[ESSP] New graduate program in environmental science and policy

[Steve Roof]

Columbia launches new M.A. Program in Climate and Society

Columbia University has launched a new twelve-month Masters degree, the
M.A. Program in Climate and Society, which will train professionals and
academics to understand and cope with the impacts of climate variability
and climate change on society and the environment.

Columbia is among the institutions at the forefront of research on climate
and climate applications, and is supported by an extensive network of
research units and faculty. The M.A. Program in Climate and Society
combines elements of established programs in Earth Sciences, Earth
Engineering, International elations, Politics, Sociology, Economics, and
at the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI) with
unique classes in inter-disciplinary applications specially designed for
the program's students.  The program's director, Mark Cane, who is the G.
Unger Vetlesen Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, led the team that
made the first scientific prediction of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation
(ENSO) phenomenon in the 1980s. How people can benefit from climate
prediction information has been a major topic of Cane's research since
that time.

A set of core courses will stress inter-disciplinary problem solving.
These include: Dynamics of climate variability and change; Regional
climate and climate impacts; Quantitative models of climate-sensitive
natural and human systems; Policy-making under uncertainty. A professional
development seminar and a choice between a summer internship or research
thesis complete the required core.

At the end of twelve intensive months of study, graduates will be prepared
to address environmental issues from positions in government, business,
and nongovernmental organizations. Some may wish to continue their
academic careers in the social or
natural sciences.

For more information on the M.A. Program in Climate and Society, please
see www.columbia.edu/climatesociety. You may also contact the program by
email at climatesociety at ei.columbia.edu or by phone at 212-854-9896. The
electronic admission application can be started by setting up a
registration ID at https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=COL-GAS.



About the IRI

The International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI), a unit
of the Earth Institute at Columbia, is a unique resource for the Climate
and Society M.A. program. The core mission of IRI is to enhance society's
ability to understand, anticipate and manage the impacts of seasonal
climate fluctuations, especially in developing countries. The IRI's work
is rooted in climate prediction science, with a focus on climate-related
social and environmental issues. The director of the IRI, Steve Zebiak,
was Mark Cane's colleague when they first successfully predicted the El
Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. The IRI's current research
locations include Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and South
East Asia. For more information please see www.iri.columbia.edu
<http://www.iri.columbia.edu/> .


About the Earth Institute

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is a leading academic center
for the integrated study of Earth, its environment, and society. The Earth
Institute builds upon excellence in 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. For more information
please see www.earth.columbia.edu