School of forestry and environmental studies

School Notes: School of the Environment
September/October 2013

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

Crane reappointed as dean

Evolutionary biologist Peter Crane has been reappointed dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2014. In a joint statement in June announcing the reappointment, Yale president Richard Levin and president-elect Peter Salovey praised Crane’s “strong leadership during difficult financial circumstances while maintaining high standards for scholarship and teaching,” and called his mentoring program for junior faculty “one of the most developed and supportive at the university.” They also highlighted Crane’s support for interdisciplinary relationships. 

Yellowstone elk decline

Wolves are not the primary reason for a decline in migratory elk calves in Yellowstone National Park’s Clarks Fork herd. In a group of papers published this summer, researchers led by Arthur Middleton ’07MEM, a Donnelley Postdoctoral Associate at Yale, report that drought and grizzly bears are more likely drivers of the shrinking elk numbers. The number of grizzlies has increased, and their diet has changed, with some bears eating more elk calves because cutthroat trout are no longer available as a food source due to the introduction of an invasive lake trout that feeds on the cutthroats. These changes compound a strong drought effect on summer grasses that has reduced the elk pregnancy rate. This multifaceted research provides important details for the management of Yellowstone’s ecosystems. 

Students win DOE competition

A multidisciplinary team of seven students from F&ES and SOM participated in the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Case Competition, winning the Best Proposal award for both of their presentations. The competition supports the federal goal of reducing energy waste from homes and businesses, and focuses on specific scenarios with real background information and data available to all of the teams. In one case study, the Yale team proposed strategies for energy metering and measuring in General Services Administration buildings across the United States. The other case examined strategies for the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub to help a county government in Pennsylvania complete an energy-saving renovation of a publicly owned office building.

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