Carnegie Science (CIS)

See schedule o.program service activity #1carnegie is a world-renowned center for petrology-the study of rocks. It is also a global leader in high-pressure and high-temperature physics, which enables our scientists to make significant contributions to earth, planetary and material sciences. Carnegie is leading an international, multi-institution, cross-disciplinary initiative dedicated to achieving a transformational understanding of earth's deep carbon cycle, including its poorly constrained reservoirs and fluxes; the unknown role of deep biology; and the unexplored influences of the deep carbon cycle on critical societal concerns related to energy, the environment, and climate. Carnegie researchers are contributing to interdisciplinary efforts investigating how life evolved on this planet and determining its potential for existing elsewhere. Carnegie observational and theoretical astronomers collaborate to trace the evolution of the universe from the spark of the big bang through star and galaxy formation; explore the structure of the universe; and probe the mysteries of dark matter, dark energy, and the ever-accelerating rate at which the universe is expanding. Unlike most in their field, Carnegie observational astronomers design and build their own instruments to capture the secrets of space. Carnegie operates telescopes in las campanas, chile, at which much of our astronomical research is conducted. We are founding partners in a consortium that is working to design, construct, and operate the giant magellan telescope, one of the new class of extremely large telescopes, which will be among the world's largest ground-based optical/infrared facilities once it is completed. Carnegie also includes interdisciplinary teams of astronomers and astrophysicists, geophysicists and geochemists, cosmochemists and planetary scientists. These groups are discovering planets orbiting distant stars; probing the formation and evolution of earth, the moon, and our solar system; and studying the causes of earthquakes, volcanoes, and other geologic phenomena. Using innovative approaches to ecological research, Carnegie scientists are untangling the complicated interactions between earth's land, atmosphere, and oceans to understand how global systems operate. Deploying a wide range of powerful tools-from satellites to molecular biology techniques-these scientists explore issues such as the global carbon cycle, the role of land and oceanic ecosystems, and ocean acidification. Our ecologists also play an active role in the public arena, from serving on national panels and committees that investigate climate change to identifying environmental hot spots for conservation efforts. Carnegie biologists reveal crucial biochemical pathways and the genes that encode their functions in microbes, plants, and animals. Together with our longstanding expertise in model system development, this work provides a foundation for exploring new research avenues that deploy cellular and molecular approaches to understand ecosystem-wide and global phenomena related to climate change, including coral bleaching. They also study interactions between the species that make up bacterial community ecosystems. Our researchers are demonstrating that the interspecies relationships in the gut microbiome affect our health, fertility, and longevity. Similar dynamics allow microbial mats to thrive in hot springs; understanding them improves our knowledge of how life adapts to extreme conditions.

See schedule o.program service activity #2education - Carnegie, a non-degree granting entity, is an advanced study organization at which highly qualified graduate scientists are offered postgraduate and postdoctoral training for careers in education and research. Carnegie's postdoctoral scientific education is primarily conducted in the laboratory or in the field. The postdoctoral curriculum is heavily weighted toward training candidates to be capable researchers and teachers of research. The faculty consists of the professional staff of Carnegie, all of whom pursue their own research. Carnegie also offers certain training opportunities for predoctoral students who may go on to pursue advanced degrees at degree-granting institutions, as well as internship opportunities, both through formal programs and on an individual, case-by-case basis. The formal programs, in particular, make an effort to provide research opportunities and encouragement for considering stem careers to groups who are traditionally underrepresented in mathematics and the physical sciences. Carnegie programs also train public elementary school teachers on how to incorporate interactive Science instruction into all aspects of the curriculum; helps improve the instruction of mathematics education of public school children by training individuals with mathematics or related degrees to become classroom instructors; introduces and trains high school students to career education pathways in the field of biotechnology; and makes information available concerning Carnegie's scientific research findings to students and the general public.