POPULAR & EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
![Climate Change: The Threat to Life and Our Energy Future
I served as co-curator, along with Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University, of this temporary exhibit, which will open in New York on 18 October, 2008 and then travel to a number of national and international venues over the next several years. The exhibit concerns the issue of climate change. Fundamentally it makes the connection between climate change and energy production via the burning of fossil fuels. In addition to the science of the climate system, the exhibit describes potential consequences of climate change, adaptation efforts, and most importantly solutions.
Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future
The exhibit required my intensive study, spanning more than three years now, of the fields of climate science and energy. This effort motivated me to write a book on the subject (March, 2009, Columbia University Press). The book sets out the scientific basis for understanding climate change. In particular, it deals with the science of the climate system (including paleoclimate), how and why climate is changing, the consequences of climate change, and our energy future, with the focus on how we are going to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The book presents the subject in a rigorous but non-technical way. It is directed at the non-major undergraduate university audience and individuals seeking an in-depth understanding of the issues.
Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
I led the scientific team responsible for the content of the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth at AMNH, which opened in 1999. For that effort, my colleagues and I received the 2002 American Geophysical Union Excellence in Geophysical Education Award.
Earth Bulletin
Among the features of HOPE is the Earth Bulletin, which presents in depth feature stories about the cutting-edge science. The Earth Bulletin can be seen on-line and is also shown at a number of other museums and scientific/educational institutions. I am the scientist primarily responsible for finding and recommending stories and insuring that they are accurate. Please feel free to contact me if you have a suggestion for a future story.
The Earth Machine
As an outgrowth of HOPE, Jim Webster and I teamed up to write the book, The Earth Machine: The Science of a Dynamic Planet. This book, which grew out of the script that we wrote for the exhibit, is an in-depth description of the science as it is told in HOPE. It is a synthesis of modern Earth science designed for the educated lay reader, for science teachers, and as a supplement to general undergraduate geology courses.
Seminars on Science
Ro Kinzler and I co-authored the on-line course, Earth: Inside and Out, presented through the AMNH Seminars on Science programs. This and the other Seminars in Science courses are designed for K-12 teachers. I also edited a book by the same name that is appropriate for a high school audience.
Popular articles
I have written popular scientific articles for Natural History magazine based on my field experiences. Cold Fire [Natural History 114 (6), 26-31] describes the Dry Valleys of Antractica, and A Birthstone for Earth [Natural History 113 (4), 40-45] is about how the mineral zircon has revolutionized our understanding of the early Earth. Both are available from me as PDFs.](PopEdAct_files/shapeimage_2.png)
FIELD PHOTOS
