"SCIENCE EDUCATION AND HISTORY AT BIOSPHERE 2"
The name Biosphere 2 recalls images of jumpsuited Biosphereians
living under
a dome for two years. That audacious experiment demonstrated
how difficult
it is to achieve a completely closed environment that
can sustain humans.
Now, under the management of Columbia University, the
Biosphere apparatus
has been transformed into the world's largest experiment
for investigating
effects of the elevated CO2 levels of the future on the
growth of plants and
coral. The Bio 2 Center is also home of innovative, immersive
and intensive
education programs - from high school to MPA levels -
which combine field
school, lab research, team-taught classes and communal
living. Interspersed
amongst all of this are 180,000 tourists/year! Bio2 is
thus home for another
audacious experiment uniting cutting edge research, education
and public
outreach.