School Notes: School of the Environment
November/December 2013

Botanist named 2013 McCluskey Fellow

Gary Knight, a botanist whose work has helped the state of Florida protect millions of acres of critical landscapes, has been named the 2013 Dorothy S. McCluskey Visiting Fellow in Conservation. During his career, including the last 18 years as director of the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Knight has helped document the state’s rich biodiversity, producing an inventory of natural resources that has become the foundation for most state land acquisitions over the last two decades. While at F&ES this fall, Knight will explore ways to more effectively measure the outcomes of conservation and land management.

Federal panel led by F&ES professor urges US sustainability policy

In a recently published report, a committee chaired by F&ES professor Thomas Graedel urged the US government to develop a national sustainability policy and to give federal agencies the tools to work more closely in managing the nation’s resources. According to Graedel, the structure of the US government does not encourage different agencies to “cross boundaries” and work together even when tackling similar resource management challenges. The Committee on Sustainability Linkages in the Federal Government, which was sponsored by the National Research Council, suggests that the US create a framework that promotes interaction between agencies and offers incentives for individuals who help develop strategies that cross traditional agency boundaries.

Collaboration will expand global reach of Yale Environment 360

In September, Yale Environment 360, an award-winning online magazine published at the environment school, entered a historic partnership with the Spain-based online education network Universia that will significantly expand the publication’s reach beyond the English-speaking world. Universia will publish Spanish and Portuguese versions of selected Yale Environment 360 articles on its website, which reaches more than 10 million unique readers each month through its network of more than 1,200 universities in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. The partnership is part of a larger collaboration between Yale University and Universia, announced earlier this year, that aims to expand global education and career opportunities.