When the simplest microscopes were developed in the 16th century, people were able to look at previously unseen pieces of the world-the parts that make up a whole. Today our world view is profoundly different: electron microscopes allow scientists to see the very molecules we're made of; radar tells us when and where it's likely to rain; and satellites track everything from forest growth to ocean currents. As researchers find out more about how the Earth and its many separate parts work, they turn increasingly toward discovering how those parts work together.

Naturally, this holistic approach to studying the world requires experts in various fields-biology, geology, atmospheric physics, paleontology, and others-working together. DRI, with more than 120 faculty in a wide range of environmental disciplines, has always had the expertise and the inclination for such interdisciplinary inquiries. Now the Institute's administrative framework reflects its unique scientific structure. With the recently completed restructuring, DRI's operations are designed to enable and encourage its experts to work together toward understanding the Earth's processes and solving complex environmental problems. DRI President Dr. Stephen Wells says the change is a natural one for DRI-an organization driven by its experimental, risk-taking spirit. "I can't think of any institution better suited to do this kind of interdisciplinary science. Few places have the range of talents we have here."

When Wells became President in 1999, DRI was organized around five research centers: the Atmospheric Sciences Center (ASC), the Energy and Environmental Engineering Center (EEEC), the Biological Sciences Center (BSC), the Quaternary Sciences Center (QSC), and the Water Resources Center (WRC). Its new structure combines the research capabilities of those centers into three new divisions: the Division of Atmospheric Sciences (combining the functions of ASC and EEEC); the Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (combining BSC and QSC); and the Division of Hydrologic Sciences (formerly WRC). "These three divisions are built on our historic strengths-the pieces that have been here all the time," says Wells.

What's new, then? And how do these new divisions enhance interdisciplinary research? The first answer is the administrative funds freed up by consolidating five centers into three divisions. Those funds help support two new interdisciplinary science centers that cut across division boundaries. The Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management (CALEM) and the Center for Watershed Environmental Sustainability (WES) are unique programs, enlisting researchers from all disciplines to comprehensively address a particular set of environmental issues. It's these centers-designed, initiated, and selected by DRI faculty-that make the Institute's new structure so effective, according to Wells. "They give us the flexibility to evolve as societal needs and environmental problems change over time. We may need to work on a problem for eight or nine years, but not indefinitely. If these centers don't need to be continued over the long term, they can be easily folded back into the core divisions while we develop centers based on new programmatic issues and needs."

The origins of the plan stem from recommendations by DRI's National Science Advisory Committee, which stressed communication throughout the Institute and growth along integrated and interdisciplinary lines. Other factors helped convince Wells this was the right time for the change. One was the national trend toward integrating diverse sciences to develop more comprehensive views of the Earth's systems. A by-product of this trend is the creation of more funding opportunities for interdisciplinary research projects. "When I started as President," explains Wells, "I had to ask whether or not we were structured in such a way to respond quickly to these kinds of opportunities. With the combined strengths of our core divisions, and the flexibility offered by the interdisciplinary centers, I believe we are now able to do that."

Wells points out this flexibility attracts new researchers to DRI, many of whom are eager to take full advantage of emerging interdisciplinary opportunities. "The heart of DRI is the excellence of its faculty, and the more talented researchers we attract, the stronger we will be in the future." That future, Wells says, was another impetus for the change. "The new structure allows DRI to grow in a rational, successful fashion and provide a concrete, long-term strategy for building on DRI's first 40 years of success."

The reorganization process took time, planning, and, from the start, included the entire Institute. "It was clear that the faculty needed to feel comfortable with their roles in the process of restructuring," explains Wells, "so they were involved in the decisions at each step." A crucial point of faculty involvement was choosing programs that would become the interdisciplinary science centers. CALEM and WES were chosen through a competitive process in which several proposals were submitted by DRI researchers to a review and selection panel. That panel consisted of faculty, division directors, and experts from outside the Institute. In the end, says Wells, faculty involvement was the key to success. "They trusted us enough to let this reorganization happen."

The new structure is working well. Thanks to WES, DRI now has a strong presence in ongoing research being conducted at Lake Tahoe. Institute researchers are working with the University of Nevada, Reno; the University of California, Davis; the United States Geological Survey; and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to address that area's environmental concerns. Meanwhile, CALEM is busy designing innovative programs to resolve problems maintaining dry land health. One such project is on the United States Army's post at Fort Irwin, California, where military maneuvers are damaging the fragile desert ecosystem.

Wells' future vision includes new centers joining WES and CALEM, reflecting other aspects of DRI's research strengths. One future program, a Cold Environments Center, working on ice core investigations, would focus on increasing understanding of past and future climate change and investigate how ice influences the use of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. Another possible future center, the Biogenic-Atmospheric Systems Interaction Center, would build on DRI's strengths in air quality. For example, the center may examine the role of wild fires on ecosystems and human health.

The opportunities afforded by DRI's flexible new form are numerous. Wells says this can be credited as much to the restructuring process as to the new structure itself. "People may want to ask me why this works, and it's hard to say exactly why it does work. You can't always explain the chemistry between people, or the succession of events that make something effective. But, a big part of the success is that we asked people to come forward with their own ideas. They did that, and now they're making those ideas work."

Jackie Allen

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