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Course Organizers

The course was developed by a team of faculty, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students.

Introduction. There is little doubt that the world is in crisis. We are fouling our habitat, outstripping our natural resources, and failing to provide an acceptable standard of living for much of our global population. Members of the academic community frequently take aim at politicians and industry for failing to address these issues, while taking moral comfort in the knowledge that their research and teaching programs are contributing positively to the state of the planet. However, while the global crises are multi-faceted, the growing pressure for academic specialization has prompted universities to trade breadth for depth in their curricula. How can we expect students with such specialized knowledge to address problems of such breadth? If we are to achieve global sustainability, society needs broadly educated citizens making informed decisions about the resources they consume, the leaders they vote for, and the lives they live.

Objectives. We have designed an interdisciplinary course based on the state of the planet and the crises it faces. We are ready to launch the course to 300 students, in Spring 2007. The course objectives are:

  • Establish global context for students’ specialized education.
  • Introduce students to the current evidence for crises, and engage them in critically analyzing the arguments presented (e.g verbal models, empirical data, logical reasoning).
  • Motivate and provide a toolbox for students to bring awareness, analysis and action to their lives and careers beyond graduation.

    Global Access. In addition to launching the course, the State of the Planet team and associated graduate seminar will publicize the course internationally with high profile editorials, and will develop a publicly accessible website providing course materials. We will also initiate pilot activity to create specialized data-based worksheets that teachers around the planet can download freely to use in their core courses in mathematics, biology, chemistry, economics, sociology, etc.


    Jill T. Anderson


    Ph.D. Candidate
    Department of Ecology
    and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: jta24@cornell.edu


    Jason Andras

    Ph.D. Candidate
    Department of Ecology
    and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: jpa24@cornell.edu


    Rulon Clark

    Postdoctoral Associate
    Department of Ecology
    and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: rwc13@cornell.edu


    Thomas Eisner

    Schurman Professor
    Department of Neurobiology
    and Behavior
    Cornell University
    e-mail: te14@cornell.edu

    Gretchen A. Gerrish

    Ph.D. Candidate
    Department of Ecolog
    y and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: gag26@cornell.edu


    Jason Hamilton
    Department of Biology
    252 Center for Natural Science
    Ithaca College
    Phone:  607-274-1439
    Email:  jhamilton@ithaca.edu

    James T. Mandel

    Ph.D. Student
    Department of Ecolog
    y and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: jtm39@cornell.edu

    Marie Nydam

    Ph.D. Student
    Department of Ecology
    and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: mln32@cornell.edu

    Daniel K. Riskin

    Postdoctoral Associate
    Boston College
    e-mail: dkr8@cornell.edu

    Krystal L. Rypien

    Ph.D. Candidate
    Department of Ecology
    and Evolutionary Biology
    Cornell University
    e-mail: klr32@cornell.edu

    Janis Strope

    Course Secretary
    Department of Neurobiology
    and Behavior
    Cornell University
    e-mail: jes7@cornell.edu

    Mary Lou Zeeman

    Professor
    Depts. of Applied Mathematics and Biology
    University of Texas at San Antonio
    and Visiting Scientist,
    Department of Neurobiology
    and Behavior
    Cornell University
    mlz5@cornell.edu

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