Yale School of the Environment

News : Doctoral Program

July 19, 2021

Sustainable Procurement Key to Lowering Carbon Footprint

As more companies focus on reducing their carbon footprint, there’s one element that is key but often overlooked — reducing emissions from their supply chains.
May 25, 2021

YSE Class of ’21
“Forward with Optimism and Resolve”

Dean Burke commends this year’s graduates for their resilience, true expertise, scholarship, and leadership during a historically challenging time.
May 14, 2021

YSE Class of ‘21
Peter Berrill’s Doctoral Research on Energy Hits the Right Notes

Once a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Peter Berrill '21 PhD set aside the trumpet and forged a path to YSE, where he conducted doctoral research on residential energy systems in the U.S. and their effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
May 3, 2021

What is Driving Reductions in Residential Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S.?

A study led by PhD student Peter Berrill finds smarter home construction and decarbonization of electric supply are contributing to lower emissions from individual households, but troubling trends show other factors could begin to cancel out this progress.
April 29, 2021

Forest Fragmentation Research Earns 2021 Bormann Prize

Meghna Krishnadas’ doctoral research into how forest fragmentation alters the underlying mechanisms shaping patterns of tropical tree regeneration and forest diversity was recognized for its novel insight into ecological processes.
March 22, 2021

The Dirt on Crop Insurance

A new study from YSE researchers investigates the complex world of crop insurance, suggesting a simple adjustment in determining insurance premiums could be beneficial to both farmers and insurers in the face of increased extreme weather events.
March 9, 2021

Eleanor Stokes Named Rising Star for Leading Role in Nighttime Satellite Imagery Project

Eleanor Stokes PhD ’18 has been named one of Geospatial World’s 50 Rising Stars for her work on Black Marble, NASA’s first nighttime light dataset, which provides insights on human settlements and the interactions between urban activities and the environment.
February 24, 2021

Using Landscape Connectivity to Control Deadly Mosquito-Borne Viruses

A Yale-led research team has developed a new method for tracking how the deadly yellow fever mosquito moves through the environment, a potentially critical tool for controlling the insect and the diseases it spreads.
January 27, 2021

A New Foundation for U.S. Forest Policy

Rich Guldin, recipient of the Society of American Foresters’ prestigious Sir William Schlich Award, is eager to talk about how forest research can inform smart forest policy.
January 27, 2021

The Outsider’s Advantage

Dr. Dorceta Taylor ’85 MFS, ’91 PhD, who joined the YSE faculty in July as a full professor, on why she was excited to return to Yale and her kinship with the celebrated environmentalist Rachel Carson. 
October 8, 2020

Researchers Find Increases in Nitrous Oxide Emissions, Outpacing Global Predictions

In a recent study, a team of researchers — including YSE professor Peter Raymond and postdoctoral fellow Taylor Maavara — show nitrous oxide emissions are increasing at a “devastating” rate, faster than predictions introduced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
August 18, 2020

The Pandemic Has Dramatically Changed Rural Attitudes toward Government

A new Yale-led study found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have at least temporarily altered some historical anti-government attitudes that tend to be stronger in rural communities, particularly in the West. 
May 13, 2020

Forest Research in the Congo Basin
Earns the 2020 Bormann Prize

Peter Umunay’s research, which explores ways to find a balance between conservation and economic development in the Congo Basin, earned him the 2020 F. Herbert Bormann Prize, an award that honors an F&ES doctoral student whose work best exemplifies the legacy of the late Yale professor.
January 27, 2020

Alumna Receives Yale’s Highest
Graduate Honor

Dorceta Taylor ’85 M.F.S., ’91 Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading environmental justice scholars and activists, was recently named a recipient of the 2020 Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, the highest honor Yale Graduate School bestows on its alumni.
December 3, 2019

Capital Costs: Yale Research Offers Truer Calculation of ‘Footprint’ of Purchases

Researchers at Yale have created a model that enables more accurate calculations of the environmental footprints associated with a range of industrial processes — and the products and services we purchase.
November 18, 2019

Should Scientists Change How They View (and Study) Same Sex Behavior in Animals?

In a new article, researchers from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies argue these behaviors may actually have been part of the original, ancestral condition in animals and have persisted because they have few — if any — costs and perhaps some important benefits.
October 7, 2019

IUFRO Names an F&ES Alumnus,
John Parrotta, as Its Next President

John Parrotta ’83 M.S. ’83 For, ’84 M.Phil, ’88 Ph.D., who serves as national research program leader for international science issues with the U.S. Forest Service, this week was named president of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
July 9, 2019

F&ES Graduate Honored with
Presidential Early Career Award

Nedal Nassar ’11 M.E.Sc., ’14 M.Phil., ’15 Ph.D. was recently named a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
June 18, 2019

Recent Doctoral Grad Honored
For Contributions to Soil Science

Noah Sokol ’18 Ph.D. has received the Truog Soil Science Outstanding Dissertation Award, a national award that recognizes outstanding contributions to soil science. 
May 20, 2019

F&ES Grad Receives Major Yale Award During University Commencement

Luisa Cortesi ’18 Ph.D., who completed a joint degree in environmental studies and anthropology last year, received the Theron Rockwell Field Prize during the 2019 Yale commencement.
April 18, 2019

Research on Fracking Impacts Wins 2019 Bormann Prize

Given rare access to a hydraulic fracturing well site in Pennsylvania, an F&ES doctoral student revealed a surprising finding about the impacts of fracking on groundwater — research that earned her the 2019 F. Herbert Bormann Prize
April 16, 2019

How Inland Waters ‘Breathe’ Carbon
– And What it Means for Global Systems

A new Yale study reveals important insights into the factors that influence the release of greenhouse gases from rivers and streams, including a key relationship between storm events, ecology, and topography in moderating this release.
April 9, 2019

2019 Research Conference Showcases Scholarship of F&ES Students, Postdocs

More than 60 students and postdoctoral associates will share their innovative and cutting-edge research during the 35th annual F&ES Research Conference on April 11-12.
January 24, 2019

Common Policy Premise on Link Between
Soil and Crop Yield is Valid – to a Point

While many policy initiatives assume that increasing “soil organic matter” will improve soil health, there’s surprisingly little evidence that this strategy will actually improve crop output. A new paper by Yale scientists affirms that this strategy will improve yields — up to a point.
January 14, 2019

Outgoing Connecticut DEEP
Commissioner Comes Back to F&ES

Robert Klee, who spent nearly a decade in the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) — becoming commissioner in 2015 — this semester will return to F&ES, where he earned his master's degree and Ph.D.
December 6, 2018

Missing the Forest for the Trees: NYC Forest Inventory Paints Unexpected Picture

There are still forests in New York City, and we’re not talking about Central Park. A surprising new study led by Yale researchers reveals that the natural forested areas of America’s largest city are largely native, healthy, and productive.
December 5, 2018

New Algorithm Provides a More
Detailed Look at Urban Heat Islands

Urban areas are warmer than the adjacent undeveloped land, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. A new interactive map developed by Yale researchers gives us the most detailed look yet at these “urban heat islands” across the world.
December 3, 2018

F&ES Student Talk Honored at American Anthropological Association Meeting

Yufang Gao, a Ph.D. student in the combined program between F&ES and the Yale Department of Anthropology, received a “best presentation” prize during the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association held recently in San Jose, Calif.
October 31, 2018

‘Cryptic’ Interactions Drive Biodiversity
Decline Near the Edge of Forest Fragments

The fragmentation of tropical forests weakens the effects of the ”natural enemies” of some tree species, reducing their ability to maintain biodiversity, a new Yale-led study found.
October 15, 2018

When it Comes to Smartphone Lifespan,
Brand Name Matters More than Hardware

The environmental costs of smartphones are often exacerbated by the relatively short lifespans of these globally ubiquitous devices. When it comes to extending the lifespan of these products, brand name might be more important than repairability, a Yale-led study finds.
October 3, 2018

Eleanor Sterling Recognized With
F&ES Distinguished Alumni Award

Conservationist Eleanor Sterling ’83 B.A., ’93 Ph.D., chief scientist at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation,has spent her illustrious career combining biological conservation, research, and education.
July 16, 2018

Methane Changes in Groundwater Unrelated to Gas Drilling and Fracking, Study Finds

A new study — which monitored groundwater before, during, and after drilling operations within the Marcellus Shale in northeastern Pennsylvania — found that groundwater methane concentrations vary over time and that these variations are likely unrelated to shale gas development.
May 24, 2018

Doctoral Grad Receives Prestigious
Yale Prize for Written Scholarship

Sayd Randle ’18 Ph.D., an ethnographer and political ecologist, this week received Yale’s prestigious John Addison Porter Prize for scholarship written in a way to make it of general human interest.
 
May 24, 2018

F&ES Doctoral Student Receives
2018 Yale Public Scholar Award

Gao Yufang ’14 M.E.Sc., a doctoral student at F&ES, this week received the 2018 Graduate School Public Scholar Award for his commitment to public service.
April 26, 2018

F&ES Student Researchers Take
Center Stage in Day-long Conference

Forty-nine master’s students, doctoral students, and postdocs from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) community presented their research during the 34th annual F&ES Research Conference held at Kroon Hall on April 20.
December 21, 2017

Solving the Ivory Deadlock

In an interview Gao Yufang ’14 M.E.Sc., who is now a doctoral student at F&ES, discusses a new paper he co-authored in Science that calls for a more iterative process that recognizes different value systems in order to save the world's disappearing elephants.
December 13, 2017

Doctoral Graduate Honored for Research
On Unexpected Impact of Small Ponds

Meredith Holgerson ’16 Ph.D., an aquatic ecologist who has provided new insights into the unexpected role of small pond systems, has received a national science award for research she conducted as an F&ES doctoral student.
July 20, 2017

Respite from the Urban Heat Island?
Study Eyes Costs of Irrigation as Remedy

A new Yale study will examine whether irrigation of green spaces to mitigate the urban heat island effect in some of the world’s driest cities will be worth the cost — namely, drawing down precious and increasingly diminished water resources.
May 15, 2017

Gladiator Games: In Nature’s Showdowns, Biodiversity Shields Weaker Competitors

A new Yale-led study of fungi competition illustrates that maintaining a diverse collection of species indeed not only safeguards weaker species but also protects the genetic diversity of the larger community.
May 5, 2017

Study Linking Microscale Processes with Landscape Impacts Wins Bormann Prize

Ashley Keiser ’16 Ph.D., who studies how microbes in the soil respond to changing conditions aboveground, has won the 2017 F. Herbert Bormann Prize, which honors doctoral research that exemplifies the legacy of the late Yale professor.
April 3, 2017

In Sri Lanka, a Village Garden Yields Timeless Lessons in Forest Conservation

Since October, Blair Rynearson ’15 M.F., Logan Sander ’15 M.F., and Laura Lutttrell, have been in Sri Lanka as fellows with the F&ES-based Sri Lanka Program for Forest Conservation In an ongoing series of posts, they share their experiences of learning about — and then developing — a traditional village tree garden.
February 22, 2017

‘Resurrection’ of Dormant Eggs Reveals
Unexpected Evolutionary Response to Toxins

Using “resurrection ecology” and lake sediment archives, a recent F&ES graduate was able to determine that a tiny freshwater crustacean, known as Daphnia, actually became more sensitive to heavy metals as concentrations increased over time contrary to expectation.
October 20, 2016

From River Guide to Academia,
Exploring Nature’s Power to Inspire

After spending nearly two decades introducing travelers to some of the world’s most beautiful places, Robert Powell came to Yale to study how tourism and other informal educational experiences can inspire people to connect with — and protect — the natural world.
October 5, 2016

A Systems Thinker Uses Market Forces to
Strengthen Environmental Conservation

Guillermo Castilleja has been described as a “true systems thinker,” something he says he developed while at F&ES. In an interview, Castilleja, a senior fellow at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, shares his vision for the foundation, his advice to students, and where he finds hope as a conservationist.
September 21, 2016

Conservationist Eleanor Sterling Awarded
Yale’s Prestigious Wilbur Cross Medal

One colleague calls Eleanor Sterling ’83 B.A., ’93 Ph.D., recipent of Yale's Wilbur Cross Medal, a “bridge builder.” A conservationist, anthropologist, and educator, Sterling says her interdisciplinary training at Yale has been crucial to her life’s work.
September 20, 2016

In India, a Model for Reducing
‘Retaliation Killings’ of Wild Cats

A new Yale-led study finds that communities in central India have an uncanny understanding of the wild cats in their backyard and where they are most likely to hunt livestock — a key factor in preventing the human-carnivore conflicts that threaten these animals.
October 14, 2015

Bormann Prize Honors Research Aimed
At Reducing Carnivore-Human Conflicts

Jennie Miller '15 Ph.D., whose research has explored an emerging method of spatial mapping to reduce conflicts between humans and carnivores, won the 2015 F. Herbert Bormann Prize.
March 12, 2015

Video Snapshots:
Doctoral Research at F&ES

In a series of videos, we asked several Ph.D. candidates to describe their research in just 90 seconds. These vignettes offer just a small window into the exciting research being done by our students.
January 8, 2015

F&ES Research Spawns New Insights
Into Aquatic Release of ‘Ancient’ Carbon

A group of scientists with origins at F&ES; has reported the first global estimate of how much “ancient” carbon is released from the terrestrial landscape through aquatic systems.
December 18, 2014

All is Bright: Holiday Lights
Visible From Space, Study Shows

A new study co-led by Ph.D. candidate Eleanor Stokes reveals that changes in human behavior during holiday seasons — including bright Christmas light displays in the U.S. and a shift in activities during the holy month of Ramadan — can be visible from space.
October 23, 2014

Doctoral Candidate Earns EPA Grant
For Study of Air Pollution in Nepal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week awarded Anobha Gurung, a doctoral student at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, a Science to Achieve Results (STAR) fellowship grant to support her research into the health impacts of air pollution in Nepal. 
October 21, 2014

Bormann Prize Winner Honored
For Study in ‘Green Sovereignty’

A published paper exploring the relationship between landscape imagery and national self-identity in Costa Rica helped earn Dana Graef, an F&ES doctoral student, the 2014 F. Herbert Bormann Prize.
October 21, 2014

Using Technology to Help
Wild Cats and People Coexist

In Central India, F&ES doctoral student Jennie Miller is helping develop strategies to limit the increasnigly freequent interactions between humans and wild cats that have triggered massive declines in populations of tigers and leopards.
October 10, 2014

Gary Machlis: A Career
Defined by Crossing Boundaries

While most researchers spend their lives honing in on their academic niche, Gary Machlis ’79 Ph.D. has spent his working in an array of disparate fields.
May 19, 2014

Acting on Their Sentiments:
Yale F&ES Celebrates 113th Commencement

The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies on Monday celebrated its 113th Commencement exercises.

April 22, 2014

In DEEP: Building a Bridge
Between Science and Policy

By many measures, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) has enjoyed a remarkable transformation during the three-plus years since Robert Klee ’99 M.E.S. ’04 J.D. ’05 Ph.D. joined its top ranks.
March 11, 2014

What’s in the Air of Nepal?
Filling Gaps in Pollution Data

As a graduate student, Anobha Gurung ’10 M.E.Sc. heard a lot about research into how air pollution is affecting human health worldwide, but found scant research in her Nepalese homeland. She is trying to change that.
March 4, 2014

High-Wire Science:
Blogging from the Forest Canopy

In the forest canopy of the Panamanian rainforest, F&ES doctoral student Kevin McLean is documenting the “canopy highways” that tree-dwelling animals use to get around. His findings may help conservationists protect species that are rarely seen and can be nearly impossible to study.
January 23, 2014

Klee, F&ES Alum, to Succeed Esty
As Connecticut's DEEP Commissioner

Robert K. Klee M.E.S. ’99, J.D. ’04, Ph.D. ’05 has been nominated to succeed Daniel C. Esty as commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
November 18, 2013

Hurricane-Inspired Study Earns
F&ES Student Inaugural Bormann Prize

Doctoral student Bryan Yoon was awarded the inaugural F. Herbert Bormann Prize, established to honor research that builds on the legacy of the revered F&ES professor.
October 16, 2013

Former F&ES ‘Star’ Joins
UN Science Advisory Panel

Maria Ivanova M.E.Sc '99, M.A '99, Ph.D. '06 has been appointed to an international panel that will advise top United Nations leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on issues related to sustainable development.
October 4, 2013

Setting the Standard in
The Cleanup of Toxic Lead

For more than four decades, Ian von Lindern M.F.S. ’73, Ph.D. ’80 has been at the center of a massive cleanup of lead pollution in Idaho. The strategies he has helped develop are now being used to tackle health threats globally.
August 22, 2013

Society for Conservation Biology Awards Highest Honor to Yale F&ES Alum

Citing her “extraordinary contributions to the conservation of biological diversity,” including her work in public education and field research conducted around the world, the Society for Conservation Biology has awarded their 2013 Distinguished Service Award to Eleanor J. Sterling B.A. ’83, Ph.D. ’93.
May 1, 2013

Traditional ranching practices enhance African savanna

That human land use destroys natural ecosystems is an oft-cited assumption in conservation, but ecologists have discovered that instead, traditional ranching techniques in the African savanna enhance the local abundance of wild, native animals. These results offer a new perspective on the roles humans play in natural systems, and inform ongoing discussions about land management and biodiversity conservation.
October 17, 2011

U.S. Rivers and Streams Saturated With Carbon

The researchers assert that a significant amount of carbon contained in land, which first is absorbed by plants and forests through the air, is leaking into streams and rivers and then released into the atmosphere before reaching coastal waterways.

 

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