Human-Accelerated Environmental Change: Request for Support of a Joint Graduate Program in Environmental Biology

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9355117 Marks We seek support for a consortial graduate program between Cornell University and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, a nondegree-granting institution. The focus of the program is "human-accelerated environmental change." Our program will expose doctoral students to problems of human-accelerated environmental change and their potential solutions, and encourage cross- disciplinary collaborative research while retaining strong, flexible training in ecological research. We will accomplish these goals through a mix of traditional and novel programs, including coursework and seminars, apprenticeships with environmental management agencies, and an annual long-term monitoring exercise. In addition, students in the program will be exposed to the policy and management implications of ecological research. Students will be encouraged to work on the "big problems" of environmental change, but at scales suitable for doctoral research. The program will create a community of bright, concerned students in a supportive atmosphere in which to pursue thesis research on important environmental question. By both formalizing and expanding on the goodwill and the many existing interactions between Cornell and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the proposed consortial arrangement offers an exceptional opportunity for a new group of graduate students to work in a nationally important area of science. ***