Biosphere 2: A Place for Integrative Studies in Chemical Research and Chemical Education in Defense of Planet Earth

Closing in on its 250th birthday, the fifth oldest university in the United States has recently demonstrated its remarkable resilience by establishing a "western" campus at the Biosphere 2 Center (in the desert of Arizona). In so doing, Columbia University (in the city of New York) has made a commitment to what may well be the ultimate problem of the 21st century--the environment. We describe a number of seminal programs that cut across the traditional domains of education, research, and public outreach. Included are an Earth Semester; a model for graduate student training and education; and a broadly interdisciplinary collaborative research program in chemistry. At the same time, we have not forgotten to include some of the relevant history of the Biosphere 2 Laboratory.