Climate, Rain Forest Conservation & Wood Science
(2.0 Credits in Life-Physical Science) FEE: $170
TITLE: Climate
INSTRUCTOR: Professor David Schultz
SPONSOR-HOST: State University of New York
DESCRIPTION: Brief Overview - Our Earth’s Future is about the science of climate change and how to talk about it. You will learn from scientists in the fields of climatology, oceanography, Earth science, and anthropology who study how climate change is affecting people, populations, and ways of life. Explore the multiple lines of evidence for the human-induced climate change that is happening today, and consider what that means for the future of our planet. At the end of this course you will be able to understand key scientific principles, identify and address misconceptions, and contribute confidently to conversations about climate change
INSTRUCTOR: Eva Garen,
SPONSOR-HOST: Yale University
COMPONENT TWO: Tropical Rainforests and Conservation
DESCRIPTION: Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth. This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn: 1. The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors and motivations driving restoration and conservation efforts. 2. How tropical forest ecosystems work, and how they relate to climate change and biodiversity. 3. Fundamental human dimensions to consider in any project, including human livelihoods and local property rights. 4. Conservation theory and dynamic aspects of conserving species and landscapes. 5. A spectrum of restoration strategies and key considerations for restoration, such as species selection and planting design. 6. How agroforestry systems can integrate trees and production to meet different goals. 7. Basic financial concepts and potential sources of conservation and restoration funding. The materials in this course offer a selection of key content from the Yale School of the Environment and Yale Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative's yearlong Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration & Sustainable Use online certificate program.
SPONSOR-HOST: West Virginia University
TITLE: Wood Science: Beyond Building
DESCRIPTION: The central question of this course: “why study wood?” If “why study wood” is the question, one answer would be that it is the only raw material available to us that is truly renewable in human life span terms. Wood is as important to society today as it ever was, despite the development of many man-made substitute materials, changing resource availability, and the changing needs of society. Some items on the list of wood products stay the same (lumber, plywood and veneer for building construction, furniture, shipping pallets & crates and other containers & packaging materials, railroad ties, utility poles, chemical feed stocks, etc), but the list also keeps changing to meet new needs and challenges as the resource changes.In short, wood is a far more diverse, green, and renewable resource than you might have imagined. Join us to learn about the important role of wood in human history, civilization, and our future. By the end of the course, learners will be able to: - describe wood as a raw material and its critical importance to the world economy, and the lives of the people that make that economy work. - identify the projected trend for wood consumption to continue to grow in the coming years, despite the image of wood as a "low tech" material. - identify the ways in which wood's properties can lead to its efficient and sustainable use. -identify wood's positive role in boosting the world economy and ability to lead to unexpected vocations.
INSTRUCTOR: Professor David Schultz
SPONSOR-HOST: State University of New York
DESCRIPTION: Brief Overview - Our Earth’s Future is about the science of climate change and how to talk about it. You will learn from scientists in the fields of climatology, oceanography, Earth science, and anthropology who study how climate change is affecting people, populations, and ways of life. Explore the multiple lines of evidence for the human-induced climate change that is happening today, and consider what that means for the future of our planet. At the end of this course you will be able to understand key scientific principles, identify and address misconceptions, and contribute confidently to conversations about climate change
INSTRUCTOR: Eva Garen,
SPONSOR-HOST: Yale University
COMPONENT TWO: Tropical Rainforests and Conservation
DESCRIPTION: Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth. This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn: 1. The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors and motivations driving restoration and conservation efforts. 2. How tropical forest ecosystems work, and how they relate to climate change and biodiversity. 3. Fundamental human dimensions to consider in any project, including human livelihoods and local property rights. 4. Conservation theory and dynamic aspects of conserving species and landscapes. 5. A spectrum of restoration strategies and key considerations for restoration, such as species selection and planting design. 6. How agroforestry systems can integrate trees and production to meet different goals. 7. Basic financial concepts and potential sources of conservation and restoration funding. The materials in this course offer a selection of key content from the Yale School of the Environment and Yale Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative's yearlong Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration & Sustainable Use online certificate program.
SPONSOR-HOST: West Virginia University
TITLE: Wood Science: Beyond Building
DESCRIPTION: The central question of this course: “why study wood?” If “why study wood” is the question, one answer would be that it is the only raw material available to us that is truly renewable in human life span terms. Wood is as important to society today as it ever was, despite the development of many man-made substitute materials, changing resource availability, and the changing needs of society. Some items on the list of wood products stay the same (lumber, plywood and veneer for building construction, furniture, shipping pallets & crates and other containers & packaging materials, railroad ties, utility poles, chemical feed stocks, etc), but the list also keeps changing to meet new needs and challenges as the resource changes.In short, wood is a far more diverse, green, and renewable resource than you might have imagined. Join us to learn about the important role of wood in human history, civilization, and our future. By the end of the course, learners will be able to: - describe wood as a raw material and its critical importance to the world economy, and the lives of the people that make that economy work. - identify the projected trend for wood consumption to continue to grow in the coming years, despite the image of wood as a "low tech" material. - identify the ways in which wood's properties can lead to its efficient and sustainable use. -identify wood's positive role in boosting the world economy and ability to lead to unexpected vocations.