Schoffman Institute for the Study of Nature and Society
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| Schoffman Institute for the Study of Nature and Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Schoffman Institute for the Study of Nature and Society |
| Formation | 1998 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | Dr. Miriam Halberstam |
Schoffman Institute for the Study of Nature and Society is an interdisciplinary research institute founded in 1998 that studies interactions among natural systems and social institutions through fieldwork, modeling, and archival analysis. The Institute convenes scholars from universities, museums, and think tanks to examine case studies ranging from urban ecology to rural livelihoods, and it has influenced policy deliberations at municipal, national, and international levels. Its work connects historical archives, contemporary datasets, and long-term monitoring projects to inform debates in environmental governance, resource management, and cultural heritage.
History
The Institute was established in 1998 following initiatives by board members associated with University of Pennsylvania, Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University, and Princeton University who sought to bridge research on landscapes and communities. Early convenings featured visiting scholars from Harvard University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, and University of California, Berkeley, alongside curators from the American Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum. Key early projects included comparative field studies linked to researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Brookings Institution, and Resources for the Future. The Institute expanded in the 2000s with programs in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, United Nations Environment Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the World Bank. Directors and senior fellows have included scholars formerly affiliated with Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and Rutgers University, as well as visiting fellows from Princeton Theological Seminary and King's College London.
Mission and Objectives
The Institute’s mission emphasizes integrative study of ecological and social processes, aligning research priorities with stakeholders such as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the European Commission. Objectives include producing policy-relevant scholarship that informs deliberations at venues such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and regional assemblies like the European Parliament. The Institute aims to support capacity building in collaboration with institutions including National Geographic Society, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Research Programs
Research programs address topics from coastal resilience to cultural landscapes, with project teams often involving faculty from Duke University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, New York University, and Brown University. Longitudinal studies have partnered with monitoring networks such as Long Term Ecological Research Network, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, International Long Term Ecological Research Network, and archives at Biodiversity Heritage Library. Applied projects have engaged agencies like Environmental Defense Fund, World Resources Institute, Conservation International, Sphere Project, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Methodological collaborations have included statisticians from National Bureau of Economic Research, modelers at Santa Fe Institute, and geospatial analysts linked to Esri, Google Earth Engine, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Education and Outreach
Educational initiatives encompass graduate fellowships, professional development, and public programming with academic partners including Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, University College London, and University of Toronto. The Institute offers summer schools co-hosted with Rockefeller University and seminars featuring authors associated with presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, University of Chicago Press, MIT Press, and Columbia University Press. Outreach efforts collaborate with museums and cultural institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, and National Museum of Natural History to create exhibitions and citizen-science projects in partnership with organizations such as Zooniverse and Citizen Science Association.
Partnerships and Collaborations
The Institute maintains formal partnerships with universities and NGOs including Yale School of the Environment, School of Oriental and African Studies, Australian National University, University of Cape Town, and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Multilateral collaborations have engaged UNESCO, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies like African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Organization of American States. Cross-sector alliances involve corporate research groups at Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Siemens, and philanthropic programs run by Gates Foundation. The Institute also convenes working groups with scholars from Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Academia Europaea, and national academies such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Indian National Science Academy.
Facilities and Collections
Facilities include laboratories and field stations in collaboration with partners such as Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Kew Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The Institute curates archival collections in collaboration with libraries like the Library of Congress, British Library, Bodleian Library, New York Public Library, and university archives at Harvard University Library and Yale University Library. Specimen and artifact programs are jointly managed with Natural History Museum, London, California Academy of Sciences, Royal Ontario Museum, Australian Museum, and the National Museum of China.
Funding and Governance
Funding sources comprise competitive grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Humanities, and philanthropic gifts from entities like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and individual benefactors with ties to Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Governance is overseen by a board including trustees from institutions like University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Columbia University, Drexel University, and representatives from international NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. Executive leadership consults with advisory panels drawn from members of American Association for the Advancement of Science, Society for Conservation Biology, Association of American Geographers, and legal advisors with affiliations to firms and clinics connected to Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.