The
man
y ch
allen
ge
s faci
ng the p
lanet—from poverty to natural disasters to water issues—
are intensely linked, as are their solutions.The Earth Institute’s interdisciplinary approach to
sust
aina
ble
deve
lopm
ent a
nd it
s ext
raordinary
contributions in research, education and the creation of real-world solutions
are helping pave the way toward a better future.
annual donor report 2011
“As someone who has worked
with Jeff side by side on
many important global issues
facing us and this planet,
I can think of no better
leader for the Earth Institute
as we face the next five years
and the race to meet the
Millennium Development
Goals. At the Earth Institute,
Jeff can continue his tireless
and courageous leadership
and will use this platform
to continue to remind us
of the economic, political
and moral choices that we
can and should make for
the betterment of mankind
and the planet.”
—Ted Turner
Ala
n O
rling
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
2 Letter From the President of Columbia University
3 Letter From the Director of the Earth Institute
6 Scaling Up Results to Defeat World Hunger
8 Designing a Sustainable Energy Future
10 Designing Local Solutions for the Global Water Crisis
12 Breathing New Life into New York City Schools
14 The South of Haiti: Poised on the Brink of Change
16 A Growing Cohort of Sustainability Management Professionals
18 Assessing the Magnitude of a Disaster
20 A Classroom in the Field
22 Refining Climate Prediction in Africa
23 Volunteers Improve Health Initiatives in Millennium Cities
26 Extraordinary Support for Unprecedented Global Challenges
28 Our Donors
34 More Earth Institute Projects and Initiatives
table of contents
Students enjoying lunch at a school supported by the Millennium Villages Project.
Left: Oceanographer William Ryan and Research Staff Assistant Kevin McLain mapping the sea floor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. M
illen
nium
Pro
mis
e
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
“By developing models of change that work
in real life, MVP clusters have seen farm
yields triple; subsistence transform into profits; a
new and robust health infrastructure grow;
and school meals for all children as they reach
for new horizons through education.”
Columbia university has always been Committed to applying its resources and knowledge to the most urgent issues facing our community and our world. The scope of this concern has grown over our long history to encompass the entire globe. Today we are striving to better understand and respond to a lengthy list of challenges ranging from climate change and sustainability to poverty and global public health. The recent series of natural and man-made disasters—including food shortages, severe drought across different continents, the Gulf oil spill here in the United States, and Japan’s earthquake and resulting tsunami and nuclear crisis—only serves to underscore the importance of this work.
Within our academic community, and indeed around the world, Columbia’s Earth Institute is a recog-nized leader of the effort to address these problems. The Earth Institute functions as an interdisciplinary hub, employing a unique structure to harness the intellectual resources of engineers, economists, legal scholars, social and political scientists, and more than 200 research scientists at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who are adding to our knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world.
These cross-disciplinary collaborations advance understanding of the earth’s systems while supporting applications of new knowledge that will benefit humankind directly. The Institute’s work ranges from building the infrastructure for managing water resources in rural communities from Brazil to Australia; to developing sustainable responses to persistent health risks and poverty in Haiti and other struggling nations; to educating a new generation of leaders in Columbia University’s program leading to a Master of Science degree in Sustainability Management.
The future prospects for maintaining this record of service and scholarship are enhanced by the fact that Jeff Sachs will continue to serve as director of the Earth Institute for another five-year term. Jeff ’s dynamic vision of sustainable economic development has helped engage other scholars from a wide range of disciplines and also created new partnerships beyond the university that benefit people and communities around the world.
On the pages of this report, you will find a sample of the remarkable projects conducted by the Earth Institute and the people who lead them. Columbia is indebted to our donors for making this work possible, and we thank you for supporting our commitment to bring the best academic research together with a truly global mission of public service.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger
from the president of columbia university
Eile
en B
arro
so
annual donor report 2011
“In this past year, the Earth Institute’s scientists, researchers, faculty and students conducted crucial research to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”
this has been quite a year in the saga of sustainable development. Each passing month has taught us again of our vulnerability and our need to learn to live sustainably with nature. The evidence is everywhere that humanity’s impact on the natural environment is taking us into complex and unexplored dangers. Thank goodness, I tell myself, that Columbia University more than a decade ago had the foresight to launch a University-wide initiative on sustainable development, drawing in hundreds of scientific and development experts in a common cause. How honored and privileged I am to lead the Earth Institute; I am endlessly thankful to Lee Bollinger for graciously reappointing me director through the end of 2015.
The Earth Institute is at the forefront in measuring and monitoring climate change, the collisions of population increase and loss of biodiversity, the burdens of infectious disease and undernutrition in impoverished rural communities, the legal redress for environmental damages, and the ways to combine economic development of mining sites with sustainable development of the host communities and countries. We are at the forefront in supporting Haiti in its recovery from the devastating earthquake and other disasters, and in aiding a nation to make a breakthrough to sustainable development. Our impact stretches to Africa, India, Asia, Latin America, and beyond to address the shared problems of hunger, disease, poverty, natural hazards and biological conservation. There are few places in the world where the Earth Institute is not present; even Antarctica, the ocean floor, and the highest glaciers of the Himalayas feel our influence.
I have the high privilege to visit dozens of countries each year, meeting with a variety of people from world leaders to local villagers, seeing for myself the unprecedented potential for human progress as well as the blight of human loss and waste. I also see a new generation of young people around the world ready to grasp the challenges of sustainable development. I believe that, first and foremost, the Earth Institute serves those young people. If we accomplish any single goal, it should be to empower the coming generation of global citizens with the scientific knowledge, the global perspective, the ethical underpinnings and the practical experience necessary to address and solve the harrowing challenges of sustainable development that they will confront in the next several decades. While the task is immense, I am certain that through our innovative education programs, ranging from the new major in sustainable development at the College to the unprecedented Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, the Earth Institute is making a difference.
We at the Earth Institute are asked fervently to help ever more countries, examine more problems, make faster research progress, educate more leaders, advise more heads of state and prepare more plans of action. Of course we must watch our way to ensure that we abide by the highest standards of rigor, ethics and responsibility in responding to these huge questions. Yet at the same time, I know that it is right to respond to these urgent and growing requests. They reflect a deeper hunger for problem solving and networking at a global scale.
This report highlights the remarkable energy, talent and scope of activities among my wonderful colleagues, demonstrating the profound impact of your unyielding partnership and steadfast support. The 21st century is the age of sustainable development. We must work together to master these chal-lenges before they master us. Please join the Earth Institute in this life-affirming and global cause. I know that I can count on your continued leadership, generosity and support.
With best wishes,
Jeffrey D. Sachs
from the director of the earth institute
Wad
e M
artz
all
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
by extreme poverty and hunger
The scaling up of sustainability efforts in the Millennium Villages has greatly benefited local populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
in an environment devastated
increasefrom 1 ton to 3 tonsper hectare.
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
we have seen harvest results
annual donor report 2011
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
we have seen harvest results
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Scaling Up Results to Defeat World Hunger
five years ago, pedro sanchez, director of the earth insti-
tute’s tropical agriculture and rural environment program
and millennium villages project (mvp), stood in the village
of sauri, Kenya—the first millennium village—and had a
“wow” moment. In an environment devastated by extreme
poverty and hunger, Sanchez had just seen some spectacular
harvest results, triple the usual. “As an agronomist, I expected
this,” says Sanchez of the Earth Institute’s research-based
innovations, “but as a human being, it was highly emotional.”
Today, the MVP has made bold progress. By developing models
of change that work in real life, MVP clusters have seen farm
yields triple, subsistence transform into profits, a new and
robust health infrastructure grow and all children be provided
school meals as they reach for new horizons through education.
The Earth Institute and partners are now pressing forward to the
next level of Africa’s Green Revolution, not only continuing
research at the MVP clusters, but also scaling up from those
successes to share best practices throughout the continent
and beyond. We call it African Green Revolution 2.0.
A soon-to-be-established Center for Global Agriculture and
Food Systems—supported with generous funding from the
Rockefeller Foundation, Monsanto, and other partners—will
lead a larger, more unified push to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals. With private and public sector partners,
the Center will improve research into poverty mitigation by
creating global metrics; strengthen Africa-based scientists as
Columbia University research faculty; help create a global dig-
ital soil map to enhance local agriculture, improve use of water
resources and adapt to climate change; and advocate effective,
science-based policies for sustainable agriculture worldwide.
Ending extreme poverty and hunger through environmentally
sustainable change means finding ways to feed more people
and creating new economies, new connections and new atti-
tudes. “I saw this beautiful girl standing with her parents in
Below: Abundant crop yields in the Millennium Villages (maize harvest, Mbola, Tanzania).
Mille
nniu
m P
rom
ise
Koraro, Ethiopia,” says Cheryl Palm, science director of the
MVP, who was interviewing families at the site. The girl was
just the “right” age for marriage, maybe 12 or 13. Was her
father eager to marry her off, Palm wondered, or might the girl
be planning to continue school? When Palm asked her, the
girl said, “I am going to go to secondary school. I want to be
a nurse or a doctor.”
“Is that all right with you?” Palm asked the father, who had final
say. The dowry he stood to make was probably several cows,
and certainly the boys were already asking for her hand.
“Yes,” he said. “We’ve discussed it as a family and it’s very
important for girls to go to school.” The father’s attitude
points to the root of the social change that begins to happen
when farm families are food-secure in villages that are
becoming malaria-free zones. Sustainable poverty abate-
ment, educational opportunity, girl empowerment and reliable
healthcare naturally evolve into greater optimism for the
future and a real chance to break from the cycle of poverty,
hunger and disease.
“The Earth Institute has played an important
global role in pioneering science to advance
solutions to some of the world’s most
pressing problems—health, poverty, agri-
culture, energy and education. The Gates
Foundation and the Earth Institute share a
common agenda: We focus on those areas
and people who are often most neglected
by society, science and technology. We also
share a belief that if we stimulate good
science and good practice, we can work
to implement solutions to the critical prob-
lems facing our planet today.
Our partnership has been a valued compo-
nent of the Foundation’s work in both
Africa and India, with pioneering programs
and strategies that work across many sci-
entific, policy and programmatic boundaries.
My visit to Columbia last year and the
chance to interact with the amazing range
of scientific talent in each of these fields
confirmed my belief in our joint work. We
look forward to continuing this partnership
with Columbia and with the Earth Institute
over the coming years.”
—Bill Gates
annual donor report 2011
Dr. Pedro Sanchez with local farmers in the Nyanza Province of Kenya.
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
Designing a sustainable energy future
at the lenfest Center for sustainable energy (lCse), scien-
tists are working to allow continued economic development
in the face of climate change by halting—not just reducing—
net emissions of globe-warming carbon dioxide. “Think of
pouring water into a cup: as long as you pour water into the
cup, the water level goes up,” says Klaus S. Lackner, director
of the center and Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics. “It
does not matter whether the maximum allowable level is one
inch below the rim or one and a half inches below the rim. In
either case, you will eventually have to stop pouring.” To meet
this challenge, Lenfest researchers are studying energy tech-
nologies that close the carbon loop altogether.
Lackner, for instance, is working to produce synthetic hydro-
carbon fuels by converting carbon dioxide captured directly
from the air.
Capturing the CO2 uses a process called “moisture swing
absorption” that is studied at LCSE. In the laboratory, he is
using a device that looks like a small pine branch, which con-
tains a resin that absorbs CO2 when dry and releases it again
when exposed to moisture. This makes possible a closed-
loop system where the captured emissions can be recycled
into fuel with the help of renewable energy. Because such
fuels can be produced using nonbiological processes, they
do not share the disadvantages of biofuels in terms of land
and resource use, competition with food supplies or other
related impacts. These fuels would be entirely carbon neutral.
Lackner has also begun exploring ways to use modern auto-
mation technology to build much smaller fuel-synthesis
plants and wind turbines, both key components in a closed-
loop carbon system. Such systems are currently characterized
by massive installations and large capital investments; Lackner
believes that if they could be shrunk, they might become
more economically feasible.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Car
ey R
usse
ll
annual donor report 2011
Alissa Park, the center’s associate director and junior pro-
fessor in applied climate science, is also pursuing research
in energy conversion systems and carbon capture. The
National Science Foundation has honored her work with its
Career Award. With funding from the U.S. Department of
Energy, Park has studied a carbon capture and storage tech-
nology that draws upon enhanced weathering, the breaking
down process of silicate minerals to store carbon permanently.
“We live in a society that is built on and uses large quantities
of fossil fuels,” says Park. “Anything made from carbon can
be converted into valuable fuels or chemicals. We are im-
proving the design of the energy conversion system from the
beginning in such a way that we won’t have to clean up our
mess at the opposite end.”
The Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy
is also focused on the development of a novel
CO2 monitoring technology that utilizes
a carbon-14 tag. Midway through a U.S.
Department of Energy funding award, this
innovative carbon-14 tag system has shown
great potential as a powerful monitoring
and inventory tool that may one day be able
to provide the public with the assurance to
accept geologic carbon dioxide storage.
Above: Ph.D. candidate Greeshma Gadikota prepares an experiment for Professor Alissa Park’s carbon mineralization project. Funded by ARPA-E
and NSF, this research explores enhancing mineralization of carbon dioxide using
chemical and biological catalysts.
Left: Lenfest Professor Alissa Park discusses the conversion of nonrecyclables into liquid fuels with graduate students Kyle Fricker and David Dogon. Recognized with the National Science Foundation’s Career Award, this research explores the conversion of municipal waste into high-value products and the storage of resulting carbon dioxide via in-situ, or on-site, carbon sequestration.
Left: Alex Luntz, a Columbia College junior, and Senior Staff Associate Allen Wright assist Professor Klaus Lackner in setting up a demonstration of air capture technology in the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy’s air capture laboratory. The white fiber “tree” is contained in the closed environment of the glove box allowing researchers to show its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Car
ey R
usse
ll 20
11
“We are improving the design of the energy conversion system
from the beginning in such a way that we won’t have to clean up
our mess at the opposite end.” —Alissa Park
Car
ey R
usse
ll 20
11
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Designing Local Solutions for the Global Water Crisis
for those who have never experienced a lack of freshwater,
the devastation to life and hope is hard to imagine. take for
example maria Joselivia de oliveira freitas and her grand-
son hugo in pedra fina, Ceará, brazil. to get water for their
house, hugo had to trek to a lake kilometers away eight to
10 times each day. Hugo could not get to school until he had
made many trips. He was never on time. And after school,
Hugo made more water trips; studying or playing with friends
was often impossible. It was exhausting.
For people like Maria and Hugo, no clean water means ill health,
failed education and no prospects. When a PepsiCo Foundation
grant funded the Columbia Water Center’s research and a dem-
onstration project that brought fresh, clean water directly into
Maria’s home, Hugo celebrated with fireworks.
Around the world and in the United States, the Water Center
is finding ways to achieve water sustainability. “People think
it’s a local issue, but [water scarcity] is a systemic problem in
many places in the world,” says Upmanu Lall, director of the
Water Center. “Solutions may be local but the nature of
the problem can be addressed globally.” In fact global climate
predictions—long-term forecasts of drought and flood—
enable governments to make “intelligent decisions,” says Lall.
Training local scientists to predict climate trends is critical.
The Water Center’s many programs not only scientifically
research “best practices” but also endeavor to create
sustainable solutions. In Brazil, for example, based on its
research, the Water Center developed a Municipal Water
Plan, a manual that shows each community how to under-
stand its own needs and create local
infrastructure for fresh running water.
In Maria and Hugo’s municipality, the
mayor was so encouraged by the dem-
onstration project that he committed
the rest of his term to
bringing running
“People think it’s a local issue, but
[water scarcity] is a systemic problem in many
places in the world.” —Dr. Upmanu Lall
water to all homes. Equally inspired, the state’s secretary of
agriculture plans to create municipal water management
plans for all of Ceará’s approximately 180 municipalities.
In other places, such as India, the groundwater table is
dropping so low that irreversible contamination looms. “Once
seawater breaks through into the aquifer, it can’t be fixed,” says
Daniel Stellar, former assistant director of the Water Center.
“Already farmers are pumping irrigation water from extraordi-
nary depths … mining groundwater. Rain can’t replenish it.”
The solution lies in promoting a sustainable balance. Cur-
rently, the government helps farmers with free electricity to
pump and irrigate. The Water Center’s plan transforms that
subsidy into cash. Farmers can either spend all their money
on pumping water or they can conserve water with simple
techniques and keep the cash.
Currently implemented in Northern Gujarat, India, the new
program is expected to produce a water savings of 20 to 30
percent. Once demonstrated, it will be a way to preserve the
aquifer and help farmers throughout the subcontinent. “The
broad concept,” says Vijay Modi, director of the Millennium
Villages Infrastructure Programs, “is applicable to everything.
It’s not just about water.” The idea, Modi says, is to help farmers
make better decisions.
annual donor report 2011
“With the PAM (Municipal Water Plan),
the Earth Institute has put solution power
into the hands of poor rural households
choked by insufficient and inconvenient
water supply. The Earth Institute’s model
ensures local ownership and sustainable
management of water resources, which
is increasingly critical during this time of
climate instability. The PAM is relevant,
[as] demonstrated by the speed with which
the model has been adopted by the State
government and [for which it] allocated
funding for replication across 24 munici-
palities. This is effective innovation in real
time. PepsiCo Foundation invested precisely
to make these sorts of improvements
possible. The Earth Institute has created a
valuable tool that can be applied in water-
stressed dry lands around the globe.”
— Claire Lyons, Manager, Global Grant Portfolios PepsiCo Foundation
Far left: Water samples being taken at the reservoir that supplies the Ingá community in the Ceará state of the Northeast Region of Brazil.
Above: Farmers in the Kukarwada district of Gujarat face significant water challenges that the CWC is addressing through a novel policy reform.
Columbia Water Center researchers conducting GIS surveys of land in the Kukarwada district of Gujarat. This detailed mapping is the first of its kind and will be integral to understanding the success of the pilot project.
Above: During the rice season in Punjab, groundwater is pumped whenever power is available, delivering a huge quantity of water to the fields.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
engage a middle school student in how conserving energy
directly links to conserving our environment and you just
might revolutionize a child’s life.
Nancy Degnan, executive director of the Center for Environ-
mental Research and Conservation (CERC), lights up when
talking about the power of hands-on science. “We focus
especially on middle schools,” Degnan says about CERC’s
K–12 New York City education programming. “Attendance in
middle school is highly correlated to performance in high
school. Recent reports show the United States is lagging
behind in science and math as we continue to see low rates
of high school graduation. Getting and keeping students
excited about science means that they are more likely to
come to school and perform better in all subject areas.” The
benefit is that today’s middle school students will be tomorrow’s
environmental leaders. “Sustainability means supporting
youth to obtain and promote lives of socioeconomic and
environmental well-being and fulfillment. That’s what we are
ultimately all about.”
CERC is an active force in revitalizing New York City’s core
curriculum. “We are deeply committed to doing our part in
President Obama’s “Race to the Top” initiative focusing on
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through
the lens of ecology,” says Degnan. “We do this through strong
partnerships with our fellow educators at the secondary level,
as well as organizations in the private and nonprofit sectors.”
The School of Environmental and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at
IS 52 in New York City is one such partner. Serving a popula-
tion of predominantly Latino students, it is one of five middle
schools participating in the Inter-School Environment and
Energy Research Project funded through an initiative of the
National Science Foundation called TREES (Technology,
Breathing New Life Into New York City Schools
Above: Students receive a medal from CERC due to their hard work on learning more about ecology and how to protect our planet.
CE
RC
annual donor report 2011
Research, Ecology Exchange for Students). TREES focuses
on STEM learning and 21st-century skills and careers, and
includes partners in the nonprofit and business sectors that
also practice the STEM model.
Starting with a hypothesis, teams of students used special
equipment to monitor the flow of energy to appliances and
devices throughout their schools like smart boards, vending
machines, and computers. Students then analyzed their
results, made recommendations, and gave real-world “brief-
ings” as interschool energy consultants.
Pam Scott, a literacy teacher at IS 52, commented, “When
Nancy first told us about the term vampire energy and the
Modlet, a brand-new product designed by engineers at
ThinkEco and Junior Energy, we all got very enthused. They
want to combat the problem of the energy wasted when
appliances are in standby mode. We knew it was a perfect
fit for our students. They learned a tremendous amount and
can’t wait for Phase II next year when we branch out into our
community. We’re also going to be looking for concrete evi-
dence of increases in student performance. This is truly
cutting-edge.”
Above right: Nancy Degnan, CERC’s Executive Director, discusses environmental sustainability issues with middle school students.
Bottom left and above right: Students from IS 52 Inwood discuss their final presentation for the Interschool Energy Project held at the new Science and Engineering Building at Columbia University on April 2, 2011.
“Sustainability means supporting youth to obtain and promote lives of socioeconomic and environmental well-being and fulfillment. That’s what we are ultimately all about.”
CE
RC
Des
mon
d B
eirn
e
Des
mon
d B
eirn
e
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
it’s an exciting time when scientific research directly sup-
ports efforts to transform a landscape with local food
systems that are able to maintain an entire community,
health systems that can provide services for the local pop-
ulation and energy systems that supply an infrastructure
for sustainable growth. in the south of haiti, that transfor-
mation is poised to happen now.
A new Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is being launched in
Haiti’s Port-à-Piment watershed area, one of the poorest
regions in the Western hemisphere. The Port-à-Piment proj-
ect is uniquely poised for scale-up and will evolve within the
broader regional Côte Sud Initiative, which covers 10 com-
munes throughout Southwestern Haiti. The Earth Institute, in
partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme,
the Government of Haiti and organizations such as Catholic
Relief Services and the Organisation pour la Réhabilitation de
l’Environnement, has helped form a collaborative platform to
implement MVP successes at a regional scale from the start.
“The ability to expand regionally right from the beginning is
critical,” says Alex Fischer, the Haiti project manager at the
Center for International Earth Sciences Information Network
(CIESIN). Fischer, who was in Port-au-Prince when the 2010
earthquake struck, has been conducting research in the coun-
try for the past two years. “We have been researching the links
between ecosystem restoration projects in Haiti and efforts to
improve livelihoods and reduce the risk of natural disasters.”
To address root causes, says Fischer, “we need an integrated
solutions approach. The Millennium Villages Project is the
best way to do that.”
The MVPs are by their very nature interdisciplinary, integrat-
ing strategies to alleviate malnutrition, poor potable water
access, disease, poverty, gender inequalities, lack of educa-
tion and inadequate shelter simultaneously, as each problem
perpetuates the others, creating negative cycles of poverty.
The South of Haiti: Poised on the Brink of Change
annual donor report 2011
Currently pressures inside Haiti are higher than ever because
of last year’s earthquake. “There was a rural migration to
cities before the earthquake. Afterward, people went back to
the countryside,” Fischer says. In places such as Port-à-
Piment, the population nearly doubled due to a massive influx
of displaced persons. “The pressure on natural resources
became even more visible.”
Some specific initiatives for the new MVP, which will support
over 30,000 residents, are increasing crop yields through train-
ing and improved inputs, improving energy systems with solar
power and easy cell phone–based payment systems, reducing
vulnerability to weather-related events through early warning
systems, supporting a viable healthcare system and monitor-
ing results by using proven cell phone–based technology.
The success of the Haiti MVP and regional initiative is linked
to relationships built at the local, regional and national levels.
Establishing and strengthening these relationships has been
an important component of the Earth Institute’s work in Haiti
for the past two years through the efforts of Tatiana Wah,
Haiti policy director and national Millennium Development
Goals adviser. Wah serves as the Prime Minister’s adviser
and also as the strategy and planning director of the Interim
Haitian Reconstruction Commission. “The link to national policy
makers is providing the critical forum to share and integrate
lessons learned at a local and regional level,” says Wah.
“The Government of Haiti has embraced the model of an
integrated and science-based approach to development,”
Wah says. “Designed to scale up, the Port-à-Piment MVP
and broader Côte Sud Initiative represent a real opportunity
to reimagine Haiti.”
Far left: The use of terraces, erosion barriers and perennial crops are some hillside management techniques being used to reduce runoff and erosion in the village.
Left: 3D Visualization of the Port-à-Piment watershed. Source: CIESIN, 2010.
“We need an integrated solutions approach. The Millennium Villages Project is the best way to do that.”
Trial and demonstration plots help researchers measure different yield rates based on seed variety and fertilizer application.
Animals continue to serve as one of the primary forms of saving for rural Haitian families, yet they can be destructive to hillsides and vegetation.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
only decades ago, environmental concerns were peripheral
to business, a few bumps in the road toward the central
concern of making product and profit. that landscape has
changed. “Going forward,” says Steven Cohen, executive
director of the Earth Institute, “every effective manager has to
be a sustainability manager.”
With its new jointly-offered Master of Science in Sustainability
Management, the Earth Institute and Columbia University’s
School of Continuing Education are on their way to becoming
leaders of this trend. “We’re getting students from all over the
world,” says Cohen. “There’s nothing [else] quite like it.”
Chak Cherdsatirkul, one of the program’s first graduates,
wasn’t thinking much beyond learning Chinese and getting a
job when he graduated from college with a degree in economics.
Once he started working as a consultant in Thailand, however,
sustainability came to the forefront. “I was helping a company
do a study on how to use municipal solid waste to replace
coal,” says Chak. “Energy has such an impact. It’s there in
every person’s life.” As Chak worked in a variety of jobs, his
enthusiasm for small renewable energy projects grew.
A Growing Cohort of Sustainability Management Professionals
“I wanted to develop a solar farm,” Chak says, “but I realized
I didn’t have enough knowledge. I don’t have an engineering
background.” To pursue his goal, Chak decided to enroll in
Columbia’s master’s program in sustainability management.
The master’s program appeals especially to professionals like
Chak. Part time or full time, the program integrates five sub-
ject areas: public policy, economics, the physical dimensions
of sustainability management, general and financial manage-
ment, and integrative sustainability courses. Students from
across different business sectors join a unique, interdisciplinary
community, enabling them to apply sustainability manage-
ment to any organization.
The diverse resources of New York City contribute to the pro-
gram’s richness, as well. Professionals working in the field
often teach, and students culminate their studies with a New
York City “capstone” project. Working with a local nonprofit,
students create a real-world sustainable solution to a real-life
problem in their local community.
“The program is so flexible,” says Chak. “I’ve studied en-
ergy business and finance, sustainability architecture and
Left: The sun setting over the New York City skyline during a blackout.
Right, top: Dr. Steve Cohen addresses his M.S. in Sustainability class.
Bottom, right: M.S. in Sustainability graduates Chak Cherdsatirkul and Shinsuke Nuriya.
AP
Imag
es
annual donor report 2011
photovoltaics.” Furthermore Chak has had the opportunity
to access the many experts on campus. “I’ve talked to pro-
fessors in the School of Engineering,” Chak says. “Whatever
I am interested in.” A guest speaker was particularly inspiring
because he, like Chak, had no engineering background and
yet he founded a wind farm in Massachusetts.
Today Chak is pursuing his dream to make a significant con-
tribution to the world by working in renewable energy. His
next steps toward developing a solar farm will be to work with
private equity and development firms in Southeast Asia. It’s
an exciting time for the Earth Institute, as well. With its first
graduates launched into business, the Earth Institute looks
forward to swelling the ranks of business professionals who
will lead the global sustainability movement.
preparing the next generation of environmental and sustainable development leaders
The Earth Institute is dedicated to training
a new generation of scientists and policy
makers and currently has more than 800
students enrolled in its academic programs.
It was the first institution in the United States
to offer a doctoral program in Sustainable
Development and includes an Interdisci-
plinary Ph.D. in Sustainable Development
and a Ph.D. program in Earth and Environ-
mental Sciences.
Our specialized master’s degree programs
serve as models for universities around the
world that are working to incorporate sus-
tainable development studies into their
curricula. At present, we offer master’s pro-
grams in Climate and Society, Conservation,
Earth and Environmental Science Journalism,
Earth Resources Engineering, Sustainability
Management, Environmental Health Sci-
ences, Environmental Science and Policy,
Energy and Environment, Environment
Graduate Global Classroom, and Public
Administration in Development Practice.
The Earth Institute’s new undergraduate
major in Sustainable Development is one of
the first degree programs of its kind in the
United States. Moreover it provides students
with the option of applying to the Global
Fellows Program, which enables participants
to study abroad, join research projects, or
work outside the Columbia campus.
For more information about the Earth
Institute’s educational programs, please visit
www.earth.columbia.edu/education.
John
Qui
lty
Ala
n O
rling
annual donor report 2011
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
when the deepwater horizon explosion left crude oil gush-
ing from a wellhead 1,544 meters under the waters of the
gulf of mexico, no one knew for sure how fast the oil was
escaping. although the government raised its initial esti-
mate of 1,000 barrels per day to 5,000, scientists examining
aerial photos suggested that this estimate was still too low.
“Others,” says Timothy Crone, a marine geophysicist at the
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, “suggested the flow
could not be measured at all.”
Crone knew otherwise. “As soon as I saw the video,” Crone
says, referring to the first underwater clip of the broken well-
head, “I knew it could be measured.”
Back in 2006, while researching hydrothermal vents deep
underwater, Crone developed a special measurement tech-
nique called “optical plume velocimetry.” By analyzing video
of the underwater flow from the vents, Crone was able to
calculate the rate of flow accurately. When Crone saw BP’s
video of the underwater gusher, he knew his technique,
designed to observe a natural phenomenon, could also mea-
sure the rate at which oil was pouring from a man-made
structure into the Gulf.
“I felt it was important for me to help,” says Crone. Fortu-
nately he was funded to do so. Researchers are often limited
by their specifically targeted federal grants. But because
Lamont-Doherty’s endowment covers a portion of Crone’s
salary, he could devote some time to new or unexpected
projects and was able to start immediately.
Using that initial video clip, Crone was able to provide a rough
estimate of the crude oil flow rate within a day. As he had
suspected, the rate was more than the 5,000 barrel-a-day
estimate, a good deal more. The next day, Crone’s findings
were reported on National Public Radio, making him one of
the first to publicly challenge official oil-flow estimates.
Assessing the Magnitude of a Disaster
“I felt it was important for me to help,” says
Crone. Fortunately Crone was funded to do so.
Above, left: Clean-up crews comb the oil-covered beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
Carlos Sanchez, OOI-RSN Enlighten’10 cruise, University of Washington
AP
Imag
es
All Crone needed for greater accuracy was better quality
video, and he got it from several lawmakers involved in the
congressional hearings relating to the spill. With the help of
his colleague, Lamont-Doherty marine geophysicist Maya
Tolstoy, Crone determined that oil was flowing into the gulf at
about 10 times the official estimate: 56,000 barrels a day.
Their findings later appeared in the journal Science—the first
peer-reviewed published estimate—and agreed closely with
the eventual official figures.
More than a year after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the fate
of the Gulf’s ecosystem is still unclear. “We don’t really under-
stand how the oil has degraded,” says Ajit Subramaniam, a
biological oceanographer at Lamont-Doherty, “or what chemical
and biological changes have occurred.” Without such under-
standing, it becomes harder for Subramaniam and his
colleagues to predict the long-term effects of such disasters.
One thing is clear: Channeling financial resources into basic
earth science allows today’s scientific breakthroughs to serve
as solutions for tomorrow’s environmental challenges.
“A key lesson here,” Crone says, “is that basic research in the
earth sciences can often have unanticipated value and
applications for society as a whole. This is a case where my
research into an esoteric problem was all of a sudden appli-
cable to a very immediate problem, something that was front
and center in the minds of people all over the world.”
Left: Tim Crone at work on his VentCam, a sophisticated video camera he designed that captures images of water seeping out of hydrothermal vents.
Car
los
San
chez
, OO
I-R
SN
Enl
ight
en’1
0 cr
uise
, Uni
vers
ity o
f Was
hing
ton
Car
los
San
chez
, OO
I-R
SN
Enl
ight
en’1
0 cr
uise
, Uni
vers
ity o
f Was
hing
ton
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
what struck him first was the sweltering heat, the crowds,
and the aK-47s slung over the shoulders of the men “as if they
were an accessory.” In that moment, School of International
and Public Affairs (SIPA) graduate Ryan Marriott knew he was
going to learn more than just how to collect field data in Nigeria.
“No matter how mentally prepared you think you might be for
the level of poverty and underdevelopment,” says Marriott,
“nothing can substitute for really living it.”
Field education is a valuable part of a sustainable develop-
ment curriculum, and the Earth Institute has long offered field
internships that enhance and expand students’ learning. The
Earth Institute will soon launch the Global Fellows Program,
created with a generous gift from the Denning Family
A CLASSROOM IN THE FIELD
Foundation, which will give undergraduate students studying
sustainable development the opportunity to take their aca-
demic studies into the real world. Graduate students such as
Marriott currently receive funding from donors like Ceil and
Michael Pulitzer, which provides them with field experience
that teaches them how to abandon preconceptions and cre-
ate unique solutions in a way no book or professor can.
“You often have that moment when you realize the theory
doesn’t apply, or applies in a different way than you thought,”
says Kevin Griffin, associate professor and interim director of
the Special Concentration in Sustainable Development.
“Even if they become theoreticians,” Griffin adds, “they un-
derstand the real processes.”
Fieldwork in Zaria, Nigeria, gave SIPA graduate Jessica Garrels
“a firsthand look at the challenges of qualitative research
when it’s driven from the outside.” Garrels says, “internships
make you more aware of possible best practices and poten-
tial pitfalls; they help you think outside the box.”
Without fail, students who have experienced working in
real-life, on-the-ground environments report a profound shift
in commitment.
“It gives you motivation,” says Tal Lee Anderman, a School of
General Studies senior majoring in sustainable development,
“figuring out what’s important to you—you need that face-
to-face experience.” Anderman says statistics “become
individuals you care about.”
“You hear how many people die of malaria, malnutrition,”
says Mitsue Yamamoto, a SIPA student and Pulitzer intern
who witnessed this firsthand in Gumulira, Malawi. “Peoples’
lives become numbers. You think: Why am I doing this? Then
I saw the people in the village, people struggling with malaria,
hunger.” Yamamoto talks about the trip’s impact on her emo-
tions and how it clarified her life’s direction. “I still keep in
touch with people there.”
Fieldwork does more than make a student into a professional.
It builds character and adds resolve. This essential part of our
sustainable development programming will build a cadre of
committed leaders.
“It’s a chance to know what everyone is talking about and
why the Institute’s work is so important,” says Ryan Marriott.
“Sure, it’s great for the résumé, but it was really great for Ryan
the person.”
Far left: Global Fellow Derek Nelson digs a well in the maize fields of the Sauri Millennium Village in Kenya.
Left: Student Tal Lee gets inspiration for her senior thesis on a trip to Peru.
Above, left: Students discuss their respective projects in Hogan Hall. They are (from left) Tal Lee Anderman (junior, General Studies), Erin Stahmer (junior, Columbia College), Ryan Marriott (senior, SIPA) and Jessica Garrels (senior, SIPA).
In the fall of 2010 Columbia University
launched its first new undergraduate
degree in 50 years, a Bachelor of Arts in
Sustainable Development, currently co-
directed by Professors Ruth DeFries and
Jason Smerdon. Responding to the need
for a workforce that is both internationally
and environmentally conscious, the Earth
Institute collaborated with Columbia Col-
lege, the School of General Studies and
departments across Columbia University
to create a degree program that would give
students the holistic education and skill set
necessary to become future leaders.
The Sustainable Development program
consists of a major and special concentra-
tion and gives Columbia undergraduates
the opportunity to explore the interplay
between the natural and social systems
that impact our world’s economic, political
and environmental well-being.
annual donor report 2011
Ala
n O
rling
Eile
en B
arro
so
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Refining Climate Prediction in Africa
africa trails the developed world in the number of weather
stations it operates but still produces a large amount of
data. Unfortunately, few scientists have access to that data,
which could lead to more accurate short- and long-term
climate forecasts, allowing farmers, relief workers and public
health experts to plan for and manage climate-related events.
The reason: In order to offset the cost of running their weather
services, most African countries must charge a fee for their
data. In recent commentary published in the journal Nature,
Madeleine Thomson, a malaria expert at the International
Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), argues that
an alternative funding mechanism would help Africans better
fight disease. Then she and her colleagues demonstrated
how to do it, with a paper using climate data collected in
Kenya suggesting that recent increases in malaria there could
have a climatic basis.
In Kenya some 1,500 weather stations gather detailed climate
information, but data from only a few dozen of those stations
are publicly available. Airlines are willing to pay for some extra
information, but most researchers cannot. As a result, scien-
tists must rely heavily on global satellite data, which produce
less accurate climate models. For the last decade, researchers
have debated whether Kenya’s highlands are getting hotter—
a question that might begin to explain why new cases of
malaria rose dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s. In a paper
published in Malaria Journal earlier this year, IRI scientist
Judy Omumbo and her colleagues showed conclusively that
the region had warmed by 0.6 degree Celsius since 1979. In
short order they were able to resolve a question that others
had wrestled with for years because they gained access to
climate data from a regional tea plantation that had never
before been analyzed. Omumbo worked closely with a
researcher in the Kenya Meteorological Department who
helped them analyze the data and who ultimately became a
coauthor on the malaria paper. Collaborating in this way not
only provides access to new data sets, it builds the scientific
capacity within African institutions.
Tufa Dinku, an IRI researcher who was born in Ethiopia, has
established similar collaborations in his home country. How-
ever, if these breakthroughs are to continue, policy makers
must rethink current funding mechanisms for accessing
Africa’s climate data in order to ensure this information is
available to those who stand to benefit from it. Thomson and
her colleagues at IRI are not alone in their thinking. The Gates
Foundation and the philanthropic arm of Google have also
been pushing to open Africa’s climate archive to the world.
Any solution also needs to guarantee that the national
weather services are adequately funded to collect, distribute
and support the data.
Above: With climate data from Kenya’s Kericho Tea Estates, IRI’s Judy Omumbo (right) confirms that the region has been warming.
Right: Kenyan tea farmer.
Dav
id G
ottli
eb
Dav
id G
ottli
eb
in 2010 five glaxosmithKline (gsK) employees lent their
skills to the earth institute’s millennium Cities initiative
(mCi) by delivering vital social services in public health and
education through gsK’s pulse volunteer partnership.
The PULSE program builds upon GSK’s mission—to improve
the quality of human life through its products—empowering
GSK employees to apply their knowledge and skills toward
addressing the needs and challenges of impoverished rural
and urban communities through a three- or six-month immer-
sion experience. Following the success of the initial year of
this partnership, in 2011 PULSE has provided 18 full-time
volunteers to work with the Earth Institute.
One of the 2010 volunteers, Mayuko Hashimoto, a medical
information specialist from Tokyo, completed a six-month
immersion in Kisumu, Kenya. Hashimoto worked toward im-
plementing a neonatal and maternal mortality survey in Kisumu’s
public health facilities. Working closely with MCI’s public health
specialist for Kisumu, Hashimoto assessed the existing capac-
ity of Kisumu’s four public health centers to provide delivery,
neonatal, and maternal healthcare services for the city.
Like Hashimoto, Noxolo Doris
Tshambuluka of South Africa
applied her own expertise in
R&D and clinical health to
conduct surveys on maternal
and newborn mortality and
institutional delivery in two
Millennium Cities. After
spending three months in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Tshambuluka
continued her much-needed work in Blantyre, Malawi.
Once aggregated, the data that Hashimoto and Tshambuluka
gathered will assist local health officials in their work to
reduce the incidence of maternal and neonatal morbidity and
mortality in these cities.
Michelle Wobker, a pharmaceutical engineer in North Carolina,
volunteered her talents for MCI’s Kumasi-NYC School2School
program. School2School is a public-private partnership
among Columbia University Teachers College, New York
public schools, Ericsson and Airtel Ghana aimed at strength-
ening the uses of instructional technology in science and math
education. To help address the need for capable teachers,
Wobker helped train dozens of seventh-grade science, math,
and IT teachers as well as assistant principals in 15 Kumasi
middle schools, developing a groundbreaking teacher’s guide
to using the computer and the Internet.
Two GSK employees from Europe, Dorella Camiletti and
Steffi Gantner, served as supply chain management consul-
tants to the Metropolitan Health Directorates in Kumasi and
Accra, Ghana’s largest cities. Camiletti and Gantner devoted
their efforts to reviewing existing systems within the two cities’
health facilities, conducting inventory analyses and presenting
recommendations to streamline performance and service de-
livery. Their efforts brought together stakeholders in Ghana’s
healthcare system to exchange information and share the
most efficient practices in healthcare management.
In addition to the PULSE program, GlaxoSmithKline and the
Earth Institute have embarked on a joint effort in the Millennium
Villages Project (MVP) to apply the Personal Hygiene and San-
itation Education (PHASE) methodology in two MVP clusters in
Malawi and Senegal. The goal of PHASE is to achieve behavior
change around hand-washing, personal hygiene and sanita-
tion to reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve overall
sanitation infrastructure to support these practices.
GSK PULSE volunteer Michelle Staben Wobker in the midst of students dancing at the Parents’ Day Celebration at the State Experimental Basic 1 and 2 in Kumasi, Ghana, in December 2010.
The PULSE program builds upon GSK’s
mission—to improve the quality of human life through its products.
annual donor report 2011 annual donor report 2011
Volunteers improve health initiatives in Millennium Cities
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
More than 30 interdisciplinaryresearch centers and programs are home to over
who work with the latest technology to
CE
RC
Mer
edith
Net
tles
deliver real-world solutions.
850 scientists, postdoctoral fellows and students
annual donor report 2011
More than 30 interdisciplinaryresearch centers and programs are home to over
who work with the latest technology to
LDE
O
Ala
n O
rling
Ala
n O
rling
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
deliver real-world solutions.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
despite a slowed economic recovery we continue to make
progress in our efforts to support and expand the educa-
tional and research programs and initiatives at the earth
institute. with the extraordinary and sustained support of
our donors and partners, we exceeded our $200 million
campaign goal almost a year ahead of schedule, ending the
year having raised nearly $23 million from individuals,
corporations, foundations and organizations. Thanks to this
milestone the Earth Institute has expanded its campaign goal by
$100 million to $300 million, to be completed by December 31,
2013. A transformational gift of $10 million from Sue and Bill
Gross has already given the expanded campaign a boost.
They stated, “We are thrilled that our gift is helping kick off the
expansion of the Earth Institute’s campaign and know that,
with Jeff’s commitment, this will continue to be a good invest-
ment for humanity.”
Earlier this year Jeffrey Sachs announced that he would be
extending his term as director. Since his tenure began in
2002, Jeff has led the Earth Institute to become a leading
scientific authority on sustainable development while simul-
taneously expanding its reach worldwide. He has also forged
an increasingly prominent role for academic leaders in policy
and program work throughout the world. Recognized globally
as a leading figure on sustainable development and economics,
Jeff’s advisement is sought out by global leaders, govern-
ments and the United Nations. He has significantly grown the
Earth Institute’s programs both at home and abroad—
increasing the number of major research units from six to 15,
adding seven academic programs and more than tripling the
membership of the Earth Institute faculty to nearly 40 experts.
On June 6, 2011, we welcomed Carol Pooser as the new direc-
tor of funding initiatives. Carol comes to the Earth Institute
from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was respon-
sible for the major gift program for the School of Arts and
Sciences. Over the past 20 years she has held leadership
positions in research and higher education at institutions
including the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole
and the Florida Museum of Natural History. We are very ex-
cited to welcome Carol, whose personal and professional
background make her a wonderful addition to the funding
Extraordinary Support for Unprecedented Global Challenges
Above, front row, from left: Samanatha Tress, Urania Mylonas, Terri Harris, Dove Pedlosky, Jasmina Metjaic. Back row, from left: Evan Phalon, Ronnie Anderson, Paula Sharp, Gregory Fienhold, Barbara Charbonnet, Carol Pooser, Lisa Phillips, Erika Freimuth, Stacey Vassallo.
With the extraordinary and sustained support
of our donors and partners, we exceeded
our $200 million campaign goal almost
a year ahead of schedule.
Mic
hael
DiV
ito
annual donor report 2011
Financial StatementJuly 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011
initiatives team and an ideal candidate to lead the develop-
ment operation at the Earth Institute.
We were extremely pleased that the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to help
improve the health of mothers and children in poor, rural com-
munities within the Millennium Villages Project (MVP). These
funds will support activities to increase access to quality sexual
and reproductive health services, continue our advisory work
and assist governments with national scale-up programs and
best practices throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
We were also gratified by Ikea’s generous award of $4.5 million
in support of three additional Model Districts in Rajasthan,
Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, India, projects focusing on key
interventions for the survival of women and children,
including care during pregnancy, safe deliveries, newborn
care, immediate care for sick children and important nutrition
interventions. The overall project goal is to support district
and state governments to improve family health outcomes and
serve as models for regional scale-up in an effort to acceler-
ate national progress toward Millennium Development Goals
in India, a country that carries the world’s greatest burden of
reproductive health, child health and nutrition issues.
Mill
ions
ProjectedActual
20122004 2006 2008 20102005 2007 2009 2011
300
250
200
150
100
50
Direct Revenue$122,443
Gifts$16,68014%
Foundation Grants$20,59018%
Endowment Income, Net Tuition and Fees $6,173 5%
Government Grants$71,195
63%
Direct Expenses$126,141
Dollar amounts in thousands.Source: Office of Finance and Administration, The Earth Institute
Research$68,650
54%
General Administration$14,52012%
Instructional and Educational Activities$27,35822%
Operations, Maintenance, Equipment, Other$15,614 12%
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs announces the extension of his term as Director of the Earth Institute to donors and supporters at President’s House.
Eile
en B
arro
so
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
OUR DONORS
thank you to our donors
We greatly appreciate the support of donors
like you, the individuals, corporations, founda-
tions, foreign governments and multilateral
organizations who have supported and part-
nered with us in our work. With your help, we
continue to advance the science, technologies
and policies needed to develop practical solu-
tions for our planet’s complex challenges. You
are part of an invaluable group of supporters
who have been instrumental in allowing us to
continue to find solutions to achieve sustain-
able development.
The following is a summary list of the 2011 fiscal
year (July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011) donors to
the Earth Institute and all its affiliated units,
including the largest, the Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory.
We are deeply grateful to those who have
shown extraordinary generosity and commit-
ment to the Earth Institute since our founding.
Individuals and organizations whose cumula-
tive gifts and pledges have exceeded $1 million
are recognized in the following pages.
A generous gift from Karl G. Homberg of more than $1.2 million
has allowed the Columbia Climate Center to develop a mas-
ter’s level program in carbon management that aims to train
the new workforce needed to meet the challenge of reducing
carbon dioxide emission. The program will provide interdisci-
plinary understanding of the physical, natural and social
sciences, engineering, economics, business and law and will
be the first of its kind in the United States.
To secure the best resources for our researchers, we continue
to prioritize fund-raising for the most advanced infrastructure.
In 2010 the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory was awarded
a $1.4 million matching grant from the National Institute of
Standards and Technology to complete the final laboratory in
the Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building. Once completed,
this facility will be the most sophisticated ultra clean lab for
geochemical analyses in academia, attracting top talent—
students as well as professors—to the Observatory’s campus.
Such laboratories are essential to future innovation,
facilitating opportunities for collaboration across the university
and the wider international community. We are grateful to
the more than 110 Lamont-Doherty alumni and friends who
have made gifts or pledges totaling $900,000 to meet the
federal match. Among these, we extend special thanks to an
anonymous donor, to the Botwinick-Wolfensohn Foundation,
to George L. Becker Jr. and his family and to the Office of
Columbia’s Executive Vice President for Research.
With 30 percent of our $300 million campaign goal yet to be
raised, the continued commitment of our loyal donors and
friends will be instrumental in helping us meet our 2013 goal.
More importantly, these funds will help us train the next
generation of leaders and enable our world-class scientists
and staff to continue their important work to secure a more
sustainable Earth.
annual donor report 2011
Benefactors
We are deeply grateful to those who have shown extraordinary generosity and commitment to the Earth Institute since our beginning. Individuals and organizations whose cumulative gifts and pledges have exceeded $1 million or more are recognized below.
Anonymous (4)
Nancy K. and Randy Best
The Central Weather Bureau
Gary C. Comer and the Comer Science and Education Foundation
Estate of Esther C. Dauch
The Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation
Joseph Ellis ’64CC and Barbara Ellis ’64BC, ’65GSAS
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Glaser Progress Foundation
Bill and Sue Gross
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Karl G. Homberg ’69BUS
International Center for Tropical Agriculture
H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest, Esq. ’58LAW and Marguerite Brooks Lenfest
Stephen Lewis Foundation
The MAC Global Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Sara Miller McCune
Merck & Company Incorporated
The Countess Moira Charitable Foundation
Ambrose Monell Foundation
Monsanto Company
MSST Foundation
The Overbrook Foundation
The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
Palisades Geophysical Institute
Betsee Parker
Jerome M. Paros ’63 GSAS
PepsiCo Foundation
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
The Principality of Monaco
The Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Foundation
V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute
Stichting IKEA Foundation
The Tides Foundation
UNICEF
United Nations Development Programme
UnitedHealth Foundation
The G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation
Volvo Stiftelseforvaltning
$1,000,000 and Above
Glaser Progress Foundation
KGH Nature gGmbH
(Karl G. Homberg ’69BUS and Elizabeth L. Homberg)
The Lenfest Foundation
(H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest, Esq. ’58LAW and Marguerite Brooks Lenfest)
Merck & Company Incorporated
Betsee Parker
PepsiCo Foundation
Stichting IKEA Foundation
The Tides Foundation
$500,000–$999,999
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Green Family Foundation
International Center for Tropical Agriculture
The G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation
United Nations Development Programme
$100,000–$499,999
Anonymous (2)
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
Asian Development Bank
George Lawrence Becker Jr., M.D. ’62NI and Family
Sime Darby Berhad
The Botwinick-Wolfensohn Foundation, Incorporated
Comer Science and Education Foundation
DAI
Steven and Roberta Denning P:’06CC
General Electric Corporation
Charities Aid Foundation
Global Climate Change Foundation
Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of Tides Foundation
Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman
Jocelyn and Kenneth Kam Biu Hung P: ’10CC, ’13CC
Inter-American Development Bank
International Federation of Red Cross
The McKnight Foundation
Ministero dell’ Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio
Monsanto Company
Nestlé
Novartis Stifung fur Nachhaltige Entwicklung
Open Society Institute
Oxfam-America, Inc.
Michael E. Pulitzer
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute
United Nations Environment Programme Trust Fund
United Nations World Food Programme
Robert Weinsten
$50,000–$99,999
Baltimore Community Foundation
The Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation
The Brinson Foundation
Andrew E. Cunagin
Deutsche Bank AG
DSM Nutritional Products
Find Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics
Frank Gumper ’71 GSAS, ’83BUS and Joanne Gumper
Nike Foundation
Riverkeeper, Inc.
UNICEF
United Nations Office in Nairobi
$10,000–$49,999
Agrium, Inc.
Black Rock Forest Consortium
Charles R. Borrok ’93CC, ’01BUS
BPC PLC
Michael Cembalest ’86SIPA and Rachel Hines
Gary M. Cohen
Consolidated Edison Company of New York
The Education Foundation of Alpine
Electricite De France International N.A. Inc.
Exxon Mobil Corporation
John E. Fetzer Institute (John Fetzer ’57GSAS)
Hudson River Foundation for Science & Environmental Research
Johnson & Johnson
Robert S. Kaplan Foundation
Nicole Alger and Zachary Eli Karabell, Ph.D. ’88CC
Aaron J. Lebovitz ’92 CC and Donna T. Myers ’92CC, ’96BUS
Arthur Lerner-Lam
Stephen Lewis Foundation (Steven Lewis, ’70 GSAS)
The MAIA Foundation
Mr. John Maguire
Dr. Florentin J-M. R. Maurrasse ’73GSAS
The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife Conservation Society
Permanent Mission of Norway
Pfizer Incorporated
Laurance Rockefeller, Esq. ’74LAW
Joshua Nalibow Ruxin ’94PH
Mill
enni
um P
rom
ise
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Shirley F. and Walter Wang ’93BUS
Edward M. Stuart
Swiss Confederation
Swiss Reinsurance Company
The New World Foundation
Vale Moçambique Limitada
Walmart Stores Incorporated
Dr. John O. Wheeler ’56GSAS
Jacob J. Worenklein ’70CC, P:’93CC
Gregory and Jacquelyn Zehner
$1,000–$9,999
Anonymous
Susana Beatriz Adamo
Dr. Dennis M. Adler ’77GSAS, ’79GSAS, ’82GSAS and Robin Aronow
Aid for Africa
Prof. O. Roger Anderson
The Atkinson Family Foundation
Becton Dickinson and Company
Barbara A. Becker
Black Forest Consortium
Nancy P. Blaustein
Charles V. Callan ’78CC
Dr. Mary Ann Chapman
Chevron Products Company
Dr. Millard F. Coffin ’81GSAS, ’82GSAS, ’85GSAS
Holly Delany Cole
Alexander M. de Sherbinin
Dr. Jishu Deng ’93GSAS, ’96GSAS, ’97GSAS and Ms. Yuan Yuan
Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
The Henry L. & Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation
Estelle E. Ellis-Rubinstein
Peter and Pauline Eschweiler
Dr. Andrew Farnsworth
David Goodman
The Jeffrey Stuart Gould Foundation
Dr. John Kendrick Hall ’70GSAS
Carolyn R. Herman
Dr. Ellen M. Herron ’67GSAS, ’74GSAS and
Dr. Thomas J. Herron ’66 GSAS
Matthew Leon Hill ’02EN
Kyle Himmerick and Stacy Moscow
Charles Hirschler ’81BUS
InfoStructure, Incorporated
INIA Fontagro
Marc and Judy Joseph
Prof. Joan W. Konner ’61JN
Dr. Lillian Protz Langseth ’90PH
Eileen Lawal
Dr. Wendy Epstein, MD and Lawrence R. Lynn P:’13CC
Dr. John Patrick McGinnis ’95GSAS
Bernadette Murphy
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The Amy Klette Newman Foundation
The George W. & Amy Newman Foundation
Thomas O’Brien
Dr. Virginia McConn Oversby ’67GSAS, ’69GSAS and Lars Werme
Panthera Corporation
Payette Associates, Incorporated
Seth Perlman
Boon Keong Poh
Frederick William Post
Helene Presskreischer
Martine and Michael Rawson ’75GSAS
Dr. James H. Robertson ’75GSAS
Dr. Oswald A. Roels
Dr. Joanna Rubinstein
Dr. William B. F. Ryan ’71GSAS and Judy Ryan
Laurence A. Shadek
William H. Sherer
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Dr. Claire Stampfer ’73CC and Dr. Meir J. Stampfer P:’07CC, ’09CC, ’11CC
Michael Steinhardt P: ’97CC
Surfer’s Environmental Alliance
Thornton Tomasetti Foundation
Volvo Stiftelseforvaltning
Ira Jay Wagner
Suzan Kotler Wasserman ’75LAW
Water Research Foundation
Allen Wright
$500–$999
Columbia University Club of Bergen, Passaic, and Rockland Counties
Dr. Gerald D. Abrams
Walter and Mildred Alvarez
Dr. Thomas F. Anderson ’67GSAS
Pierre and Nedaleine Biscaye
Brendan Carney
Kim Casey
Dr. Kenneth W. Ciriacks ’62GSAS and Linda Ciriacks
Steven A. Cohen
Eryl Court
Bruce Davidson
Dr. Thomas Jelstrup Fitch ’71GSAS and Rosemary M. Fitch
James B. Gaherty
Brian Godon
Dr. Mark Hilberman ’60GSAS
Robert Louis Hoguet III ’73BUS
Dr. Kenneth Watkins Hudnut ’86GSAS, ’89GSAS and Dana Jean Coyle
Stanley Jacobs
Kevin Laven
William and Olga Ludwig
Ruth R. Maier
Collen Mayer
Roger Mellick
Edith B. Miller
Cathy J. Neuman
Katie Pierson
G. Michael Purdy
Richard Reckmeyer
Dr. Richard Seager ’86GSAS, ’90GSAS
David and Patricia Simpson
Gerald Sobel
Dr. John Robert Toggweiler ’75CC, ’76GSAS, ’78GSAS, ’83GSAS
United Way of New York City
Richard and Joyce O’Dowd Wallace
Harry S. Van Santford, Jr.
Drs. Xuejin Wang, ’95GSAS, ’96GSAS, and Lingqiao Ma ’96GSAS, ’97GSAS P: ’11EN
Barbara D. Wick
$499 or Less
Kathryn Abrams
Ruth A. Adamowicz
Leonard J. Adams ’61CC
Garrett Adler
Dr. Robert S. Agatston ’52GSAS
Claudia Alba
James J. Alberino ’63BUS and Tuula Pasola-Alberino
Charles P. Alexander ’77JN
OUR DONORS
annual donor report 2011
Jeannine Alexandro
Sarah Alford
Anita Lynn Allen
Mr. Chris Amore
Jean Amore
Rockne S. Anderson ’67GSAS
Eleanor S. Applewhaite ’62LAW
Molly Marie Ashenfelter
Bruce C. Auld ’65EN, ’69GSAS
Luz Maria Aveleyra
Dr. Muawia Barazangi ’71GSAS
Keith Barry
Ronne Bassman-Agins
Maurizio Bau
Matthew C. Baum
Molly C. Bentley
Dr. Ellen Kappel Berman ’82GSAS, ’85GSAS
Pamela and Henry Bischoff
David G. Black Jr.
Lloyd R. Blackledge
Edmund M. Bleich ’52GSAS
Dr. Renee J. Blumstein ’84GSAS, ’84TC, ’86GSAS
Pouyan Bokaei
Marvin and Laura Bolotsky
Sherif Boshra
Dr. Kathryn Thompson Bosley ’88GSAS, ’91GSAS
Caitlin Suzanne Bothwell
Dr. J. Ernest Breeding Jr. ’72GSAS
Hannes and Mary Ann Brueckner
Donna Louise Buono ’91PH
Thomas K. Burch ’80GSAS and Cathryn Burch
Dr. Peter R. Buseck ’62GSAS
Dr. John V. Byrne ’53GSAS
Dr. Steven C. Cande ’77GSAS
Mark and Barbara H. Cane P: ’96CC, ’98CC
Ross S. Cann ’62GSAS
Courtenay Cann
Philip D. Carmichael ’56CC
CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Incorporated
Dr. Richard Paul Cember ’83GSAS, ’88GSAS
Barbara Charbonnet
Paul Charbonnet
Paul Chelminski ’55GSAS
Thomas F. Chisena
Nita G. Christensen
Elissa Claar
Ms. Thea R. Clark
Megan Linnea Clayton
Dr. Bradford Clement ’83GSAS, ’85GSAS and Gail Clement
David M. Cohen
Henry P. Cole Jr.
Sigrid Colgan and John D. Colgan, Jr.
Dr. Robert B. Cook ’76GSAS, ’77GSAS, ’81GSAS
David Corcoran
Dr. Vernon F. Cormier ’76GSAS
Anthony J. Costantini, Esq. ’72LAW
Kathleen Joy Cue
Julian Mauro D’Ambrosi ’96BUS
Richard Davison
George L. De Coster ’44CC, ’48GSAS
Dr. Bruce L. Deck ’76GSAS, ’81GSAS
Barbara Dege
Vivian Del Valle
Ellen Dember
Jeffrey Chunjou Do ’96CC
Kyle Drummond
Dawn Durning-Hammond
Junette Marcia Earl
Dr. Frank Donald Eckelmann ’54GSAS
Dr. Walter Ehrlich
Robert Eisenstadt, Esq. ’66LAW
Dr. Stephen L. Eittreim ’70GSAS and Carole Ann Eittreim
Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel ’95GSAS
Thomas Elszasz
Patrick and Lynn English
Matthew Ryan Epperson
Dr. Robert A. Esser
Lisa Eyler
Dr. Rodger T. Faill ’61GSAS, ’66GSAS
June Falk
“In recent years, Sue and Bill Gross have
donated more than $15 million in support
of Millennium Villages and other projects.
‘We’re happy to support the Earth Institute,’
they say, ‘and to play a role in helping bring
hope and self-sufficiency to some of the
poorest people on the planet who face
almost insurmountable odds in achieving
better lives for themselves and their families.’
The Grosses’ generosity helps empower
hundreds of thousands to fight poverty
and transform their lives. Through critical
and creative ways, their donation will go to
expanding the project throughout Africa.”
—Jeffrey D. Sachs
Mille
nniu
m P
rom
ise
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Judith E. Famellette
Melvin M. Feldman, D.D.S. ’53DN
Nazareth Feslehjian
Judith M. Fichtenholtz ’73SW
Marci E. Fiedler ’09SIPA
Gregory L. Fienhold
Dr. Stephen L. Fischer ’94CC, ’95EN
Jay W. Fleischauer
Dr. Myron H. Fliegel ’72GSAS
James Fonda ’07SIPA
Emily Foy
Theodore Franchetti
Rosemary and Eric Free
Dr. Eugene A. Friedberg ’65MD
Shelley Friedman
Prof. Rong Fu ’87GSAS ’89GSAS, ’91GSAS
Dr. Hubert Gabrielse ’55GSAS
Herman Galberd
Cedric Garlick
Dr. Edward A. Garvey ’83GSAS, ’89GSAS, ’90GSAS
Alice H. Gerard
Dr. Billy P. Glass ’68GSAS
Linda M. Goad
Prof. Glenn Goldman ’74CC
Lisa L. Gordon
Hamilton C. Goulart, M.D. and Ann Goulart
Ryan G. Grady
Efrem M. Grail, Esq. ’85SIPA, ’86LAW
James Greenfield
Muriel S. Grim ’63GSAS and Paul Grim
Paul E. Grimshaw
Dr. Judith Grinspan P: ’09CC
Dr. Hongsheng Guo ’92GSAS, ’95GSAS
Sarina W. Gwirtzman
Dr. David Haas
Bruce T. Halstater
Kear F. Halstater
Dr. Douglas E. Hammond ’75GSAS
Sarah Hancock
Timothy B. Harwood
Joan E. Hastings
Miranda Hawins
David K. Heit
Robert Hergenrother
Karen L. Hobson
Dr. Hans J. Holland ’52GSAS
Sidney Hollander Jr.
Dr. Ann Elizabeth Holmes ’93GSAS, ’96GSAS
Lawrence L. Hope
Joan Beth Hornig ’84BUS
Gary Vaughn Huddleston
Dr. Richard W. Hull ’85SIPA, ’68GSAS
Humanity Calls Incorporated
Julia Hunkins
Frank E. Iaquinta, M.D. ’47CC, ’51MD
Thomas and Evelyn Lervolino
Dr. Robert D. Jacobi ’74GSAS, ’80GSAS
Miriam and Sherman Jaffe
James H. Jarrett
Dr. Stephanie H. Jed
Shirley Kalish
Teresa S. Karamanos
Peter S. Karp ’58AR
Ruth Katz
Earle W. Kazis ’58BUS P: ’79BUS, ’88CC, ’93BUS
M. Whitney Keen, ’73GSAS
Dr. Dennis V. Kent ’74GSAS and Carolyn Kent
Dr. Dalia Kirschbaum ’07GSAS, ’08GSAS, ’09GSAS
Jeffrey Kleiman
Dr. David M. Knowles ’67GSAS
John R. Koerber
Theodore R. Koerner, II
Kenneth Daniel Kostel ’03GSAS, ’03JN
Rochelle Marie Krause ’91CC
William G. Kuhns
Prof. John Tsung-Fen and Marilyn Kuo
Clare Labowitch
Eleanor Langella and Amando Langella, Jr.
Jeffrey M. Langer
Diane M. Langmuir
Dr. Gary V. Latham ’65GSAS
Constance Lee
Elaine Lehto
Dr. William Stanley Leith ’80GSAS, ’83GSAS, ’84GSAS
Dr. Yuan Hui Li ’67GSAS
Ira J. List, D.D.S.
Betty Ann Londergan
Dr. Donald W. Lovejoy ’58GSAS
Robert and Marcia Lupton
Dr. Ntungwa Maasha ’75GSAS and Arnetia S. Maasha ’72SW
Dr. Mark Anthony Maddaloni ’98PH
Francesca Maggian
Marvin H. Malater
Maurice Malin
Avanti Niraja Maluste ’08CC
Albon P. Man, Esq. ’40CC, ’50LAW
Arlene and Gilbert Marin
Glenna Marra
Etta L. Martinch
Dr. Arthur F. Mc Garr ’68GSAS and Annette McGarr
Kathleen McGauran
W. Barnabas McHenry, Esq., ’57LAW
P: ’82CC, ’88CC, ’92AC
Dr. Stephen Russell McNutt ’82GSAS, ’84GSAS, ’85GSAS
Suzanne and Richard McQueen
Dr. Estelle K. Meislich ’52GSAS
Dorothy A. Mellett and James Mellett ’66GSAS
Jill Mendez
Rhoda A. Milgrim
George and Silvia Miller
Michael C. Mollica
Dr. Martin W. Molloy ’55CC, ’58GSAS, ’60GSAS
Dr. Sally Bishop Montgomery ’65GSAS
Carol Mountain and Dr. Gregory S. Mountain ’76GSAS, ’80GSAS, ’81GSAS
Urania N. Mylonas ’97JN
Robert and Jeanne Nelson
Dr. Lawrence D. Neuman ’63CC, ’66CC, ’73CC
Hilary Meredith Nierenberg ’87NP, ’98NP, ’07PH
Oscar R. Nordstrom
Arturo Noriega Sevilla
Kennedy B. Norungolo
Dr. Suzanne Bridget O’Connell ’84GSAS, ’86GSAS
Donald A. Offinger
Alice Olick
Donna J. Pantin
Jean and Alan Pardo
Michael J. Passow ’70CC
Radha N. Patel ’06SIPA
Joseph and Holly Pedlosky
Dr. Michael R. Perfit ’77GSAS
James Joseph Periconi, Esq. ’70CC and Alice McCarthy Periconi P: ’02CC
Alvin H. Perlmutter and Joan W. Konner
Walter Perog ’67TC
Betty and Winston Perry
Robert W. Pfeiffer ’46CC, ’45EN, ’48EN and Patricia Pfeiffer
Judith Ann Pietrasiewicz
Linda R. Powers
Dr. Richard C. Quittmeyer ’77GSAS, ’78GSAS, ’82GSAS
Florence I. Rabanal
Phyllis C. Rabinowitz
Dr. Emma Clare Rainforth ’00GSAS, ’05GSAS
Dr. Elizabeth Pretzer Rall
Jonathan Ramm
Beatrice Rasmussen
Linda Rauer
Dr. Carol Anne Raymond ’84GSAS, ’88GSAS, ’89GSAS
Brian B. Rigney ’00SIPA
Dr. Michael R. Rodman, ’78GSAS
Francis John Rodriguez ’83BUS and Judith M. Rodriguez ’57CP
William D. Romaine
Andy and Vivian Rose
Ellen M. Rosenberg ’66GSAS
Katie Elizabeth Ross ’02CC
OUR DONORS
Nona J. Russell, ’85SIPA
Barbara K. Sacks
Robert Samuels
Joanna Mary Saporito
Joan and Lester Saporta
Anne M. Schneider
Robert C. Schneider ’75CC, P: ’07CC
Roger Seidenman
Lynne and Alan Seidler
Mark A. Shulman, M.A., D.C.
Sylvia S. Shultz
Martha A. Sickles ’78SW
John H. Sindt
Dr. Fernando Sisto and Dr. Grace Sisto SW ’46
Jeffrey C. Slade
Dr. Arthur A. and Edith Socolow
St. James Episcopal Church
John H. St. Laurent
Patricia E. Stalker
Philip Staropoli
Joseph N. Stennett and Dr. Margaret A. Winslow ’80GSAS
Dr. Oscar Strongin, ’58GSAS and Amy Strongin
Dr. Yongjun Su ’97GSAS, ’00GSAS, ’02GSAS
Anya B. Taylor ’65GSAS
Dr. Uri Shimon Ten Brink ’82GSAS, ’85GSAS, ’86GSAS and Dr. Marilyn Ten Brink ’81GSAS, ’86GSAS, ’87GSAS
Dorothy R. Tilson
Dr. Don G. Tobin ’66GSAS and Mary L. Tobin
Renee D. Tolonen
Professor Seymour and Audrey Topping
Anthony R. Torres
Eliot F. Tozer Jr. ’49GSAS
John J. Traynor, Jr.
Truist
Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker ’81GSAS, ’85GSAS
Bonnie Turell
Tuxedo Teachers Association
Union Theological Seminary
Carol Louise Van Donk and Jan Van Donk, Ph.D. ’70GSAS
Candice T. Varley
Anthony Vasilas, M.D.
Stacey L. Vassallo
Prof. David Walker
Kenneth E. Walter
Robert Ward
Ellen Weeks
Lindley B. Weinberg
Anita I. Weinstein
Verena Widmer
Debbie Wilkowski and Stephen Wilkowski ’85EN
Dr. Colin Francis Williams, ’89GSAS
Michael Williams, P: ’09CC
Paul Ypma
Morton G. Yuter
Dr. Youxue Zhang ’85GSAS, ’87GSAS, ’89GSAS
In Honor Of
Susana Beatriz Adamo
The Wedding of Aylin Tugberk ’07GSAS and John Amore’05SIPA, ’05BUS (7)
George L. Becker, Jr. M.D.
Dan Boyce
Susan Blaustein (4)
Dr. Wallace S. Broecker ’53CC, ’58GSAS, P: ’04CC
Chris and Connie
Henry Corrigan-Gibbs
Livia Edwards
Emma Kennedy
Jyothi Vynatheya & Akshay Oberoi
Onno and Marion Leyds
Dr. Walter Pitman ’67GSAS
G. Michael Purdy (11)
Patricia A. Ryan
Pat Temple
Dr. Taro Takahashi ’57GSAS
Leah Wagner
Stylianos Zavvos
In Memory Of
John B. Diebold ’67GSAS, ’77GSAS, ’80GSAS (19)
Saerree K. Fiedler
Dr. Paul W. Gast ’57GSAS
Sam Gerard
Julian Kane ’50GSAS
Laurence Kulp
Dr. Marcus G. Langseth, Jr. ’65GSAS
Juliet Malin
Leona LaPointe McNutt
Joanna Mylonas Kastanis
Vipul Patel ’03LAW
Dr. Melvin Stern
Dr. Leonard Zobler ’53GSAS
In addition to the generous support we received from the individuals and organizations in our donors list, we are grateful for support from United States federal entities such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
We have made every effort to ensure this listing of contributors is complete, and we apologize for any errors or omissions. To report corrections, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call 212-854-7878.
annual donor report 2011
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
managing oil in timor–leste
Though rich in oil and gas, the young island
nation of Timor-Leste is one of the least de-
veloped countries in the world. The govern-
ment, in an effort to boost public invest-
ment and achieve higher living standards,
reached out to Jeffrey Sachs, the Earth
Institute and the Vale Columbia Center on
Sustainable International Investment for
advice on the sustainable management and
use of its petroleum resources. With the
support of the Open Society Institute, a
cross-disciplinary advisory team is sup-
porting the government’s efforts to achieve
rapid, sustainable development and build a
diverse economy.
top-rated earth sCienCe ph.d. program
As the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
(LDEO) seeks to endow its newly titled
Lamont Research Professor track, its cadre
of innovative researchers and mentors was
recognized by the wider community. In
September 2010 the National Research
Council announced that Columbia’s collab-
orative Earth Science Ph.D. training program,
co-led by LDEO researchers and the faculty
of the Department of Earth and Environ-
mental Sciences, had been rated the best
such program in the country.
This partnership between a world-class
research institute and a distinguished aca-
demic program trains generations of young
scientific leaders, renowned throughout the
world for outstanding achievements and
a history of problem-solving, discovery
and creativity.
More Earth Institute Projects and Initiatives
the earth institute comprises more than
30 research centers and programs.
here are a few more highlights of the many
projects we have conducted during the
last year.
visit us online at earth.columbia.edu for regular updates
on our work.
The island nation of Timor-Leste.E
ileen
Bar
roso
annual donor report 2011
Carbon ManageMent PrograM
The new low-carbon economy requires an
innovative workforce of engineers, forest
scientists, economists, lawyers, policy
makers and financial experts who under-
stand that climate-related decisions have
global impact. With the support of donor
Karl G. Homberg, a new Carbon Manage-
ment program is being developed at the
Earth Institute. The two-year, multidisciplinary
curriculum will train professionals to navi-
gate the scientific, technical, behavioral,
economic and policy dimensions of the
carbon challenge.
google oCean
Since the late 1950s, when researchers at
the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
(LDEO) developed the first topographic
maps of the ocean bottom, the Observatory
has been at the forefront of seafloor explo-
ration. Now Google and LDEO have joined
forces to improve the seafloor topography
of Google Ocean to allow armchair explorers
to view parts of the deep ocean floor in greater
detail than ever before. Oceanographers at
LDEO spearheaded the project, which com-
piles data collected on hundreds of U.S.
research cruises and generates the imagery
for Google Ocean’s advanced feature.
ghana teleMediCine ProjeCt to boost health in bonsaaso
The Ghana Telemedicine Project, supported
by the Novartis Foundation, will provide
critical healthcare services to the Millennium
Village of Bonsaaso, Ghana, through infor-
mation and communications technology.
The project will use existing mobile health
platforms, such as ChildCount+, a system
that uses text messages to deliver patients’
vital health information from phones to
databases. Additionally a new teleconsulta-
tion center will provide support to health
workers in clinics as well as to community
health workers engaged at the household
level. Best practices from the Millennium
Villages project will inform the development
of the project and demonstrate results to
the Ministry of Health in Ghana as it looks
to scale up telemedicine services across
the country.
Nic
k Fr
ears
on, L
amon
t-D
oher
ty E
arth
Ob
serv
ator
y
Gra
phi
c: L
amon
t-D
oher
ty/G
MR
T
Ann
ika
Sw
eetla
nd
Global soil map prediction created in part by the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program demonstrating the mean soil pH measured in water.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
research centers and programs
Research Units of the Earth Institute
Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR)
Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
Center for Global Health and Economic Development (CGHED)
Center for Hazards and Risk Research (CHRR)
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)
Center for National Health Development in Ethiopia (CNHDE)
Center for Rivers and Estuaries
Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD)
Center for the Study of Science and Religion (CSSR)
Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development (CGSD)
Columbia Climate Center
Columbia Water Center
Earth Engineering Center (EEC)
International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)
Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy (LCSE)
Programs of the Earth Institute
Cross-Cutting Initiative (CCI)
Earth Clinic
Millennium Cities Initiative
Millennium Villages Project
Program on Science, Technology, and Global Development
Roundtable on Sustainable Mobility
Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program
M.A. in Climate and Society
M.P.A. in Development Practice
M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy
M.S. in Sustainability Management
Ph.D. in Sustainable Development
Undergraduate Special Concentration and Major in Sustainable Development
Joint Units of the Earth Institute
The following five units were established jointly by the Earth Institute and a second entity:
Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED)
Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research (CICAR)
Laboratory of Populations
Urban Design Lab (UDL)
Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment
Affiliates and Consortiums
The Earth Institute is a member of or is closely affiliated with the following four entities:
Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity (AC4)
Black Rock Forest Consortium
Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL)
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)
directorateJeffrey D. Sachs Director
Steven Cohen Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
Peter Schlosser Associate Director and Director of Research
management teamSteven Cohen (Chair)
Joanna Rubinstein
David C. Dvorak
Judith Pietrasiewicz
Carol Pooser
Louise Rosen
Erin Trowbridge
Remote sensing imagery of the Mbola Millennium Village in Tanzania.
Credits
Carol Pooser Gregory Fienhold Content Directors
Celia Watson Seupel Lead Writer
Urania Mylonas Editor
Evan Phalon Co-Editor, Gift Data Manager
Nancy Sherman Copy Editor
Kevin Krajick Editorial Advisor
Stislow Design Design
Sunghee Kim Senior Art Director
This report was printed at Brilliant Graphics, an FSC-certified printer, on paper that contains 100 percent (cover) and 50 percent (text) postconsumer recycled content and was made with renewable energy.
Hogan Hall, MC 3277 2910 Broadway New York, NY 10025
earth.columbia.edu