CHANS

CHANS hits the classroom this fall

May 31, 2013

 

MSU students will have an opportunity to cross the line this fall. Jianguo "Jack" Liu is teaching a class on the key issues and exciting frontiers in research on coupled human and natural systems (CHANS).

Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS): Key Issues and Research Frontier -- FW893 (section 002) -- will examine the many complex ways that humans and the environment are intertwined. 

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Pinpointing how nature’s benefits link to human well being

May 22, 2013

What people take from nature – water, food, timber, inspiration, relaxation – are so abundant, it seems self-evident. Until you try to quantitatively understand how and to what extent they contribute to humans.

In today’s world, where competition for and degradation of natural resources increases globally, it becomes ever more crucial to quantify the value of ecosystem services – the precise term that defines nature’s benefits, and even more important to link how different types of ecosystem services affect various components of human well-being.

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Book shows evolution that joins human and environmental sciences

Feb. 4, 2013

Hot-button issues such as climate change, wildlife conservation and restoring decimated rainforests are renowned scientific playgrounds.

The biological/ecological scientists for years have been in the front row – agronomists, biologists, hydrologist, climatologists, ecologists have weighed in with heavy equipment and heavy data from GPS and satellite imaging.

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Jack Liu featured in AAAS's MemberCentral

Sept. 17, 2012

Jack Liu is featured in a Q & A in the AAAS MemberCentral -- produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The article, "Jack Liu tracks our environmental footprint" asks questions such as:

AAAS MemberCentral: You have said before “I always try to let the data speak for itself.” Can you elaborate? Why do you think following the data, even if it doesn’t fit your expectations, is so important?...

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To know a tiger is at least to start tolerating them, study shows

To protect a dangerous and endangered animal -- be it a tiger in Nepal or a wolf in Michigan - you really do have to ask people “how do you FEEL about your predatory neighbor?”

Effective conservation calls for not only figuring out what protected species need – like habitat and food sources. It also requires an understanding of what it takes for their human neighbors to tolerate them. A Michigan State University doctoral student studying tigers in Nepal found that those feelings can provide critical information on how best to protect species.

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Divorce and the environment paper keeps having an impact

April 13, 2012

It's been five years since Jack Liu and Eunice Yu published pioneering research showing that divorce is bad for the environment. And it's still being talked about.

In the April 13th Psychology Today, Rachel Clark resurrects the research to consider for Earth Day April 22.

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Tigers, people, and finding ways for both to thrive

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Neil Carter studies tigers roaming near villages in Nepal, the people who live beside them, and the paths that can lead both to sustainability.Neil Carter sets camera trap in Chitwan National Park

Carter is a conservation biology doctoral student  working to understand how tigers’ behavior changes the behavior of their human neighbors and visa versa.

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