The first purpose of my trip to China was primary research for my thesis. My initial approach was to estimate some sort of valuation of wild genetic stock and biotechnology techniques through the pricing of GE (genetically engineered) seeds. The secondary purpose was to develop a general acquaintance of China's environmental conditions and the policy response. To gain a wider look, I split my stay in China into two internships. I wanted some geographic coverage, some exposure to grass-roots environmentalism (if there was any), and wanted to examine public and private approaches to environmental issues, as well as see how rural concerns differ from urban concerns.

The first internship was arranged through Yale-in-China. Produce Green is an organic farm that serves as an environmental education center. It is located in the New Territories, to the north of Hong Kong. Vicky Lau, the general manager of Produce Green, saw a need for a place for "green" education, where urban Hong Kongers can rent some land to raise crops and expose their children to nature, which is unknown to city-dwellers. Produce Green also continually fundraises. To that end, Produce Green needed someone to update their webpage and their publicity materials.

I stayed in a Hakka village adjoining the farm and worked in the small office, talking to the staff about environmental consciousness in Hong Kong and working on the webpage. I also spoke to some length with the farm's original manager, who now works at Kadoorie Farms, Hong Kong's largest agricultural center, about the decisions involved with picking strains of crops, especially rice. Produce Green has one of the last rice paddies in Hong Kong. Angus also taught me several crossing techniques, and described some of the considerations in breeding. I stayed in Hong Kong about 1 month.

In Beijing, I had contacted a group called Institute for Human Ecology. It is a self-described NGO, but falls more clearly under GONGO (Government Operated Non-Governmental Organization) status. Run by Diane Chang, the daughter of an ex-minister of defense, IHE operates as a clearinghouse for interactions between the government and multinational corporations. Its method of operation is to import corporate technology to aid China in dealing with environmental problems and to use corporate money to sponsor training sessions. Although it seems an odd scheme by Western standards, I came to see it as entirely consistent with the Chinese concept of sustainable development (emphasis is on development). Diane had arranged for me to live in subsidized government quarters, with the Communications and Environmental Education Committee of the State Environmental Protection Agency.

It was fortuitous. Both the IHE and CEEC stockpile environmental information-- particularly useful were a gathering of documents regarding government priorities and policy goals for the next 10 years. I was able to get a general sense of where the government is most concerned-- water pollution, waste treatment, air pollution, and areas where environmental damage would prevent economic development. My main project for IHE was helping conserve a Hainan dipterocarp forest. In order to do this, I became familiar with the GEF (Global Environment Facility), a UN-operated fund for projects in developing countries. I drafted an initial proposal for funding. At the CEEC, I staffed various activities and helped in translation of materials.

Meanwhile, I was contacting biotechnology companies through IHE and on my own in Beijing. I interviewed various MNC's with presence in China, including Unilever and Monsanto. However, the results were discouraging. Most MNC's were in the process of establishing themselves with the government and making connections, which is a required step in China. Commercial introduction in China has been very limited. The only example I could find of GE seeds being sold to farmers was Monsanto's Bollgard product in Hebei. However, Monsanto had subcontracted that operation to the Hebei Seed Company. Monsanto was very unwilling to disclose information, and the Hebei Seed Company kept unclear records and spoke very little English. In the end, the only real wide use of that product was a demonstration farm in that province (like the ones Monsanto has set up worldwide).

At about the same time, I had the chance to visit a cluster of Chinese peasant villages in Henan. One of the remarkable things that I found (other than cultural differences) was that recently, a water charge had been imposed. Villagers remarked that it was still the difficulty of hauling the heavy drums from the village tank that was the primary disincentive, but noted that people used less water. I knew from IHE reading that North China has a severe water shortage problem, and their comments piqued my interest in whether water charges could be used to increase efficiency. This has led to my current thesis.

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Earth System Field School Session I
Columbia University Biosphere 2 Center
Elizabeth Cushingham
E&EB

This summer at the Earth Field School, Summer Session I, students at the Biosphere 2 Center learned a combination of geology and biology in various hands-on activities, trips, and projects. As a non-science major, this approach was particularly valuable to me. I loved learning plant species and geologic stratifications as we hiked up the South Catalina mountains, down the Grand Canyon or around the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge - it was a new kind of science for me. I also learned about gastropods, echinoderms, and cnidarians by examining and counting them in tide pools at the research center CEDO on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.

Our days were also filled with orienteering and mapping projects, soil sampling, plant and rock ID, as well as general labs on various aspects of the Sonoran Desert. Other field trips included visiting the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, a petrified forest, a salina, and "the dying grounds" (where a swamp had dried up leaving massive hills full of fossils, and enormous mud dunes).

The last week of the program was spent working on research projects. I was able to do independent work in a group of three students examining and evaluating conditions on the Algal Turf Scrubbers which regulate the level of nutrients in water recycled through the Mangrove marsh section of the Biosphere. This project was especially enjoyable because we were able to examine an actual working part of the Biosphere facility. Our project involved measuring light intensity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, tip time of the water trough and accumulated biomass of the algae (which required us to harvest six scrubbers and dry the algae in a solar oven) in order to determine which were the significant factors that contributed to greater biomass.

Professors and TAs were great throughout the whole program. They came with an incredible energy level and genuine interest in every student. The only disappointment of the program was that we were not able to spend more time in the Biosphere facility itself. There simply wasn't any time to do so in our schedule unless we had cut out some of the field trips. In all, I feel that the program taught me a new way to look at science through hands-on fieldwork. I am still amazed that I've learned so many plant, insect, reptile and mammal species and acquired so much knowledge about geologic history of Arizona.

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Consulting and Studying with Architects in Scandinavia,
Working on Developing Environmentally Responsible Designs
Rachel Gruzen
STEV and Architecture

With the aid of a Studies in the Environment Summer Fellowship I went to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland for the months of June and July 1999 to explore sustainable and climate responsive architecture. I spent the most inspirational summer of my life achieving a better understanding of what "sustainable design" means; I learned the importance, not just benefits of climate responsive design; and I gained insight into the Scandinavian aesthetic of nature in design. I learned from professors, architects, engineers, politicians and laymen, and equally important, experienced a landscape that is so compelling and brutal that I truly understood its power over the artisans, scientists and citizens.

I was particularly drawn to Norway of all the countries I visited, not just due to a bias of ancestry, but because I was most compelled by its art of building. I explored in-depth the traditional architecture and its intimate, simple understanding of material and climate, while I found the technology of the modern architecture equally insightful and seductive. From early Pagan to modern design, nature is clearly evident in the creative process. Climate demands that Norwegian architecture be functional and resilient. Brutal geology has limited the country’s resourceful design solutions exists.

There is also and incredible power to the natural landscape of Norway. Magnificent fjords dramatically rise from the sea, while water crashes down waterfalls from high peaks still snow-capped in July. Winds howl in the winter and temperatures drop well below zero, while summers are festivals of light with valleys exploding in a rich palette of greens. Here man’s scale with nature is minuscule, and Norwegians grow up with a deep reverence for the outdoors. Sweden, Finland and Denmark each had extremely unique landscapes and geologies as well, which were directly reflected in the architecture. Sweden had vst rolling fields of green against which red barns stood out; Finland’s plains of forests and lakes dictated a wooden architecture that celebrates craftsmanship and engineering. Denmark’s thatched roofs and white church steeples contrasted the rolling purple heather and golden wheat fields.

My research with experts was just as thorough and rewarding as my observations, and unexpected opportunities constantly arose. I had intense discussions and lectures from architects, geologists, and timber specialists; I received a small library collection of books on Scandinavian architecture; I walked and biked miles each day through museums, parks, historical sights, and modern monuments. But I also had hands-on experience in my field of research which was perhaps most satisfying. For example, with a professor of climate responsive design at the Norwegian University of Technology and Science, I experimented with a wind machine and semolina flour to simulate snow drifts on various design models. In Sweden I toured 18th century vernacular architecture at one of the many open-air museums I visited on my trip, only to find myself a few days later staying with a family in a restored 19th century Swedish schoolhouse. The next day I helped the neighbors paint a just-completed modern farmhouse they designed and constructed themselves. Painting was followed by a house tour and explanation of the construction, materials and environmentally conscious principles executed in their design.

In my t4avels aI also sought out lessons on culture and politics as well as de4sigh so that I might understand the socioeconomic factors of Scandinavian design. Opportunities included dinner with th4e Norwegian Ambassador of Foreign Affairs, and a cruise of Oslo harbor with the chief port engineers and the president of the American organization Partnership for Sustainable ports, Inc.

I visited the buildings of internationally known architects Svette Fehn, Sigurd Lewerentz, Erik Gunner Asplund, and Steven Holl. I searched out almost two dozen Alvar Aalto buildings in Finland; I spent an afternoon in the offices and home of architect Ralph Erskine and had tea in the home of the late Swedish architect Peter Celsing with his widow.

Museums and architecture, countryside and cities, and most of all stimulating people filled every moment of my days with thrilling adventure. Back on campus, I am now working on a Senior project for Studies in the Environment and Architecture Design that involves two 19th century Guilford barns. Issues of wood engineering and sustainable and climate responsive design are addressed.

I thank the Department of Studies in the Environment, Mary Helen Goldsmith, Fred Meyerson, Jim Hill and Jeffrey Powell for giving me the opportunity to travel. My summer has filled me with optimism and excitement for the potential of my field of work, and had inspired me more than I could hope to express. I am extremely grateful to the Department of Studies in the Environment for truly the best summer of my life.

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Internship at Environmental Law Institute
Henry Kessler
STEV and History

This summer, as a result of the funding I received from Studies in the Environment, I was able to intern at the Environmental Law Institute. The internship was a wonderful experience. Mainly, it taught me exactly what I hoped it would, that I should go to law school and perhaps work in the field of environmental law.

I worked on many projects with several of E.L.I. senior and staff attorneys. One of the most significant projects I worked on was entitled, "Implementing Constitutional Environmental Provisions in Africa". This project looks at constitutions of every African Nation in order to highlight provisions that provide environmental rights. Such provisions include, "right to life provisions", "procedural provisions" (access to justice, access to information, right to association), and explicit environmental provisions. My tasks included Internet research, trips to the Library of Congress and African embassies in order to gather constitutions for every nation. Then, I read and analyzed each constitution and picked out those provisions which applied to the above definitions. I assembled and completed four detailed charts listing applicable provisions for each country, from which the report will soon be written.

Also, I worked on "Hazardous Waste Law" for the Ukraine. The project, which was sponsored by the Ukraine government and several NGOs, was designed to comparatively summarize and analyze hazardous waste legislation in the European Community, EU Member States Germany and Denmark, Eastern European and hopeful accession candidates to the EU Poland and Estonia, and the United States. The report was intended as a recommendation to the Ukraine as to what they're hazardous waste law should look like. My duties included Internet research and networking to gather various laws and regulations from the countries mentioned above. I read and analyzed these laws and organized the information in the form of an outline. This outline will then be used to write the different sections of the report, such as: how hazardous waste is defined, provisions relating to disposal, enforcement provisions, the role of citizens, and governmental monitoring. Most importantly, I was given responsibility for writing two of the sections. The first concerned the way in which each country defines the term hazardous waste and the relationship between the EU, its Member States and those countries wishing to become members. The second section talked about governmental monitoring in the form of inspections, permitting, and self-recording and reporting.

Besides these major projects, I also did work for many other projects. This broad-based exposure allowed me to gain experience in a variety of environmental law areas and provided me with the opportunity to meet several interesting lawyers.

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Yellowstone Big Horn Research Association
Summer Course in Geological Field Methods
Daniel MacPhee
STEVand G&G

A brief description of my amazing field school experience in Montana is difficult to make. I spent the majority of time based at the YBRA camp in the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge in the extreme southwestern portion of the state (although ten days were spent in Dillon, MT). The class was a field geology course that lasted from 6am until around 10pm every day. In the morning we would pile into vans and head to sites usually within an hour’s drive in Wyoming or Montana to observe structural features, identify rock units, and eventually map the region.

In the course of the program we completed five major mapping projects and a few smaller ones along with many field trips. Each major project was done in pairs (sometimes two pairs would be combined to divide responsibilities in extra large map areas) and usually lasted 5-7 days. The first day would always be a full group introduction to the map area, its stratigraphy, and possibly some of its major structures. We hiked around to well exposed sections to familiarize ourselves with the rocks before we began mapping.

The rest of the days allotted to a project were independently planned by each pair so as to complete the map in the most thorough and efficient manner. The vans would drop us off where we wanted and them pick us up again before dinner. In the mean time we used our brunton, handlens, rock hammer, and field notes to map the geologic features and explain the structure and possible history of the area.

Every evening we compiled notes and transferred the day’s work onto our final map. Some nights we had lectures given by the professors or visiting researchers. I mapped portions of Elk Basin, Wyoming; the East Rosebud glacial deposits; the Beartooth Front; Sorrenson Ranch Metamorphic Suite; and Block Mountain. We also took trips to the Stillwater Mine, Butte mining district, Yellowstone, Hart Mountain, Bighorn Mountain Belt, and the Bitterroot Mountains among others.

The field trips, mapping projects, and lectures gave a very wide and practical introduction to field geology. I learned a great deal of stratigraphy, sedimentology, structural geology, paleontology, metamorphic petrology, and techniques for field study in all these disciplines.

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The Role of an Amphibian,
Eleutherodactylus Copui,
in Ecosystem Functioning in Puerto Rico
Sarah McCullough
STEV and E&EB

No report online.

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Research and Course Patticipation at the
Primate Behavior and Ecology Program in Panama
Monique Mendez
E&EB

No report online.

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Internship with Mountain State Justice
Charleston, West Virginia
Katherine Scharf
STEV and History

Thanks to the generosity of summer funding provided by the Studies in the Environment program, I was able to spend the hottest months of this past year in my home state, observing one of the hottest environmental controversies it has ever faced: namely, the issue of mountaintop removal surface coal mining in West Virginia. From early June to late August, I mingled independent research with internship duties at the offices of Mountain State Justice, a not-for-profit legal advocacy group.

Under MSJ attorney Joe Lovett - the lead lawyer representing a handful of plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit that challenges mountaintop removal (MTR) methods – I received first-hand training in the mechanics of environmental law. Tasks such as managing exhibit files or cite-checking depositions introduced me to the regulatory practices in question. Some of the most dramatic moments included attending a hearing on the case, participating in two EPA-organized symposia on the effects of MTR mining, and sitting in as a witness on settlement negotiations. And of course, the general excitement of watching the events of a major court case unfold over three months’ time was exhilarating.

The statewide attention given to the MTR issue made research initiatives simultaneously easier and more difficult. Public attention meant that many individuals were willing to comment on the issue, and media coverage, letters to the editor, etc. abounded. The controversy surrounding the events, however, also meant heightened emotions. After a judge’s injunction halted the permitting process on what would be the largest MTR mine in West Virginia history, 250 miners were laid off on July 23. On July 24th I interviewed many of them at their union hall - their anger and disappointment at the "environmental extremists" made an impression, to say the least!

Now, at the end of the summer, I have returned to New Haven with full boxes from a full summer. I visited mine sites and brought back photographs; I interviewed senators and activists and coal industry representatives and brought back transcripts and insights. Newspaper clippings, op-ed essays, testimonials, and legal documents all await more careful perusal and the ultimate incorporation into the senior essay that I look forward to writing this semester. To say that I am grateful for the opportunities the Studies in the Environment fellowship afforded me would be an understatement; the experience of applying the environmental insights I have gleaned from my undergraduate education to a controversy so literally close to home has already proven invaluable.

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Effects of Intraguild Predation among Three Spider Species on
Grasshopper Populations in an Old-Field Interaction Web
Lauge Sokol-Hessner
STEV and E&EB

My senior project advisor is Professor Oswald Schmitz of the Forestry School. His research focuses upon understanding food-webs, in part through field research at study sites located in old-fields within the Yale-Myers Forest in Union, Connecticut. My summer was spent running an experiment at the Forest entitled "Effects of Intraguild Predation among Three Spider Species on Grasshopper Populations in an Old-Field Interaction Web". I arrived at the Forest in early June and spent a week or two orienting myself with the Forest, the study sites and the organisms found at those sites. I also began to make the field enclosures (cages) used to study trophic interactions. All one hundred 1m3 cages were made with materials obtained through the generosity of the fellowship. Once the cages were finished it was early July. With the help of several people, the cages were sunk into trenches dug in the field, thus enclosing the naturally occurring vegetation and anchoring them so they could be stocked with spiders and grasshoppers and none could escape.

On July 9th, 10th and 11th, the cages were stocked with spiders and grasshoppers according to 10 different experimental treatments. From then until late August, the cages were censused (the organisms counted) every 5 days. This process took at least 2 if not 3 days per census, thus leaving 2 or 3 days between censuses. This time was spent helping run other experiments. In addition, I ran pilot experiments for work to be done during summer 2000. The results thus far indicate some interesting patterns and appear to be consistent with our predictions. Most notably, it seems that the effects of multiple predators are additive (as opposed to multiplicative). In other words, any interactions occurring among predators do not appear to decrease their ability to prey upon grasshoppers. These results have encouraging implications for developing ecological theory because they help validate current models which assume additive effects of multiple predators.

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Response of Coyotes to the Reintroduction of Wolves
in Yellowstone National Park
Geoffrey Suttle
STEV and Political Science