Feature
reserved for feature articles
The World’s Very First Marine Research Station In Ostend (Belgium)
In the mid-1800’s Belgian biologist Pierre Joseph Van Beneden established the first marine research station. This station attracted researchers from across Europe and inspired the establishment of other scientific facilities. In this essay, the authors provide an overview of Van Beneden’s works and the significance of his station.
Matthias Breyne et al., posted on
August 18th, 2010
Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Featured Article, Oceans
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Tom Wiener on the IEEE’s World Vision and Work with GEO
IEEE joined the ad hoc Group on Earth Observations in 2004 to help define an entirely new and “virtual” structure, a Global Earth Observation System of Systems. When completed, GEOSS will provide a framework for Earth observation data collected worldwide by thousands of instruments and in-situ methods. This vast cache of information will be catalogued and made accessible through functional interoperability to ensure that everyone in the world can use it—for free or minimal cost. In this Earthzine interview, Dr. Thomas F. Wiener, Chair of the IEEE Committee on Earth Observation, discusses how IEEE’s involvement with GEO has grown.
Maeve Hickok, posted on
July 12th, 2010
Earth Observation, Featured Person, GEOSS/ICEO News, Water
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A Surprising Side-Effect of Climate Change: A Fog of Confusion
Recent changes in public opinion appear contrary to the growing empirical evidence that climate change will have significant impact to human society. In their essay, Drs. Jean-Louis Fellous and Catherine Gautier describe the thickening fog of climate skepticism and put forth a remedy for clearing the air.
Jean-Louis Fellous and Catherine Gautier, posted on
June 21st, 2010
Climate, Earth Observation, Feature, Featured Person, OpEd, People, Weather
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Judith Curry On the Credibility of Climate Research
Judith A. Curry, Ph.D. is professor and chairperson of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests include remote sensing, climate of the polar regions, atmospheric modeling, and air/sea interactions. The Op-Ed posted here addresses her views on what has become a global controversy about climate science. Her stated aim is to stimulate constructive debate by this essay about the critical scientific research on climate, and about the roles and responsibilities of scientists. Comments are welcome on this and every Earthzine article.
Dr. Judith A. Curry, posted on
March 22nd, 2010
Climate, Featured Person, OpEd, Politics
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And The Winners Are…
The 2009 Student Essay Competition Sustainability through Earth Observation and Engineering is pleased to announce the winners:
First Place $500 to David Tshimba, Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala, Uganda for
“By Trying to Solve a Problem, Human Beings Have Now Created a New Issue”
Second Place $250 to Sulaiman Tejan Jalloh, Institute of Advanced Management and Technology, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa for
“Agriculture”
Third Place $150 to Benjamin-Axel Mugema, Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala, Uganda for
“Sustainability: From Modernity to Humanity”
More details available inside
Paul Racette, posted on
December 21st, 2009
Education, Essay Contest 2009, Featured Person, Sustainability
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SSIT President Janet Rochester Observes Earth and the Implications of Technology
Janet Rochester is a senior member of the IEEE leadership and president of the Society on Social Implications of Technology. In this interview she shines a spotlight on the range of SSIT members’ interests, and on her own intellectual considerations and concerns.
Maeve Hickok, posted on
November 9th, 2009
Climate, Earth Observation, Featured Person, People, Politics, Technology
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Education Around Earth – Andros Island, Bahamas Coral Reef Ecosystem is Living Laboratory for Students
For over 25 years, Dr. Larry Wiedman has led teams of high school and college students in documenting changes in the land and sea environments of Andros Island in the Bahamas. They are particularly interested in studying coral reefs but are intent on not influencing the very changes they are trying to study. Dr. Wiedman is a professor in the biology department at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Dr. David Mullins, Earthzine’s Associate Editor for Education, interviewed Dr. Wiedman about the project and his thoughts about educating future generations of Earth observers.
David F. Mullins Ph.D., posted on
September 26th, 2009
Earth Observation, Ecosystems, Featured Person
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Education Around Earth – Analyzing the Spatial Distribution of 4 Crops with a Geographic Information System
For centuries, maps have stirred imaginations and inspired explorations of the unknown. For the past 40 years, GIS has quietly transformed everyday decision making in academia, government, nonprofit, and in business through the manipulation of satellite imagery, maps, graphs, databases, and multimedia in a decision-making framework. Agriculture was one of the first fields to embrace GIS, applied to everything from precision agriculture to invasive weed eradication to sustainable practices.
Joseph Kerski, posted on
September 23rd, 2009
Agriculture, Articles, Education, Featured Article
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Kuruom vidyalaya: the Power of One in a Billion
In Korown, an Uttar Pradesh India farming village where little has changed for hundreds of years, a 21st century school opened its doors for the first time in July to 100 girls and boys in grades 1-4, 6, and 7. Kuruom vidyalaya is the bricks-and-mortar embodiment of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, and testimony to one man’s spirit and commitment. That man is Bal Ram Singh, Ph.D., 51, once a child of the village and now a successful biophysical chemist at a U.S. university (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) and director of its Center for Indic Studies, who built the school himself without government assistance. Deeply engaged as a Hindu, a family man, a professor, research scientist, and a U.S. citizen, he is also determined to prove that “one little man” can change the status-quo in India for the better.
Maeve Hickok, posted on
August 26th, 2009
Economy, Education, Featured Person, Millennium Development Goals, People
| 15 Comments »
La Vie de Josiane Zerubia: A Very Modern Woman of Science
Josiane Zerubia is a director of research, first class, at INRIA, the premiere French public research institute in applied mathematics and computer science. Her contributions to Markovian modeling in image processing and remote sensing were recognized by IEEE with her elevation to Fellow in 2003. But her story really begins in Cannes, France where she was taught at an early age by her mother Jeanne and grandmother Louise that she could do whatever she wanted if she worked hard enough. La Vie de Josiane Zerubia: A Modern Woman of Science begins here.
Maeve Hickok, posted on
July 27th, 2009
Earth Observation, Education, Featured Person, People, Technology
| 1 Comment »
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NASA Image of the Day
Orbital Sunrise
The Expedition 24 crew on the International Space Station photographed this image of polar mesospheric clouds illuminated by an orbital sunrise. Polar mesospheric, or noctilucent ("night shining"), clouds usually are seen at twilight, following the setting of the sun below the horizon and darkening of Earth's surface. Occasionally the station's orbital track becomes nearly parallel to Earth's day/night terminator for a time, allowing the clouds to be visible to the crew at times other than the usual twilight because of the station's altitude. This photograph shows polar mesospheric clouds illuminated by the rising, rather than setting, sun at center right. Low clouds on the horizon appear yellow and orange, while higher clouds and aerosols are illuminated a brilliant white. Polar mesospheric clouds appear as light blue ribbons extending across the top of the image. The station was located over the Greek island of Kos in the Aegean Sea (near the southwestern coastline of Turkey) when the image was taken at approximately midnight local time. The orbital complex was tracking northeastward, nearly parallel to the terminator, making it possible to observe an apparent "sunrise" located almost due north. A similar unusual alignment of the ISS orbit track, terminator position and seasonal position of Earth's orbit around the sun allowed for this striking imagery of over the Southern Hemisphere. Image Credit: NASA
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