School of forestry and environmental studies

School Notes: School of the Environment
May/June 2013

Ingrid C. “Indy” Burke | http://environment.yale.edu

Increasing use of solar technologies

A three-year, $1.9 million research project, funded by the Department of Energy, is aimed at estimating the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and persistence of various behavioral strategies that speed the diffusion of solar technology within local communities. Kenneth Gillingham, assistant professor of environmental and energy economics, and his team will first measure the effectiveness of such strategies as facilitated group pricing, community rewards and incentives, and solar ambassadors, then measure their scalability by piloting the most effective strategies in other, randomly selected, communities. The team hopes that these strategies will ultimately increase the use—and lower the costs—of solar technologies.

Students organize shark symposium

In a truly interdisciplinary event this past February, eight luminaries from the fields of marine biology, ecology, conservation, the arts and humanities, and the sustainable seafood movement shared a stage at F&ES to discuss the international trade and conservation of sharks and other marine species. Each year, up to 73 million sharks are killed, fueled by international demand for shark fin soup. As a result, many shark populations have declined by as much as 90 percent, and up to a third of shark and ray species are threatened or nearly threatened with extinction. The symposium, organized by a group of F&ES master’s students, explored the shark’s journey from ocean to plate and, on a broader level, examined our relationship with the ocean. In a related project, two students coauthored an illustrated children’s book, The Adventures of Shark Stanley and Friends, which highlights the role that sharks and their relatives play in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.

Dean Crane publishes new book

In Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot, published by Yale University Press, renowned botanist Peter Crane explores the history of the ginkgo from its mysterious origin through its proliferation, drastic decline, and ultimate resurgence. Crane also highlights the cultural and social significance of the ginkgo: its medicinal and nutritional uses, its power as a source of artistic and religious inspiration, and its importance as one of the world’s most popular street trees.

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