Carnegie Academy for Science Education

Empowering the next generation of science lovers and STEM professionals

In the city of Washington, D.C., science lovers from middle school, all the way through high school and beyond, are empowered through the Carnegie Academy for Science Education's (CASE) transformative outreach programs. CASE was founded in 1989 by Carnegie’s President Emerita Maxine Singer, and since then has served more than 800 students and 1,000 teachers in the nation’s capital—bringing fun and accessible science education to classrooms. 

FIRST LIGHT

CASE Summer Stars students working in the lab on a group activity.

Saturday mornings at Carnegie’s Broad Branch Road campus are bustling with eager students, who are ready to dive into a world of scientific wonders. This year, middle school students participating in CASE’s flagship program, First Light,  embarked on a cosmic journey, discovering a world of exoplanets beyond our own Solar System; studied jet propulsion, examining the barriers to space travel and the innovative methods required to overcome them; and embarked on an extraordinary adventure inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope, gazing up at the night sky, mapping constellations and studying awe-inspiring nebulae and galaxies.

SUMMER STARS

During the summer months, talented young students gather five days a week at Carnegie’s Broad Branch Road campus for the Summer STARS program. Supported by the Washington, D.C., Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, these participants embarked on a journey of scientific discovery and career exploration. During the 2022 program, they gained real-world college and workplace readiness skills while also learning biotechnology and laboratory research techniques. Their interactions with Carnegie scientists and STEM professionals provided invaluable insights and inspiration for their future endeavors.

CASE INTERNSHIPS 

MUSICA Arizona Teacher Workshop

CASE Internships offer high school students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of science and science education. In the summer of 2022, student interns spent hours conducting lab experiments, preparing biotech kits, and assisting with First Light and other programs. Through their dedication, they learned essential skills, interacted with younger students, and gained insights into potential STEM careers. 

CASE's commitment to excellence extends to teachers as well. In the summer of 2022, the MUSICA Outstanding Teacher Leadership program selected six passionate middle and high school teachers from Arizona, D.C., and Texas to participate in a week of geoscience fieldwork and laboratory experiences around Arizona. The intensive program supplied participants with hands-on knowledge and lesson plan development in the Earth sciences. 

Teachers on a lab tour at Arizona State University as part of a program led by Carnegie's Lara Wagner.

CASE continues to light the path for D.C. students, nurturing their curiosity, and igniting their passion for scientific exploration. For more information about CASE and its outreach programs, please visit https://case.carnegiescience.edu/.

By the Numbers

Carnegie Facts & Figures

Illustration of a plant growing on a computer chip purchased from Shutterstock.

Carnegie is where the next generation of big ideas are born. Our research breakthroughs have fundamentally changed how we understand biology, our planet, and the universe. We are one of few organizations worldwide where dedicated scientists can choose to explore new research directions that could redefine our collective future.

Andrew Carnegie founded this institution in 1902 as a home for world-transforming scientific discoveries. Today, Carnegie Science’s mission—to advance investigation, research, and discovery, and apply that knowledge to the improvement of humankind—is more urgent than ever.

MilkyWay over the magellan telescopes in Chile

An independent research institution, we provide our scientists with the flexibility to follow their discoveries, seize opportunities, and define new fields of investigation. Our researchers continue to ask and answer compelling questions where we have the expertise, the leadership to mobilize the international research community, and the vision to transform our understanding.

Did You Know?

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    Teachers

    Carnegie's Lara Wagner and colleagues led a hands-on geosciences professional development experience for middle and high school teachers in Arizona

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    Spawning events

    Carnegie's Phil Cleves and his lab have managed to spawn soft coral a dozen times in a year and a half, a major advance in coral research.

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    Moons

    Carnegie's Scott S. Sheppard has discovered dozens of planetary satellites over the course of his career.

A Legacy of Partnership

An inspiring philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie founded our Institution in 1902 as part of his dedication to giving away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. To further this goal, he established the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) in 1911 to help disperse the remainder of his assets and to manage his legacy after his death. Today, CCNY’s work focuses on international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy—issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance. He also strongly believed in unfettered scientific exploration for the betterment of humankind—in this way the longstanding partnership between our two organizations represents a shared commitment to improving the world around us.

Painting of founder Andrew Carnegie

Carnegie Corporation’s Chief of Staff, Jeanne D’Onofrio, said, “Our mission is to advance your mission,” which is evident in the projects and people they have supported over the years. For example, Carnegie Corporation has funded close to a dozen postdoctoral fellowships at Carnegie Science. Andrew Carnegie had a strong passion to advance education for all and so, CCNY’s gifts to our Institution’s fellowships directly support his legacy. And, in turn, an important part of our mission is to promote education in the sciences and to help early career investigators achieve success. 

Our Carnegie connection has deep roots. During his lifetime, Andrew Carnegie was a great humanitarian—giving generously of his own personal funds when natural or human disasters occurred. After a devastating earthquake in Chile in 1922 Andrew Carnegie gave $5,000—which would be close to $90,000 today—in humanitarian aid. Around the same time, CCNY also funded research at Carnegie Science that surveyed the origins and effects of the same earthquake—a multi-pronged approach to the disaster response.   

President Eric Isaacs host a panel discussion as part of the CCNY Medal of Philanthropy celebrations

In 2001 to mark the centennial of Andrew Carnegie’s commitment to philanthropy, former CCNY President, Vartan Gregorian, brought all the different Carnegie entities together in celebration and remembrance of our founder’s legacy. Though CCNY had been a longtime supporter of Carnegie Science and other Carnegie institutions, until this point, the various Carnegie-founded organizations were not directly connected with each other. The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy was born out of this celebration and it continues to bring together Carnegie-established institutions to celebrate his legacy of philanthropy and recognize those who continue in his footsteps. 

We are proud of our joint history and look forward to continuing to advance Andrew Carnegie’s aspirations for making the world a better place.

 

A Lasting Impact

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    Years

    Carnegie Corporation of New York made their first grant to Carnegie Science in 1916.

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    Grants

    The Carnegie Corporation of New York has funded more than 200 Carnegie Science projects and intiatives.

Supporting the Future

Michael Wilson has been an avid supporter of the arts and sciences for much of his life. A successful movie producer and screenwriter, he feels a sense of responsibility to give back to organizations that are having an impact on the lives of people in communities across the world. “I find it very satisfying to be able to help these institutions to achieve their goals and it is an honor to be part of their work,” said Mr. Wilson during a recent conversation.

Michael and Jane Wilson at the 2023 Carnegie Board of Trustees dinner.

Before starting his career as a movie producer, Wilson received an engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College and a juris doctor from Stanford Law School, where he then went on to work for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. It was there that he met Carnegie Science’s board member John Crawford who introduced him to the Institution’s work. 

“I always wanted to explore astronomy,” said Wilson, “For the past 100 years, Carnegie has been at the forefront of astronomical discovery—without Hubble and the research he did while at Carnegie, without Vera Rubin and her exploration into dark matter we would be living in a very different world.” Over his many years of involvement with Carnegie Science, he has become intimately aware of the many facets of our scientists' research having served on the Board of Trustees since 2010. 

Michael and Jane Wilson inducted into Hubble Society

In 2019, he generously endowed three postdoctoral positions in honor of his three granddaughters. “I want my granddaughters to have role models that they can emulate and to have people who inspire them. I thought I would lead the way by starting a scholarship for women in astronomy. My granddaughters may be a little young now, but I hope, eventually, they will be inspired by what these women do,” said Wilson. 

Wilson went on to say of Carnegie’s work, “Science is structured of small discoveries that are built upon one another and that is what Carnegie does so well. Carnegie has long been known as a launching pad for budding scientists because we give them the opportunity to work freely on the things they want to pursue—and that gives them the next leg up on their careers.” 

We are very grateful for Wilson’s dedication to Carnegie Science through the giving of his time, expertise, and philanthropy.

Making a Difference

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    Years

    Michael Wilson joined Carnegie Science's Board of Trustees in 2010.

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    Percent

    In FY2022 every member of Carnegie Science's Board of Trustees donated the organization.

Donor Recognitions

$10 million

The gift with which Andrew Carnegie founded the Institution

people

More than 1,500

The number of individual donors and foundations that support Carnegie annually

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$136 million

The total of this generosity over the past 15 years

Founded in Philanthropy

Andrew Carnegie founded this institution in 1902 as a home for world-transforming scientific breakthroughs. Today, the generous support of our donors advances his legacy of philanthropy and continues to drive discovery.

Many generous individuals and foundations have since demonstrated a commitment to scientific pursuits that create new frontiers, expand human understanding, and launch the next generation of discoveries. We celebrate your investment in Carnegie Science, which helps our investigators explore beyond traditional boundaries of space, Earth, and life sciences. You’ve empowered Carnegie scientists with a rare ability to take risks and chart new—often, previously unimagined—research paths. Together, we are exploring new vistas of knowledge, and we are proud and thankful that you are our partner in this scientific enterprise.

Your support has helped advance Carnegie’s scientific research exploring how a plant species' adaptation is molecularly encoded in their DNA, advancing the study of ovarian follicle development in its most critical stages, how to map the sky with a high-resolution than ever before, and much more.

The following listings include those who have generously supported Carnegie Science, including individuals and those who have given from private foundations and donor-advised funds. We would love the opportunity to recognize your support. To have your name listed here make a donation today by going to www.carnegiescience.edu/support-our-science. Thank you.

Lifetime Giving

Andrew Carnegie seated at a desk with a book, circa 1913 1913

Carnegie Founders Society

When Andrew Carnegie made his original $10 million gift, he did so with the audacious goal of establishing an independent research organization that would increase scientific knowledge for the improvement of humankind. Likewise, members of the Carnegie Founders Society are visionaries who—through their generosity and entrepreneurial spirit—lay the foundations for innovation, ingenuity, and intellectual courage to thrive. With lifetime contributions of $10 million or more, these individuals have empowered Carnegie investigators to pursue the most profound challenges in modern science and truly transform our relationship to the universe and world around us.

Caryl P. Haskins*

William R. Hewlett*

George P. Mitchell*

*Deceased

Edwin Hubble with pipe

Edwin Hubble Society

Science often requires years of hard work and dedication before major discoveries can be made, and Edwin Hubble Society members make the critical investments that allow our researchers to take calculated risks in pursuit of new knowledge. Carnegie scientist Edwin Hubble, the most famous astronomer of the 20th century, shattered our old concept of cosmology by observing that the universe is vastly larger than we thought and is, in fact, expanding. We are proud to honor the members of the Edwin Hubble Society, who have fostered such extended, paradigm-changing research through their lifetime contributions of $1,000,000 - $9,999,999.

Anonymous (2)

D. Euan and Angelica Baird

Michael A. Duffy~

William H. Gates III

William* and Cynthia Gayden

Michael* and Mary Gellert

Robert G.* and Alexandra C. Goelet

William T. Golden*

Crawford and Margaretta Greenewalt*

David and Charlotte Greenewalt*

Robert and Margaret Hazen

Margaret and Will Hearst

Richard E. Heckert*

Kazuo* and Asako Inamori

Burton* and Deedee McMurtry

Jaylee and Gilbert Mead*

Cary Queen

Deborah Rose, Ph.D.

William J. Rutter

David and Catherine Thompson~

Thomas* and Mary Urban

Dr. Nathalie Valette-Silver*

Sidney J. Weinberg, Jr.*

Michael G. & C. Jane Wilson

*Deceased

~New Member

Vannevar Bush portrait

Vannevar Bush Society

Vannevar Bush, the renowned leader of American scientific research of his time, served as Carnegie's president from 1939 to 1956. Bush believed in the power of private organizations and the conviction that it is good for humans to know. The Vannevar Bush Society recognizes those who have made lifetime contributions of $100,000 - $999,999.

Anonymous (5)

Philip H. Abelson*

Bruce and Betty Alberts

Mary Anne Nyburg Baker and G. Leonard Baker, Jr.

Craig and Barbara Barrett

Daniel Belin and Kate Ganz

Bradley F. Bennett*

Didier and Brigitte Berthelemot

David P. Brown*

Donald and Linda Brown

Richard Buynitzky*

A. James Clark*

Tom and Anne Cori

John Crawford

H. Clark and Eleanora K. Dalton*

John Diebold*

Jean and Leslie Douglas*

Herbert A. Dropkin*

James Ebert*

Jo Ann Eder

Bruce W. Ferguson and Heather R. Sandiford

Stephen and Janelle Fodor

Karen Fries and Richard Tait

Martin and Jacqueline Gellert

Sibyl R. Golden*

Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum

Gary K.* and Cary S. Hart

Henrietta W. Hollaender*

Virginia Johns~

Antonia Ax:son Johnson and Goran Ennerfelt

Paul A. Johnson*

Paul and Carolyn Kokulis

Douglas E. Koshland

Gerald D. and Doris* Laubach

Gilbert and Karen Levin*~

Lawrence H. Linden

Michael T. Long

John D. Macomber

Christopher* and Lois Madison

Steven L. McKnight

Richard A. and Martha R. Meserve

Martin and Jacqueline Gellert

J. Irwin Miller*

Al* and Honey Nashman

Charles J. and Virginia E. Peterson

Alexander Pogo*

Elizabeth M. Ramsey*

Ray and Meredith Rothrock

Vera and Robert Rubin*

Allan R. Sandage*

Leonard Searle*

Maxine and Daniel Singer

Allan Spradling and Edie Stern

Frank N. Stanton*

Christopher Stone

Dawn Taylor

Michael W. Thacher and Rhonda L. Rundle~

Tommy Tse

William* and Nancy Turner

Marshall and Deborah Wais

Matthew Weitzman~

Anthony and Susan Wood

Laure Woods

*Deceased

~New Member

The Milky Way visible over a mountain road. Courtesy of Yuri Beletsky.

Second Century Legacy Society

The Second Century Legacy Society recognizes individuals who make special commitments to Carnegie Science in support of scientific research and discovery through their wills, living trusts, estate plans, and other forms of planned giving. Members of the Society carry on the vital tradition of philanthropy upon which Carnegie Science was founded, ensuring that throughout Carnegie’s next 100 years, we have the resources to broaden scientific knowledge and cultivate future generations of leading scientists. Through planned gifts, members meet their charitable and financial goals while creating legacies that support the research areas most important to them. We gratefully acknowledge these dedicated supporters, whose impact will be felt in tomorrow’s research advances.

Anonymous (4)

Philip H. Abelson*

Paul A. Armond, Jr.

Liselotte Beach*

Bradley F. Bennett*

Francis R. Boyd, Jr.*

Lou and Lore Brown*

Gordon and Cynthia Burley*

Sigrid Burton and Max Brennan

Richard Buynitzky*

Eleanor Gish Crow*

H. Clark and Eleanora K. Dalton*

Hugh H. Darby*

Herbert A. Dropkin*

Jo Ann Eder

Susan Farkas

Nina V. Fedoroff

Raymond C. Fletcher

Julie D. Forbush*

William T. Golden*

Crawford H. Greenewalt*

Margaretta Greenewalt*

David C. Hardy

Mrs. P. Edgar Hare

Gary K.* and Cary S. Hart

Caryl P. Haskins*

Robert and Margaret Hazen

Richard E. Heckert*

Henrietta W. Hollaender*

Neil Hurwitz

Paul A. Johnson*

Paul and Carolyn Kokulis

Mary G. Laufenberg

Nancy Lee

Gilbert and Karen Levin*

Barbara C. Martin

Al* and Honey Nashman

Charles J. and Virginia E. Peterson

Alexander Pogo*

Elizabeth M. Ramsey*

Holly M. Ruess

Allan R. Sandage*

Frederick Schwarzenbach and Leslie Prussia

Ron Scott~

Leonard Searle*

Maxine and Daniel Singer

Frank N. Stanton*

Fay M. Stetzer*

John R. Thomas, Ph.D.

Ian Thompson

Hatim A. Tyabji

William M. White

Robert and Roberta Young

*Deceased

~New Member

Annual Giving

(Gifts received between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022)

Fish teem around a coral reef

Carnegie Champions

Carnegie Champions are donors who contribute $10,000 or more annually to the Institution within the fiscal year. Members of this special community enhance the work of Carnegie researchers within our three divisions through their philanthropic support and by connecting directly with our scientists. Their contributions enable our scientists to channel their intellectual courage, talent, and entrepreneurial spirit to achieve the next big discovery. We are proud to recognize these bold and loyal donors who make supporting science among their top philanthropic values.

$100,000 to $999,999

Anonymous

Herbert A. Dropkin*

Stephen and Janelle Fodor

Virginia Johns

Gilbert and Karen Levin*

*Deceased

$10,000 to $99,999

Anonymous

Craig and Barbara Barrett

Sigrid Burton and Max Brennan

Cathy Colloff

Alice S. Coulombe

John Crawford

Melanie Cuellar

John P. de Neufville

Sally De Witt

Michael A. Duffy

Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum

Simon and Charlotte Harrison

Charles Bowditch Hunter

Thomas and Jessica Korzenecki

Douglas E. Koshland

Mer G. Laufenberg*

Michael T. Long

Julia Sever Lytle

John D. Macomber

Christine McCarthy and Michael McCormick

Nentcho Nentchev

Charles J. and Virginia E. Peterson

Ray and Meredith Rothrock

Laura and Carlton Seaver

Stephen Shectman

Jean and Sidney* Silber

Bharti Temkin

David and Catherine Thompson

Ian Thompson

Matthew Weitzman

Michael G. & C. Jane Wilson

*Deceased

What Our Donors Say

Basic research fosters a path to answer human questions: Are we alone? How did we get here? Where is our place in the universe? Carnegie Science excels at basic research from the microbial level to exoplanets.

Brice Eldridge

My support of the Carnegie Observatories means the world to me. It's my way of sustaining scientific exploration and uncovering the mysteries of the universe. I believe in the power of knowledge and want to be a small part of the incredible discoveries that lie ahead.

Ron Scott

I have had a life-long passion for astronomy and a desire to understand and keep abreast of several scientific disciplines. When I attended my first Carnegie lecture, I knew I had found 'my people.' Carnegie is a cause that I support as generously as I can because it has added so much richness to my life.

Shirley Ross
Brice Eldridge
Ron Scott and friend at November 2022 Board of Trustees dinner
Shirley Ross and Friend

Other Individual Giving

$1,000 to $9,999

Anonymous (4)

Louis G. Arnold

Robert and Lynne Barker

Charlotte S. Barus

Philip Beachy and Katrin Andreasson

Richard and Kathleen Becker

Charles Bestor

Peter C. Brockett and Laureen B. Chang

Donald and Linda Brown

Albert S. Colman

Rita Colwell

Gary Conrad and Charlotte Streng

John Cross

William S. Dickey

Brack and Betty Duker

Samuel and Barbara Dyer

Jo Ann Eder

Sandra and Andrew Faber

Douglas M. Fambrough III

Eric J. Fearon

Oscar and Toby Fitzgerald

Marilyn L. Fogel* and Christopher W. Swarth

Stuart Gerson and Pamela Somers

Thomas and Josephine Greeley

David L. Greenewalt

Stanley R. Hart

William K. Hart

Tracy Hauri

Marc Hersh

Sandra Hess

Mark Holdsworth

Rush D. Holt and Margaret Lancefield

Toby M. Horn

Eric and Jill Hubbell

Eric Isaacs and Linda Goldwyn

Mary Jacobs

Theodore and Jacqueline Johnson

Peter Cooper Kellogg

Richard and Karen Kertzner

Bill Key

Paul* and Carolyn Kokulis

Richard and Lisa Kornblith

Sandra Krause and William Fitzgerald

Katherine N. Lapp

Brigitte D. Linz

Haozhe Liu

Tina Lyon

Michael J. MacDermott

Gary and Phoebe Mallard

James Mattingly and Judith Shure

Mary E. Maxon, PhD

Dennis McKearin and Rosemarie Rinn

Michael Miller

Michael B. Moran

Charles G. Myers

H. Richard Naslund

Dr. and Mrs. Armand P. Neukermans

George F. Ohrstrom

Farhan Panthaki

Ralph and Mary Perry

Dr. Jan Marie Aramini and Michael Pettersen

Sheldon and Debora Presser

Jeffery and Dana Puschell

Cary Queen

Aparajit Raghavan and Satyashree Srikanth

Benjamin E. Richter

Katherine Roman

Cristián Samper

Charles Schmitz

Frederick Schwarzenbach and Leslie Prussia

William and Glenna Shawn

David Singer and Diana Kapp

Paul So

Jordan Sorensen and Erik Lin-Greenberg

Randall Speck and Samantha Nolan

David N. Spergel

The Paul & Dottie Foundation

Rebecca Stecker

Michael Stein and Judy Rhinestine

Christopher Stone

Douglas K. Struck

Tetsuo Takanami

Michael W. Thacher and Rhonda L. Rundle

John R. Thomas, Ph.D.

The Thornton Foundation

Scott B. Tollefsen

Peter E. van Keken

Marshall Wais

Michael J. Walter

Alan Wang

Mark Welsh

Robert Williamson and Caryl McNeilly

Margaret D. Woodring

Robert and Roberta Young

*Deceased

Under $1,000

Anonymous (6)

George Abdo

Carmen Aguilar

Jagannadham and Lalita Akella

Donald J. Albers

Paul and Leigh Albert

Patricia Alireza and Ghassan Alireza

Larry Allen

Robert Alschuler

Jacqueline Apel

Joseph P. Ardizzi

John Arganian

Lawrence and Susan Artes

John and Michele Arthur

Arnold Ashcraft

Lynnette Asselin

Ulanda Aung

Andrew Avrick

Cheryl A. Bantz

Benjamin G. Barbin

Ann and Olin Barrett

Gerald Barton

William A. Bassett

Michelle Battle

Emile J. Bayle

Michael Bearfoot

Richard Beggs

Harvey E. Belkin

Leila Belkora

Lyndsay Benedict

Richard J. Bergemann and H. Christy Bergemann

L. Elizabeth Bertani

Anthony and Clare Binley

Henry C. Black

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

Tom I. Bonner

Christian Borillo

Daniel H. Borinsky

Kurt R. Borski

Philip Bourdillon and Nancy Martin

Avery Boyce

Dody and Tommy Brager

Rossella Brevetti

Alison Brooks

Charles and Lucille Brown

William L. Bryan

Dale Burger

James E. Burke

Jerome Burstein

Donald M. Burt

Henry Butcher

Julee Butler

Michele Byrnes

Doug and Linda Cahill

John A.R. Caldwell

Kan Cao

Carol Laikin Carpenter

Francis S. Carr

Dana Carroll

Edward Celarier and Gail Yano

Kenneth M. Chick

Glenn Chinery

Ronald A. Chong

Ida Chow

Gregory Clark

Paul S. Clark

William Cleveland

Michael P. Cohen

John R. and Annette W. Coleman

Christine Collins and Dana Berliner

Dean Collins

David Conover

John and Bette Cooper

Richard and Margery Coppola

Edward Cornfeld

Ronald M. Costell

Janet Crampton

Dr. and Mrs. Daniel L. Crotty

Martin Czigler

Stewart Allan Daniels, MD and Nancy Joy Daniels

Owen and Margo Davies

John E. Davis and Bonnie Freeman

Nicholas and Lynn Davis

Peter and Jacqueline Davis

Igor Dawid and Keiko Ozato

Carl and Judith Dawson

Benjamin Dayman

Ellen Dayton

Ken and Jacquelyn* de Graaf

Vannia De La Cuba

George Delahunty

Cristine del Amo

Wendy De Los Reyes

Campbell DeMallie and Katherine Van Sickle

David H. and Kunie F. DeVorkin

John F. Dilley

Matt Disen

Jeffrey L. Doering

Laura D. Dominguez

Scot Donato

Janice Dunlap

Richard Earley

Christopher Edwards

David H. Eggler

Seth and Marion Eisen

William and Judith Eisinger

Brice and Margaret Eldridge

Matthew Eldridge

Frank C. Eliot

Bennett Ellenbogen

Bryan and Phyllis Ellickson

Dylan Ellsworth

Charles P. Emerson, Jr.

Jay S. Epstein

Brian Eriksen and Carlos Muralles

Mark Evans

William B. Fagan

Ernest and Cynthia Falke

John E. Farhood

John D. Fassett

Gail Fisher

Scott J. Fitzgerald

Juan Carlos Flores

Carolina Flores-Helizon

Michael Flumian

Gary Fong

Katherine Fong

Robert and Carole Fontenrose

Margaret Forbes

John Fournelle

Michelle Fox

Laurence W. Fredrick

Linda R. Freeman

Richard and Cheryl Freeman

Bevan M. French

John D. Gaffey, Jr.

James C. Gaither

Rita Gaylin

William and Barbara Geffen

Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Gelb

Mattia Gellera

Glen Gerada and Kathleen Burger

Richard Gerber

Thomas Gertmenian and Sally Barngrove

M. Charles Gilbert

Kirsten and Oliver Gildersleeve

Lawrence Giles

William and Gayle Glauz

Christopher R. Glein

Eitan Glinert and Laura Lacombe

Ken Globus

Gabriel Goldberg

Kenneth Golding

Paul Gramstad

Barbara Graves and Robert W. Schackmann

Bruce Green

Catherine Green

Michael V. Green

Frederick D. Greenewalt

John D. Greenhill

Annette Greer

Philip and Judith Grimley

John and Deborah Guest

Ryan Gutierrez

Herbert* and Liliane Haas

Dr. Denise Hagan and Grant Frederick

William and Dorothy Hagar

Catherine L. Haight

James T. Haight

Marylee H. Hair-Tinsley

Richard and Elizabeth Hallberg

Bret D. Hampton

Joseph Haney

Bradley Hanson and Rhett Judice

Richard Harps

David L. Harris

Lisa W. Harter

Shan Hays

Sandra Hayward

James D. Heinz

Julian Heller

Paul Henderson

John Hennigan

Brian and Yoshiko Henslee

George A. Herbert, Jr.

John and Ann Hess

Samuel K. and Barbara L. Himmelrich

William H. and Patricia G. Hohwiesner

Craig Holbrook

Kory Homuth

Julianna Horvath

Léo Houziaux

Edward Hurwitz

Neil Hurwitz

Robert Ihsen

Stefan Jaeger

Colonel Jack C. James, USMC (Ret.)

Eileen M. Janas

Beverly J. Johnson

Leonard Johnson and Martha Weiss

Peter and Mary Johnson

Sheila D. Jones

Anne Kallfisch

Kenneth J. Kallfisch

Darius and Carol Kanga

Peter and Jane Katona

John Keiser

Robert and Miriam Kellaway

Thomas and Ann Kelsall

Maria Kendall

John Kester and Katherine O'Kester

Marguerite J. Kingston

M.B. Kirkham

Jane Kluttz

Melanie Knutsen

David C. Koo

Kirk T. Korista

G. Gary Kowalczyk

Charles M. Kramer

Jonathan Kranz

Audrey S. Krause

Virginia B. Kriho

Danuta Krotoski

Tom Kuchenberg

Steven and Nancy L'Hernault

Ethel Laczko

Jon M. Landenburger

Roger Lang

Jorn Larsen-Basse

Robert and Marjorie Lawrence

Samuel A. and Mary M. Lawrence

Kurt Lawson and Jill Feasley

George Lazarus

Harold H. Lee

Matthew Lee

Stuart Lending

Jules M. Lerner

Alan E. Levin

Kathleen D. Lewis

George W. Liao

Jon Lindberg

Diane B. Link

Erik N. Littleton

Felix J. Lockman

Robert and Eileen Loeb

Gerald P. Lorentz

Christopher and Catherine Loretz

Glenn MacCullough

Alec Machiels and Sarah Bennison

Gary S. Madonna

Steven R. Majewski

Bernard M. Malloy

Kathleen A. Malone

Murli H. Manghnani

Stephen and Sally Maran

Gerard Marandino

Barbara C. Martin

Lani Martinez Sinfield

Mario and Nancy Bennett Mateo

James M. and Roxane Mattinson

Sally Mauerman

David Mauriello

Robert H. and Dorothy A. McCallister

Robert McClelland

Mary McComb

Dennis and Janet McCormick

Francis McCubbin

Jim McDermott and Cynthia Kurtz

Ann McElwain

Diane McLean

D. Joel and Mary Mellema

Pallavi Menon

Mark and Debbie Menzer

Natasha Metzler

Robert Meyer and Nancy Valentine

John J. Michels

Bruce Miller

Dennis F. Miller

Mary Miller

Stuart J. Miller

William G. Minarik

Richard M. Mitterer

David and Gloria Mog

Quadri D. Mogaji

Rosemary Monagan

John Moore

Joseph F. Moore

John Morrow

Robert A. Morse

John W. Mothersole

Gary G. Mrenak

Seanan Murphy

Bruce L. Murrie

Ralph H. Nafziger

Rodney and Pamela Nakamoto

Daniel Neal

Michael A. Newkirk and Olivia P. Garfield

Phillip and Sonia Newmark

Samuel T. Nicholson

Niels Nielsen

John Ray Nooncaster

Jeffrey B. Norman

Donald B. Novotny

Paul G. Nyhus

Michael and Carol Oberdorfer

Richard and Grace Obermann

David Odell

Augustus Oemler, Jr.

Kathie L. Olsen

Peter and Janyce Olsen

Mark F. Osborne

John H. and Roberta Overholt

Raymond and Bette Ann Page

Kristen Palumbo

Ben and Irene Pandit

Gary and Julie Pantiskas

Linda Parshall

Pratik Patel

Robert and Carol Pearcy

Niels M. Pedersen

Trish Peebles

George H. Pepper

Nicholas Perkins

John Petricciani

Marc and Brenda Pfeiffer

Eric Philburn

Stephen Pierce

Elizabeth A. Piotrowski

Emil Polisensky

Holly Pollinger

Barbara Elkus and Rodger Poore

John Price and Anne Shoemaker

David Proch

Karen J. Profet

Laura Puckett

Daniel W. Pugh

Sampath Ramaswami

Velimir Randic

R. P. Ranganayaki

Bryan Ranharter

Shirley Raps

J. Martin Ratliff and Carol A. Polanskey

Shirley A. Rawson

John Rectenwald and Elise Ambrose

Greg Redfern

Thorburn and Helen Reid

Frederick B. Reimer

Stephan and Dori Reissman

Seung Yon Rhee

Robert Riccio

Roslenn M. Richardson

Lisa Richter

Melinda Risolo

Harry and Grace Rissetto

Faye Rivkin

Don Roache

Ruth N. Robbins

Edward Robichaud

Susan Rodgers

Ingrid R. Rose

Suzanne and Irving Rosenthal

Anne Gorelick Rosenwald

Dr. Shirley M. Ross

Stuart Rubens and Laura Lewis

Tyler Rullman and Teresa Wilkerson

Raymond E. Ruth

Kristen Rutledge

Stuart Sacks

Lawrence E. Sager

Alexander Sandra

Charisse Santillan

Kenneth V. Saunders

Kathy Sawyer

Ted A. Scambos

Gerald Scheinman and Marsha Seidelman

Albert and Sandra Schlachtmeyer

Kevin C. Schlaufman

Christianne Schoedel and John Segal

Robert L. Schulte

François Schweizer

Jock Scott

Matthew P. Scott

Ross S. Selvidge

Brian Sesterhenn

Ralph G. Setian

Charles and Inez Sharp

Harlan and Beverly Sherwat

John Sheski

Billy J. Shilling

Carl Shoolman

Fred Shoup

Shaukat M. Siddiqi

Stephanie Sigala and James Rhodes

Martin Silfen

Randolph and Diane Sim

Sharon Simkin

Howard and Nancy Simms

Royale Simms

Mary Ellen Simon

Stephanie Smilay

Granville Smith

Robert C. Smith

David E. Snead

James Somers

Steven S. Spaulding

Allan Spradling and Edie Stern

Michael Starzak

William Staton

David Steffen and Susan Ohara

John L. Stiff

Lars Stixrude and Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni

Christopher Paul Stoppa

Neil and Leslie Straus

David Straw

Lucy Summers

Peter Tague and Rhea Smith

Wan-Ning Tan

Barbara M. Taylor

Colin Taylor

Leslie C. Taylor

William L. Taylor

Thomas M. Tekach

Richard E. Tenney, Jr.

Ralph and Roberta Terkowitz

Diane K. Teske

William Topper

Sally June Tracy and Matthew Graham

Martin Trees and Kristen Olson

Albert and Virginia Tucker

Joseph R. Harris and Cynthia Uleman

John Ulmer and Ann Marie Lee

Mark Uretsky and Marian Gordon

Del Uthman

Dhiru Vadodaria

Lesly Valentin

Robert S. Vance, Jr.

Anne M. Vaughan

Dr. David Velinsky and Dr. Susan Johntz

John Veselka

Katharine Villard

Daniel and Eloise Vitiello

Cynthia Wagner and Stephen Miller

Douglas and Ellen Wallis

Kelly Walters

Zhou Wang and Xiaoyan Cai

Dave Warner

Richard Wattis

Tom Wayne

Skyler Weaver

Bill Weimar

Alycia Weinberger and Todd Rosentover

Gloria Weissberg

Barbara A. Wenger

Judith M. White

William M. White

David G. Whittingham

Peter H. Wick

Ameliann Williams

James E. Williams

Matthew Williamson

Stewart and Margaret Wills

Adam Wilson

James W. Wolcott

Neal L. Wood

David and Julianne Worrell

David and Ingrid Wrausmann

Roy Wyscarver and Ann Bryant

Henry A. Yost

Richard S. Young and Bonnie M. Beamer

Alessandro Zanello and Maria Elena Gutierrez

Robert A. Zarzar

Matt and Kelly Zehnder

Elizabeth Anne Zimmer

Timothy A. Zimmerlin

Foundations and Corporations

$100,000 to $999,999

The Ahmanson Foundation*

The Ambrose Monell Foundation

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

The Brinson Foundation

Carnegie Corporation of New York

The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research

Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation

$10,000 to $99,999

The Abell Foundation, Inc.

Carnegie Institution of Canada

John Templeton Foundation

Joy in Blue Foundation

The Kavli Foundation

The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

The McMurtry Family Foundation

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Richard W. Higgins Charitable Foundation

The Walt Disney Company Foundation

$500 to $9,999

Champion Technology Services

Dick Family Trust

Kramer Family Foundation

Society for Developmental Biology

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

Gifts In Honor and In Memoriam

In Memory of Dr. L. Thomas Aldrich

Stanley R. Hart

In Honor of Dr. Carol Alexander

Scott J. Fitzgerald

In Memory of Mr. Walter Bantz

Cheryl A. Bantz

In Honor of Dr. Joseph Berry

Lawrence Giles

In Memory of Judith Berliner

Christine Collins and Dana Berliner

In Honor of Dr. Guillermo Blanc

Robert Alschuler

In Memory of Ms. Arsenia Bisquera Borillo

Christian Borillo

In Memory of Dr. Winslow Briggs

John Cross

William and Judith Eisinger

Seung Yon Rhee

In Honor of Dr. Donald Brown

Charles P. Emerson, Jr.

Richard and Elizabeth Hallberg

John and Sally Heyn

Samuel K. and Barbara L. Himmelrich

In Memory of Dr. Louis Brown

Louis G. Arnold

In Honor of Ms. Valerie Butler

Sandra Hess

In Memory of Dr. Lauren Colloff

Melinda Risolo

In Memory of Dr. Gordon Davis

Harvey E. Belkin

In Honor of Dr. Igor Dawid

Richard and Elizabeth Hallberg

In Memory of Dr. John M. Dick

Jane M. Dick

In Memory of Ms. Collette Ellsworth

Dylan Ellsworth

In Honor of Dr. Douglas McIntosh Fambrough, Jr.

Douglas M. Fambrough III

In Memory of Dr. Marilyn Fogel

Carmen Aguilar

Beverly J. Johnson

Dr. David Velinsky and Dr. Susan Johntz

Alycia Weinberger and Todd Rosentover

In Honor of Dr. Joseph Gall

Robert and Eileen Loeb

In Honor of Dr. Peter Gao

Hao Zhang

In Memory of Mr. Michael E. Gellert

Alec Machiels and Sarah Bennison

In Honor of James T. Haight

Catherine L. Haight

In Memory of Dr. Erik H. Hauri

Tracy Hauri

William G. Minarik

In Honor of Dr. Robert and Mrs. Margaret Hazen

Fred Shoup

In Memory of Dr. Edwin Hubble

Dr. and Mrs. Daniel L. Crotty

In Memory of Mr. Terrone Jasper

Ida Chow

Quadri Mogaji

Faye Rivkin

In Memory of Mr. Matthew Johns

Ronald A. Chong

In Memory of Mr. Ferenc Laczko

Ethel Laczko

In Memory of Mr. Donald McClelland

Karen J. Profet

In Memory of Dr. Paul W. Merrill

Léo Houziaux

In Memory of Germaine Mirzaoff

Janice Dunlap

In Memory of Ms. Marilyn Morgan

Larry Allen

In Honor of Dr. John Mulchaey

Ann and Olin Barrett

Sigrid Burton and Max Brennan

Richard and Lisa Kornblith

In Honor of Dr. Emily Osborne

Mark F. Osborne

In Honor of Dr. Karine Prado

Robert Alschuler

In Memory of MR. David Martin Richman

Linda R. Freeman

In Honor of Dr. Diana Roman

Katherine Roman

In Memory of Dr. Vera Rubin

David C. Koo

George H. Pepper

In Memory of Dr. Allan Sandage

Léo Houziaux

Steven R. Majewski

In Honor of Mr. Matthew Shull

Vickie Watson

In Honor of Dr. Maxine Singer

David Singer and Diana Kapp

In Memory of Mr. John G. Stoppa

Christopher Paul Stoppa

In Honor of Dr. Johanna K. Teske

Diane K. Teske

In Memory of Mr. Peter Ault Tinsley

Marylee H. Hair-Tinsley

In Honor of Dr. Ray Weymann

Kirk T. Korista

In Memory of Lieutenant Colonel F. P. Woodson

Richard and Karen Kertzner

In Honor of Mr. Bo Xue

Robert Alschuler

In Memory of Dr. Hatten S. Yoder

H. Richard Naslund

In Honor of Dr. Yixian Zheng

Kan Cao

Marc Hersh

Staff Excellence

New Deputy Director

Stephanie Hampton gearing up to do fieldwork

Aquatic ecologist Stephanie Hampton joined Carnegie as Deputy Director of Carnegie’s newly launched Division of Biosphere Sciences and Engineering. She arrived from the National Science Foundation, where she was the director of the Division of Environmental Biology. She was also a professor and the former director of an interdisciplinary environmental research center at Washington State University.

At Washington State, Hampton was part of a leadership team that oversaw the design, construction, and governance of a new research building to house the university’s Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach, of which she was the director at the time. This background will be invaluable as Carnegie prepares to relocate its life and environmental science efforts to Pasadena where experts from a variety of fields will tear down disciplinary silos and tackle environmental, health, and energy system challenges at scales ranging from the molecular to the global.  

Hampton’s own research focuses on the dynamic factors that shape aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on Lake Baikal in Siberia and the lakes of the Pacific Northwest. Her work has informed environmental conservation efforts and policymaking. 

Prior to Washington State, Hampton served in several leadership roles at U.C. Santa Barbara, including deputy director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis, managing director of Science for Nature and People, and Interim Director of Community Engagement and Education for DataONE. She received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolution from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree in biology from University of Nevada Las Vegas, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Kansas Lawrence.

Honors & Awards

Alan Boss Portrait

Carnegie’s Alan Boss was named one of 23 new Fellows of the American Astronomical Society. The honorees were chosen for their “extraordinary achievement and service” to the field. Boss, whose contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics are numerous, was specifically recognized for “innovative theoretical investigations of the formation of stars and exoplanets” as well as “tireless leadership within the exoplanet exploration community in ensuring that NASA executes a credible and successful exoplanet program.”

Joe Berry

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Carnegie ecologist Joseph Berry to the newest class of AAAS Fellows, among the most distinct honors within the scientific community and part of a tradition that started in 1874. Since joining the Institution in 1972, Berry has developed powerful tools to understand the exchange of carbon dioxide and water between plants and the atmosphere—a cycle that has shaped the Earth and made it possible for life as we know it to thrive. His models and methods are widely used to contextualize photosynthetic activity at local, regional, and global scales, and have important implications for agriculture and land management.

Marilyn Fogel

Isotope geochemist Marilyn Fogel, who spent 33 years as a Staff Scientist at Carnegie’s Earth and Planets Laboratory (formerly the Geophysical Lab)—has been chosen to receive the Geochemical Society’s highest honor, the Victor Moritz Goldschmidt Award, in recognition for her numerous and varied contributions to the field. “Marilyn has had a deep and lasting impact on important questions in Earth and planetary sciences. Her work at Carnegie echoes through our halls and will continue to do so for decades to come,” said Carnegie President Eric D. Isaacs.

Marilyn Fogel dissects a modern emu egg for her study on the ancient Australian environment.

Isotope geochemist Marilyn Fogel was posthumously recognized with the American Geophysical Union’s Eunice Newton Foote Medal for Earth-Life Science, which is awarded annually to “an exceptional senior scientist for outstanding creative achievements in research at the intersection of Earth and life sciences.”

“The Foote Medal was created to highlight work being done that connects our understanding of the past, present and future of the Earth System, as well as the prospects for life on other worlds and the ‘future of human well-being,’” said Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory Director Michael Walter. “Marilyn’s research was impactful across every research area recognized by this prize.”

 

Mike Walter Portrait

Earth and Planets Laboratory Director Michael Walter, an experimental petrologist who studies deep-Earth minerals and melts to elucidate the formation and evolution of our planet’s dynamic interior, was honored with the American Geophysical Union’s Norman L. Bowen Award at the organization’s annual Fall Meeting in December. The Bowen prize is the top recognition for a scientist in AGU’s Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology section. It is presented each year to an individual who has made “outstanding contributions” to the field, either in the form of a single, groundbreaking paper, or a cumulative set of advancements over time.

Adrien Burlacot

Carnegie algal physiologist Adrien Burlacot was selected for the 2023 class of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 North America list in science. Honorees were chosen for their “unconventional thinking,” Forbes said in its announcement of the new class, describing them as individuals “who have rewritten rules, reshaped industries, and are breaking ground towards a brighter future.” The recognition spotlights Burlacot’s efforts to fight world hunger and mitigate climate change by hacking the process plants use to convert the Sun’s energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars and fats.

Stephanie Hampton

Deputy Director of Carnegie’s Biosphere Sciences and Engineering Division Stephanie Hampton, a freshwater ecologist whose work has informed both conservation efforts and policymaking, has been elected President of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the world’s largest ecological professional society. She will serve a three-year term. A longtime member of ESA, Hampton’s service to the organization includes chairing the Aquatic Ecology section between 2011 and 2013, as well as membership on the Science Committee between 2013 and 2015, and Sustainability Science Committee between 2014 and 2015.

Edgar Virgüez

Carnegie postdoctoral researcher Edgar Virgüez was named one of four new trustees of Duke University. He will serve a three-year term. Virgüez joined the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Ecology in February after completing his Ph.D. at Duke. He works with Carnegie’s Ken Caldeira on modeling climate and energy solutions.

“As a rising scholar and emerging higher education leader, my experiences at Carnegie this year—and the guidance offered by Ken—have expanded my scientific vision and shown me how to contribute to comprehensively addressing the most-pressing societal issues facing humanity today,” Virgüez added. “I will bring this knowledge to my work as a Duke trustee.”

 

Inaugural Carnegie DEI Mini-Grants Awarded

In an effort to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion work throughout the organization and our surrounding communities, Carnegie has awarded 10 projects with inaugural DEI mini-grants. The mini-grant program provides up to $5,000 to support DEI-related projects, ideas, or collaborations. 

Local high school students work in the VizLab as part of a mini-grant funded outreach program.

“The mini-grant program launched last fall and was designed to enable Carnegie faculty, postdocs, and staff to obtain funding for small-scale projects that help advance our local and institutional DEI goals,” said Associate Science Deputy Anat Shahar, who with Science Deputy and Observatories Director John Mulchaey oversees Carnegie’s DEI efforts.

Many of the grants focus on improving access to STEM programs and activities. Both Adrien Burlacot from the Department of Plant Biology and the Department of Global Ecology's Wu Sun received grants to support joint internships between the two Palo Alto-based departments and the Carnegie Academy for Science Education in Washington, D.C.. At the Observatories, Allison Matthews will use a grant to reach under-served Pasadena elementary school students with personalized, hands-on astronomy activity kits and at the Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL) Johanna Teske will use a grant for computing support for undergraduate interns.

Several grants focus on the intersection of art and science. Plant Biology’s Selena Rice will expand the Plant Cell Atlas initiative's existing art exhibition partnership with HBCUs to showcase the work of historic Black plant researchers. Another Plant Biology program, run by Elena Lazarus, will advance an existing program to organize screenings of and panel discussions about science-related films. At the Observatories, Ethan Nadler will partner with Los Angeles-based arts education organization Create Now to make dark matter visualizations.

EPL’s Suzy Vitale and the Observatories Jeff Rich will both their grants for community outreach. Vitale will organize a Science in Your Backyard event for Washington, D.C., area science lovers and Rich will expand an existing program to bring local Pasadena students to the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.

The Observatories’ Gwen Rudie’s grant is also focused on strengthening community relationships, but with an inward gaze. Her project will facilitate lunchtime conversations and trust-building between different cohorts of employees on campus.

“This is a great batch of recipients, and we look forward to hearing their reflections as their projects progress,” Shahar concluded.

 

In Memorium

Marilyn Fogel in south Australia

At the age of 69, Marilyn Louise Fogel, an isotope geochemist whose work touched on a broad scope of subjects ranging from astrobiology to paleoecology and climate change to human health, died May 13, 2022,  after a prolonged battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). 

Fogel spent 33 years as a Staff Scientist at Carnegie’s research campus in Washington D.C., at what is now the Institution’s Earth and Planets Laboratory, as well as a short stint as a visiting scholar at Carnegie’s Department of Plant Biology in California. She developed the use of stable isotopes to trace astrobiological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes, including the impact of climate variation on ancient ecosystems, species migration, diet, and organics found within meteoritic samples.

Her awards and accomplishments were many. They include Chair of the Life and Environmental Sciences Unit of the U.C. Merced School of Natural Sciences (2012); first woman selected for the Geochemical Society’s Alfred Treibs Medal (2013); Director of the EDGE (Environmental Dynamics & Geo-Ecology) Institute at U.C. Riverside (2016); received the Geochemical Society’s highest honor, the Victor Moritz Goldschmidt Award (2022). Additionally, she was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Geophysical Union.

 

Former Trustee William Gayden died August 17, 2022. He was 81. Gayden joined Carnegie’s Board in 2002 and served on several key committees during his tenure. 

Gayden was the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Merit Energy Company, a private firm specializing in direct investments in oil and gas assets. Prior to founding Merit Energy in 1989, Mr. Gayden was president of Petrus Oil Company and held many senior positions at Electronic Data Systems. Gayden began his career as a salesman with IBM.

During his time as a Carnegie trustee, Gayden’s generous support advanced multiple efforts, including the Giant Magellan Telescope, capital funds for several Carnegie buildings, and outreach efforts at the Observatories.

 

Michael Gellert gives remarks at Carnegie Board of Trustees dinner.

Michael Gellert, co-founder of investment vehicle Windcrest Partners who oversaw a decade of major institutional initiatives as the Chairman of Carnegie’s Board of Trustees, died August 17, 2021. He was 90.

Gellert joined the Board of Trustees in 1995 and was elected Chair in 2003. He served until 2018 after which he became an emeritus member. 

He had a strong commitment to the life and environmental sciences which positioned Carnegie researchers to affect the national and international discourse around the greatest challenge facing humanity today—climate change and its impacts on Earth’s dynamic cycles and fragile ecosystems. Gellert also played a leading role in Carnegie’s founding commitment to the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is under construction at our Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. “Mike’s leadership was foundational to the creation of the GMT,” said President Emeritus Richard Meserve, whose tenure coincided with Gellert’s. 

In 2000 he was recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which elected him a Fellow. In 2015, he was awarded the Harvard Medal for his work on the Harvard Club of New York’s Board of Managers and other alumni affairs.

He is one of the largest donors in the Institution’s history, supporting many projects and initiatives that span the breadth of our research. “His role at Carnegie was never about himself,” concluded Suzanne Nora Johnson and Stephen Fodor, who succeeded Gellert as Co-Chairs of the Board.   “It was always about advancing the good of the Institution and quality of the science inside the Institution.”

 

Kazuo Inamori

Trustee Emeritus and 2003 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy laureate Kazuo Inamori died August 24, 2022, after an illustrious business career in his home nation of Japan. He was 90.

As the founder of industrial ceramics giant Kyocera and telecommunications company KDDI, Inamori was one of a small handful of industrialists who helped build post-war Japan into an economic success story. 

Inamori joined Carnegie’s Board of Trustees in 1990 and served for 12 years before stepping down. He remained an emeritus trustee until his death. 

“I was very impressed by the noble aim of your Institution, the advanced scientific works performed at your laboratories, and the personality and dedication of your board members and staff. I am honored you have asked me to join your distinguished Board of Trustees as a member,” Inamori wrote in his letter of acceptance. “I was especially touched by your intent in making your institution a global organization dedicated to benefit all mankind, and that you have selected me to be the first Japanese trustee on the board.”

In 1996, Inamori gave Carnegie $3.1 million to complete the first three Magellan Telescope  instruments, which were installed four years later. In appreciation of his support, the Inamori Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph and The Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle Spectrograph were named in his honor.

Beyond Carnegie, Inamori’s philanthropic efforts created the prestigious Kyoto Prize. Supported by the Inamori Foundation, the award recognizes individuals and groups worldwide who have made outstanding contributions to the progress of science, technology, the advancement of civilization, and enrichment and elevation of the human spirit.

 

Thomas Lovejoy

The founding chair of the Carnegie Scientific Advisory Council (CSAC), Thomas Lovejoy, a renowned ecologist and conservationist who is credited with coining the term “biological diversity," or "biodiversity,” died December 25, 2021. He was 80.

In 1978, Lovejoy conceived of the world’s largest and longest-running study of habitat fragmentation—the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments project—which has trained generations of conservation biologists and advocates and resulted in hundreds of scientific publications. Two years later, he published the first estimate of global extinction rates.

His many prestigious advisory roles included work for the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations and past chairmanship of the Scientific and Technical Panel for the Global Environment Facility. He also previously served as Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation and Chief Biodiversity Advisor and Lead Specialist for the Environment for the Latin American region to the World Bank. He was also was the founder and past president of the Amazon Biodiversity Center and since 2010 he had been a professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University. 

Among many other notable achievements, he won the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2001, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation in 2008, and the Blue Planet Prize in 2012

Biosphere Sciences & Engineering

Division Leadership, Staff Scientists & Staff Associates

Earth & Planets Laboratory

Division Leadership & Staff Scientists

Observatories

Division Leadership, Staff Scientists & Staff Associates

The Path to Pasadena

Palm trees in front of the San Gabriel Mountains
Timeline to Pasadena

The state of California designated $20 million in its 2023 budget toward Carnegie’s life and environmental science research vision.
 

Representing a proactive new investment in the fight against climate change, Carnegie is bringing a broad array of experts together in Pasadena where they will
draw on the Institution’s long expertise in exploring the natural world across scales to probe the intersection of climate, ecosystem dynamics, and resilience.
 

This new genomes-to-ecosystems approach will greatly expand our researchers’ capacity to study these interrelated issues and to make a transformative impact on the most pressing challenges facing humanity today.
 

Carnegie experts are already enhancing our understanding of the science underpinning important issues such as sustainable agriculture, water quality, drought, clean energy, and biodiversity—and revealing how climate change is impacting them all.

 

Palm trees in front of the San Gabriel Mountains

Carnegie experts are already enhancing our understanding of the science underpinning important issues such as sustainable agriculture, water quality, drought, clean energy, and biodiversity—and revealing how climate change is impacting them all. 

  • We reveal the genetics underpinning hardiness and drought resistance in crop plants, which can help fight global hunger.
  • We elucidate how human activity impacts our waterways, which could help mitigate risks to drinking water, fisheries, and recreational areas.  
  • We investigate how drought and warming affect the health of forests, which could help guide land management strategies. 
  • We probe species, community, and ecosystem resilience, which can inform conservation efforts.
Pasadena as viewed from the mountains. Image purchased from Shutterstock.

Carnegie’s expanded presence in Pasadena will be near the Caltech campus and will provide exciting opportunities to build on decades of collaboration in astronomy and the physical sciences.
 

“California is leading the world in our efforts to combat climate change, with bold action to cut pollution, clean our air, and develop clean energy solutions,” Governor Gavin Newsom said about the funding. “Scientific research is foundational to advancing these goals, protecting our communities, and promoting a sustainable future for California.”

 

Advancing Science

A coral reef seen underwater and an island seen above water.

Next-gen Science

New technologies and approaches are opening up new avenues of research.

GENOMES

Carnegie scientists are deploying advanced genomic and computational tools to understand pressing environmental issues.

Infographic illustrating that genetic biodiversity loss already outpaces U.N. conservation targets courtesy of Mark Belan | artscistudios.com.

Developing a New Tool to Evaluate and Track Global Sustainability Targets

Climate change and habitat destruction may have already caused the loss of more than one-tenth of the world’s terrestrial genetic diversity, according to research led by Carnegie evolutionary geneticist Moises Exposito-Alonso. 

Human activity has impacted or shrunk half of Earth’s ecosystems, affecting millions of species. The partial loss of geographic range diminishes population sizes and can prevent populations of the same species from interacting with each other. This has serious implications for an animal or plant’s genetic richness and ability to meet the coming challenges of climate change.

Mutations represent small, random natural variations in the genetic code that could positively or negatively affect an individual organism’s ability to survive and reproduce, passing the positive traits down to future generations. As a result, the greater the pool of mutations upon which a species is able to draw, the greater the chances of stumbling upon that lucky blend that will help a species thrive despite the pressures created by habitat loss, as well as shifting temperature and precipitation patterns.

(Caption: Illustration of genetic diversity loss courtesy of Mark Belan | artscistudios.com)
Caption: Genetic diversity in quaking Aspens can be seen from differences in autumn leaf yellowing. Photograph is courtesy of Benjamin Blonder.

Exposito-Alonso and his collaborators set out to develop a population genetics-based framework for evaluating the richness of mutations available to a species within a given area. They analyzed genomic data for more than 10,000 individual organisms across 20 different species to demonstrate that Earth’s terrestrial plant and animal life could already be at much greater risk from genetic diversity loss than previously thought.

Protection of genetic diversity was a major topic of discussion at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP15, at which Exposito-Alonso represented Carnegie. One of the meeting’s sessions, organized by the Group on Earth Observations’ Biodiversity Observation Network, G-BIKE, and the Coalition for Conservation Genetics discussed genetic diversity targets and projections, including Exposito-Alonso’s work.

(Caption: Photograph courtesy of Benjamin Wong Blonder)

Dynamic Planet

Understanding the interplay of Earth's dynamic systems and cycles.

ECOSYSTEMS

Carnegie scientists are advancing our knowledge of how human activity affects fragile ecosystems and how climate change may exacerbate these risks.

Irrigation being deployed in a field. Image purchased from Shutterstock.

Improving Agricultural Resilience in a Changing Climate

Sustainable Irrigation Could Feed 1.2 Billion More People

As climate change shifts precipitation patterns, irrigation can be a powerful tool for increasing the world’s food supply without converting natural spaces into farmland, according to Carnegie’s Lorenzo Rosa, whose work aims to decarbonize the agricultural industry. 

Population trends indicate that agricultural production will need to double by 2050. But climate change is expected to both shift precipitation patterns and increase heat stress on plants, meaning that relying on rainfall alone will not keep up with the increased demand for food.

Studies show that irrigated crops are twice as productive as those that rely on rain. However, irrigation already accounts for between 85 and 90 percent of human water consumption. Rosa set out to determine whether sustainable irrigation strategies could be expanded to maximize agricultural productivity and minimize the negative environmental impacts of water use. Sustainable irrigation relies on groundwater and locally available water sources, without harming freshwater ecosystems or depleting them beyond what precipitation can replace.

Bear Valley Dam.

Rosa revealed that under current conditions, there is enough water available from local, renewable sources to expand sustainable irrigation over 35 percent of farmland around the world. However, climate change will make this calculus more complex. As the world warms, Rosa indicated that in addition to heat stress and changes in rainfall, climate change could also make water evaporate faster, decreasing the efficiency of irrigation. 

That said, Rosa found that constructing long-term water storage reservoirs could enable sustainable irrigation to feed 1.2 billion more people than relying on renewable water resources alone. 

In the past, big dams were the most common method for saving rainwater for agricultural irrigation. However, these projects inflicted harm on their local and regional ecosystems, and particularly on fish and migratory birds. Dams also lose water due to evaporation and necessitate transportation to get the stored water to farmers’ fields. In collaboration with Stanford University researchers, Rosa showed that these drawbacks mean that big dams should be considered a measure of last resort.

 

Neat agricultural rows with green mountains in the background.

Is Net-zero Food Production Possible? 

Rosa studies challenges and opportunities related to food, water, and energy security from a variety of angles. Together with Carnegie Visiting Investigator Paolo Gabrielli of ETH Zurich, he also analyzed strategies for decreasing greenhouse gasses emitted by the synthesis of nitrogen fertilizers. Their research, which found that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for decarbonizing fertilizer production, was funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation. 

Right now, nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing is responsible for 2 percent of global energy consumption and emits about 310 megatons of carbon dioxide pollution each year. Rosa and Gabrielli analyzed a variety of options for lowering the carbon footprint of the fertilizer industry to net-zero emissions without diminishing the global food supply, including:

  • Capturing the carbon produced from nitrogen fertilizer synthesis before it reaches the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground.
  • Using biomass to capture and contain the carbon produced by nitrogen fertilizer production.
  • Supplying the hydrogen molecules to create nitrogen fertilizer using a process based on carbon-free electricity.
Caption: Mulching on a strawberry farm. Image purchased from Shutterstock.

Rosa and Gabrielli found that while these solutions can reduce agriculture’s dependence on fossil fuels, they will require more land, water, and energy than current methods of nitrogen fertilizer production. This means that approaches will need to be tailored on a case-by-case basis depending on local resources. The situation could also potentially be improved by restructuring the international chemicals trade to move fertilizer production from countries with large fossil resources to countries with abundant renewable energy infrastructure, land, and water resources.

“Rosa and Gabrielli’s work on reducing emissions from the fertilizer industry provides insight that is key to improving our global food system. We are pleased to have partnered with Carnegie on this important research to gain a better understanding of fertilizer’s role at the intersection of food, energy, land, and climate.” –Avery Cohn, Program Director, Food & Agriculture, ClimateWorks Foundation

 

Habitability

The planetary conditions necessary to support life is one of the most exciting areas of modern science.

PLANETS

To deepen our understanding of the possibility of life beyond Earth, Carnegie is leading the charge to determine what qualities a planet needs in order for life to emerge and thrive.

Artist illustration of WASP-39b, courtesy of NASA, ESA, and J.Olmsted

Early JWST Breakthrough Revealed Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide on Exoplanet

The James Webb Space Telescope captured the first clear, detailed, indisputable evidence for atmospheric carbon dioxide ever detected on a planet outside the Solar System. The discovery was announced in September 2022 by the mission’s Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Team, which included four Carnegie astronomers—post doctoral students Munazza Alam and Anjali Piette and Staff Scientists Peter Gao and Johanna Teske. 

As part of the Early Release Science (ERS) Team’s efforts, JWST observed a gas giant planet, called WASP-39 b, which orbits a Sun-like star 700 light-years from Earth. Their finding offered thrilling evidence of JWST’s capabilities and provided important insights into the link between planetary formation and composition.

First discovered in 2011, WASP-39 b is a hot gas giant with about the same mass as Saturn and a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter. Its extreme “puffiness” is related in part to its high temperature of about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, or 900 degrees Celsius. Unlike the cooler, more compact, gas giants in our Solar System, WASP-39 b orbits very close to its star at a distance only about one-eighth that between the Sun and Mercury, completing its orbit in just over four Earth days.

(Caption: Artist's conception courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted/STScI)

 

Artist's concept of JWST courtesy of NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

WASP-39 b was initially discovered using ground-based detections of the subtle, periodic dimming of light from its host star as the planet passed in front of it. So-called transiting planets like this present astronomers with ideal opportunities to probe their atmospheres.

During a transit, some of the starlight is filtered through the planet’s atmosphere. Depending on the atmosphere’s composition, thickness, and cloudiness, it absorbs some colors of light more than others—making the planet appear larger. Researchers can analyze these miniscule differences in the size of the planet to reveal the atmosphere’s chemical makeup.

The ERS program, which represents 22 different research institutions, was designed to provide the research community with robust data from JWST as quickly as possible. This is one of several JWST teams involving Carnegie astronomers, including six projects headed up by Carnegie scientists—Gao and Teske are both leads on separate JWST investigations of exoplanet atmospheres—and several others on which Carnegie staff and postdocs are team members.

(Caption: JWST illustration courtesy of NASA GSFC-CIL-Adriana Manrique Gutierrez)

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A photograph of the Magellan Telescopes at Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

Transformative Anonymous Gift Will Drive New Era of Astronomical Discovery

An anonymous bequest of $34.8 million will keep the Carnegie Observatories at the frontier of astronomy and astrophysics. This represents the largest single gift to the Institution since it was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1902.

Since George Ellery Hale and Andrew Carnegie first established the Mount Wilson Observatory, Carnegie scientists have transformed the ways in which we understand our universe. This philanthropy provides a foundation for the next era of breakthrough discoveries from Carnegie astronomers. 

The gift will enable the first expansion of staff scientist positions at the Observatories since the days of Edwin Hubble. These new roles will be created for individuals who specialize in using or developing instruments for the telescopes at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

 

A tour group visits the Observatories machine shop

The funds will also support the design and construction of new instruments that will enhance the abilities of Carnegie’s twin Magellan telescopes, as well as the Giant Magellan Telescope when it comes online. The Carnegie Observatories is a rare institution with an on-site machine shop, enabling observational astronomers, theorists, engineers, and machinists to work in close collaboration, developing the tools that will open new doors to discovery.

This bequest will empower generations of Carnegie scientists to reveal the cosmos in never-before-seen detail. It is an excellent example of the tremendous power of philanthropic giving—a single individual’s investment in astronomy will be felt for decades to come, both at Carnegie and throughout the scientific enterprise.

 

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