April 16, 2020
Media Advisory: Biosphere 2 Hosting Virtual EarthFest to Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Day
- What: Biosphere 2 Virtual EarthFest 2020
- When: Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Virtual location: Visit Biosphere 2 on Facebook for event information and to register for panel discussions.
TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by hosting a virtual EarthFest.
The online event will include panels with Biosphere 2 researchers and former biospherians Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, a 5K virtual walk of the historic Biosphere 2 property, and presentations by students with the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation, or SARSEF.
"Earth Day celebrates and recognizes the fragility of our environment. Commemorating the 50th anniversary is one of many ways the University of Arizona Biosphere 2 is sharing critical research in the areas of food, water, energy and health," said Joaquin Ruiz, director of Biosphere 2 and UArizona vice president for global environmental futures.
Schedule of events:
- 10 a.m. – Biosphere 2 introductory videos and virtual exploration of Biosphere 2's historic property during a remote EarthRun
- 11 a.m. – Panel discussion with Biosphere 2 Water Atmosphere and Life Dynamics experiment co-leads Laura Meredith, director of the Biosphere 2 rain forest, and the University of Freiburg's Christiane Werner
- 12 p.m. – Panel discussion with biospherians Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum on living inside Biosphere 2
- 1 p.m. – Panel discussion on the coral reef lab at Biosphere 2 with Director of Marine Research Diane Thompson and Manager of Marine Systems and Education Initiatives Katie Morgan
- 2 p.m. – SARSEF student project presentations
Media contacts:
John Adams
Biosphere 2
520-621-3955
jadamsb2@arizona.edu
Mikayla Mace
University Communications
520-621-1878
mikaylamace@arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2018 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $687 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 65 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.