Since its inception in 1949, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, has been the hub and incubator of some of the world’s most innovative, transformative scientific discoveries, illuminating our planet and its changes. From Marie Tharp’s first map of the global ocean floor, to Lynn Sykes’ seismological discoveries in support of the plate tectonics hypothesis, to Wallace Broecker’s early predictions of global warming, Lamont science has been and continues to produce profoundly important new knowledge.
Now, as humanity faces the escalating challenges posed by climate change, Lamont is opening its doors to its neighbors and the general public for three unique evenings of discovery and engagement. The upcoming “Our Changing Planet Lecture Series” is designed to illuminate what these changes mean, how and why they are happening, and how scientific understanding may inform vital solutions.
On December 4, Peter de Menocal will present the first of three public lectures at Lamont’s Monell Auditorium. His talk, “Farmer, Banker, Soldier, Spy — Perspectives on a Warming World,” will pose important questions about the scale and urgency of global challenges now and into the future. De Menocal is the director of Lamont’s Center for Climate and Life and Dean of Science at Columbia University.
On February 20, Piermont’s own Maureen Raymo will present “Climate, Carbon Dioxide, and Sea Level: Past is Prologue.” Raymo is a research professor and director of Lamont’s Core Repository. Finally, on April 2, bioclimatologist Park Williams will present “Wildfire, Mega Drought, and the Role of Humans.”
“The public lecture series is Lamont’s way of inviting our community into our world of discovery,” said Stacey Vassallo, Lamont’s senior manager of development and community relations. “Our research defines, informs, and impacts the entire world, and we’re doing this work right in Rockland County. We believe it is part of Lamont’s mission to connect our community with the world-leading scientists who are performing globally significant research right in their own backyards.”
For more information or to RSVP, email events@LDEO.
