Natural Sciences

Page 13 of 14
Arid, brown canyon landscape with river

A Climate Storyteller

If you’ve followed the career of outdoor writer Heather Hansman ’05, you’ll recognize her gasping for air after dumping her raft-load of customers into a Class V rapid on the Gauley River, avoiding avalanches in deep backcountry powder in the Rockies and Cascades, or dodging toxic algae and scary…
data visualization wall, inside the Paul J. Schupf Scientific Computing Center

Colby College to Receive $2-Million Gift from Colby Parent, Trustee

The commitment, from Rick McVey, will support the creation of a multidisciplinary data science initiative and the College’s championship women’s lacrosse team
Jocelyn Thomas '16

Colby College Establishes Pulver Science Scholars Program with $5-million Commitment

Colby College has established the Pulver Science Scholars Program, designed to create a pipeline for the most ambitious and talented students from all backgrounds to pursue research at the nation’s top biomedical laboratories.
Sea turtle swimming in clear ocean waters

Oceans of Change

Marine Ecology Loren McClenachanElizabeth and Lee Ainslie Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies For all the fish we eat and ships we sail, humans still know very little about the seas that sustain us. We know even less about how climate change is affecting those waters over…
Maine harbor with fishing boats

Trained Globally, Acting Locally

By the time they graduated, Emmie Theberge ’08 and Sophie Janeway ’17 had, between them, studied conservation policy in Ecuador, wind power legislation in Maine, human interaction with the ecology of the Gálapagos Islands, changing fisheries in Vietnam, the effect of climate change on Moroccan farmers, the environmental impact…
Rainforest floor with water and moss

As Forests Return, Justin Becknell is watching

Forest Ecology Justin BecknellAssistant Professor of Environmental Studies Once a patch of tropical forest is razed, it isn’t necessarily gone forever. Trees and wildlife often return, if given a chance. As trees grow, the forest resumes its role as an air filter, drawing planet-warming carbon dioxide…
Clouds in evening sky

Putting Climate Science into Perspective

Atmospheric Science Jim FlemingCharles A. Dana Professor of Science, Technology, and Society Climate change in today’s terms can often feel like a precipice: a 2°C limit for warming; 410 parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; 100-year weather events. Carbon budgets. Thresholds. Milestones. Tipping points.
Allen Island, Maine

Seeing Light Amidst the Gloom

Environmental Connections Sandy Buck ’78 Sandy Buck ’78 was in the office of the Horizon Foundation, on Commercial Street in Portland’s Old Port, talking about climate change. He also wanted to talk about a Colby alumna, Maggie Parrish ’15. Buck, a Colby trustee who, with his wife,…
Flooding of housing in Thailand

Inspiring Students to Step Up

Public Health and Climate Change Gail CarlsonAssistant Professor ofEnvironmental Studies Just four or five years ago, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Gail Carlson found that her first-year students arrived at Colby pessimistic about the future of the planet. “Students were like, ‘I might not have kids. ……
Observation tower in jungle forest

Mapping a Clearer Picture of Air Pollution’s Effects

Atmospheric Chemistry Karena McKinneyAssociate Professor of Chemistry On a smoggy day, when it’s harder to see the skyline, we get a glimpse of something else: The complex story of our air. From driving cars to spraying chemicals to making electricity, modern life sends a cocktail of gases…