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Stephen Pacala:
Welcome to the Princeton Environmental Institute.

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I'm the director of the institute, Steve Pacala.

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PEI is the entity at Princeton that manages environmental

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education and research on a constellation of topics in over

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25 departments from science and technology to policy,

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the arts, humanities and social sciences.

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At PEI, undergraduate students can take part in a certificate

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program and many opportunities for research, including

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internships, senior theses and multi-year research programs

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that are best thought of as super theses.

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We have a world-class faculty. A significant number of people

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whom you've learned about in the press or in coursework outside

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of Princeton are on the faculty here, such as Dan Rubenstein,

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the animal behaviorist;

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Franquois Morel, the oceanographer; and Catherine Peters, civil engineer.

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Students work hands-on with these faculty members

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and other top experts.

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These range from policy expert Michael Oppenheimer, who for

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over 30 years has been one of the most visible spokespeople

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about climate change;

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to Michael Bender whose work on greenhouse gases and climate

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has established one of the most convincing links between

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fossil fuels and warming;

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to Peter Singer, one of the world's most distinguished ethicists.

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Our faculty comes from over 25 departments, and we

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cover the most important environmental issues.

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We have particular expertise on global climate change with

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literally hundreds of scientists, engineers, and policy experts.

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These include ecosystem ecologist Lars Hedin, chemist

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and fuel cell expert Andy Bocarsly, oceanographer and

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climate modeler Jorge Sarmiento, and alternative

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energy expert Craig Arnold.

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We collaborate closely with the nearby NOAA Geophysical Fluid

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Dynamics Laboratory, which builds the climate models

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that guide U.S. policy.

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Princeton is the only top-tier University that builds

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cutting-edge climate models.

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Our faculty includes biodiversity experts such as

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David Wilcove and Simon Levin.

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We also have a remarkable concentration of oceanographers

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and marine biologists, such as Bess Ward and Danny Sigman.

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PEI is home to leading experts on environmental pollutants,

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energy technology and epidemic disease, such as air pollution

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expert Denise Mauzerall, energy expert Rob Socolow, and

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healthcare expert Chris Paxson.

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The core of the educational offering is the certificate program.

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We offer three core courses that integrate science,

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policy and technology, and a large number of more specialized courses.

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The PEI education is experiential and hands-on.

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We spent lots of time outside working in the rough.

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The undergraduate program culminates an environmental

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thesis, supported by an extensive grant program.

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We believe in the Princeton formula of a

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disciplinary education.

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But we know that to solve intractable problems around the

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world, we need to collaborate across disciplinary lines.

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We are committed to providing the opportunity to study

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environmental subjects, making a difference now and still

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complete a major in any traditional field.

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We hope that you'll get involved.

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The world needs for you to get involved.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail or, even better,

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to drop by our headquarters at Guyot Hall.

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Do check out our website.

Stephen Pacala:
It contains lots of information that will help you get started.

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