as it integrates participation in research activities, exposure to large-scale programs, and opportunities for students to advance their own education. Students lead the development of their research projects and hold scientific conversations with their advisors and peers.

Secondary School Field Research Program

Founded in 2006, the Secondary School Field Research Program (SSFRP) is a 7-week project-based summer program targeting teachers and high school students from New York City public schools. Piermont Marsh, located near the Observatory in Palisades, New York, is the ecological centerpiece of the program and serves as an outdoor classroom for students and teachers. During this hands-on learning experience, the group is exposed to rigorous research being done on wetlands and their physical environments by scientists conducting actual fieldwork. In addition to data collection and scientific analysis of samples collected from the marsh, students are required to attend ecology lectures, complete readings, and create a product that shares their research with a wider audience. The SSFRP provides stipends to all partici-pants and serves many under-rep-resented populations who are eligible for Title I and III support.

Earth2Class

For over 16 years, Earth2Class has extended the impact of the Observatory’s research by hosting more than 120 profes-sional development workshops for teachers that collectively have involved more than 80 research scientists. The program consists of Saturday and summer workshops paired with a website with extensive curriculum materials. The workshops are centered on the theme of Earth Sciences and are aligned with state common core learning standards and educational outcomes.

Key to the program’s success is the immediate access to a range of online resources that extend classroom learning and expand on the scientific talks and curriculum training offered in the workshops.

The Core Repository

Lamont maintains one of the world’s most important collections of scientific samples from the deep sea. With over 10,000 sediment cores, the Repository houses samples from every major ocean and sea. The Repository provides students with opportunities to apply their scientific knowledge and skills to an understanding of their environment and extends learning outside the classroom.

To enhance science education for students, educators, and the public, the Core Repository hosts one-day events for science exploration that are easily adaptable for varied audiences. The tours introduce teachers, students, and other guests to the important role that sediment collections play in understanding Earth processes and involve hands-on activities at interactive exhibits.

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s researchers are committed to partnering with

educators to develop effective means of incorporating basic research in Earth and

environmental science into scientific learning and education at all academic levels.

ldeo.columbia.edu/education