Earth Institute News Archive
posted 05/15/03
Three Earth Institute Scientists Featured in New National Video
Search for Solutions video explores the nature and process of science
Three scientists affiliated with the Earth Institute at Columbia are featured in Search for Solutions: Understanding Science, a new video produced in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The Earth Institute scientists, three out of a total of about thirty scientists featured in all, are: Dr. Leonard Druyan, Dr. Anthony Del Genio, and Dr. Dorothy Peteet, all affiliated with the NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
In the video, the Earth Institute scientists present the topic of atmospheric science. “I hope,” says Dr. Druyan, “that young viewers of Search for Solutions will be impressed that atmospheric science is not some esoteric discipline, but rather one of the most remarkable applications of physics and chemistry, touching on fundamental aspects of the environment that sustains all life on this planet.”
Three Columbia scientists are featured in a new video produced in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Drs. Leonard Druyan (above, left), Dorothy Peteet (center), and Anthony Del Genio (right) are affiliated with the NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Understanding Science is part of a series of videos exploring the nature and process of science—creativity, modeling, application, theory and argument— and how these processes play out in science and technology. To impart a global view of the practice and application of science, the series features distinguished scientists and research centers in the United States, Australia and Chile.
Designed to capture the attention and imagination of junior and senior high school students, the Search for Solutions series is accompanied by online teaching guides that help reinforce concepts through discussion, hands-on exercises and experiments.
The Search for Solutions video series, funded by Phillips Petroleum Company, was distributed recently to more than 20,000 science teachers in the United States free of charge.
Search for Solutions DVDs or videos are available for order by certified teachers at www.teachingtools.com. Teaching guides also are available at this site for downloading and printing.
The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 53,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is among the world’s leading academic centers for the integrated study of Earth, its environment, and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines—earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences—and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through its research, training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world’s poor.