Dorceta Taylor Highlighted in National Portrait Gallery Exhibit
Dorceta Taylor ’85 MFS, ’91 PhD, senior associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion and professor of environmental justice, will be among more than 25 U.S. environmental leaders featured in an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery that traces the history of the environmental movement from early 20th century conservationism to present-day action on environmental justice, biodiversity, and climate. Her portrait, which is being painted to mark the occasion, will be on view along with Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Maya Lin, Henry David Thoreau, Edward O. Wilson and others.
Taylor is one of the nation’s leading environmental justice scholars and activists. Her landmark book, “The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection,” documents how racial, class, and gender dynamics shaped the formation and evolution of the conservation and environmental movements from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be included in this exhibit and to be considered among the thought leaders on a topic of such import. From the earliest days of the emergence of American pro-environmental thought and activism, conscious efforts were made to shun many people who could contribute to environmental activism. This exhibit is important because it recognizes diverse peoples and perspectives as foundational to the vitality of the past and future environmental movement,” Taylor says.
“Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism” will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., from October 20, 2023, through September 2, 2024.
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Five YSE Faculty Members Named to 2025 ‘Highly Cited Researchers’ List
Five Yale School of the Environment faculty members have been named to the world’s most influential researchers list by Clarivate Analytics, a company that compiles a list of scientists and social scientists whose papers rank in the top 1% of citations.
Included on this year’s list were: Mark Bradford, the E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology; Xuhui Lee the Sara Shallenberger Brown Professor of Climate Science; Anthony Leiserowitz, the JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication; Peter Raymond, the Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry; and Karen Seto, the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science. In total, 49 faculty members from Yale University made the list of 6,868 researchers worldwide.
Mark Bradford
E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology
Xuhui Lee
Sara Shallenberger Brown Professor of Climate Science
Anthony Leiserowitz
JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication; Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)
Peter A. Raymond
Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry; Co-Director, Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture
Karen Seto
Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science; Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability; Co-Director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions
YSE Urban Scientist Receives Franklin Institute Award
Karen Seto, the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science, has received a 2026 Franklin Institute Award for her work on urban issues.
The Institute honored Seto for her “pioneering work integrating satellite imagery, modeling methods, and social sciences to analyze the consequences of urbanization, land use, and global environmental change.” The award is one of the oldest in the nation.
“The 2026 laureates embody the same remarkable spirit of curiosity, ingenuity, and discovery that defined our nation’s founding,” said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute.
Seto, a world renown geographer, was coordinating lead author of two U.N. climate change reports and co-led chapters on how urban areas can mitigate climate change. Her research developed the first forecasts of urban land expansion globally.
Seto is one of eight recipients of the award, which will be given during a ceremony April 30, 2026, in Philadelphia.
"I’m deeply honored by the award, especially given past recipients in the category of earth and environmental science. I’m also grateful for all my students and postdocs in the lab. This award is a celebration of our collective work," Seto said.
Karen Seto
Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science; Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability; Co-Director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions
New Haven Promise Interns Gain Experience in Forest and Wetland Data Analysis
Four undergraduate students from New Haven received field training this summer at YSE through the New Haven Promise program. The students assisted on a range of projects focused on biogeochemistry, hydrology, forest health and forest restoration.
The program, which began in June and ended in August, supports paid internships to help students gain work experience in their respective fields of study.
Working with research scientist Marlyse Duguid, KeRen Tan ’28 inventoried invasive plant species for the Yale Golf Course and Preserve, examined the impacts of Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) on New Haven’s urban forests, and took height measurements of planted trees in an Urban “Miyawaki Micro Forest” project.
Kaleb Diaz Alvarez, Mark Taylor, and Erica Arias, worked with Professor Peter Raymond and postdoctoral fellow Craig Brinkerhoff on hydrology projects in Connecticut and Massachusetts, exploring the role of river wetlands connectivity on downstream water quality. They learned to “read a river,” annotate images of rivers across the U.S. and helped train AI models.
Clockwise:
From left: Erica Arias, Mark Taylor, and Kaleb Diaz Alvarez measure the alkalinity of water samples taken from a mangrove river in the Florida Everglades in the Raymond biogeochemistry lab.
KeRen Tan ’29 takes height measurements of planted trees for an urban Miyawaki Micro Forest project.
Alvarez (left) and YSE postdoc Craig Brinkerhoff (right) measure a headwater stream's flowing width in Guilford, CT.