Research projects on campus are addressing issues of importance around the globe, and Yale's mission to become a truly international university is strengthened by the increasing number of collaborations among scientists at the University and their colleagues around the world. Here is a look at just some of those initiatives. Institute for Biospheric Studies The Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies serves as a principal focus for Yale's research and training efforts in the environmental sciences, and is committed to the teaching of global environmental studies to future generations. It provides physical and intellectual centers for research and education that address fundamental questions that will enable scientists to generate solutions to the biosphere's most critical environmental problems. In recent years, the Institute for Biospheric Studies has supported graduate student research on agrodiversity in Mexico and food security in Latin America. The institute was created in May 1990 with an endowment from Edward P. Bass '67 B.S. Yale-Chile Astronomy Programs Yale and the University of Chile have signed an agreement to collaborate in the training of Chilean students in astronomy and astrophysics. The agreement also provides for the two institutions to have joint access to prime observational viewing time on powerful telescopes in Chile. In addition, Yale and the University of Chile will work together on major research projects in astronomy and astrophysics. Chile is the premier observational site in the southern hemisphere because the air turbulence is low and there are few clouds. Peking-Yale Joint Center for Plant Molecular Genetics and Agribiotechnology This center for research and training in plant biology actively fosters collaborative research among scientists at Yale and China's Peking University, and seeks to train the next generation of international leaders in the field. Research at The Peking-Yale Joint Center for Plant Molecular Genetics and Agribiotechnology is focused on the field of basic biology in model plant systems, and on the application of this basic research to crop improvement, an area of great interest and importance to both China and to the United States. Global Institute for Sustainable Forest Management The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) has launched a groundbreaking program on forest management certification as part of the school's new Global Institute for Sustainable Forest Management. The program will integrate the concepts of forest certification into the school's classes, research and service to partners and alumni. Michael P. Washburn, former national coordinator of the Sustainable Forestry Partnership research consortium, joined the F&ES faculty to help launch this flagship effort of the institute, which also includes the Program on Private Forests, the Forest Dialogue and the Yale Forest Forum. He is joined by Benjamin Cashore, assistant professor of sustainable forestry management, whose latest research focuses on the comparative analysis of forest certification politics and policies in North America and Europe. Tropical Resources Institute The Tropical Resources Institute of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies was established in 1983 to provide structure for the school's environmental studies in India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the developing world. The mission of the institute is to provide education and training, a focus for research, and a means to manage and communicate information about environmental issues in the tropics. The institute offers a well-established, faculty-supervised internship program that is designed to sponsor research projects on the sustained management, restoration and conservation of tropical ecosystems. International Index for Environmental Sustainability Dan Esty, director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, designed the methodology used in constructing the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), which measures nations' environmental health. The ESI examines 22 key factors that contribute to environmental performance and results, such as urban air quality, overall public health and environmental regulation. It measures these factors against 67 quality-of-life variables, such as levels of sulfur dioxide in urban air, the infant mortality rate and the percentage of land protected from development. The ESI represents a first step toward a new approach to pollution control and natural resource management where decision-making will be substantiated by data, facts and analytic rigor. 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