Celebrating the Woods Institute's 20th Anniversary
Story: Looking back at two decades of transformative research and impact
Woods scholars reflect on two decade of the Institute's transformative impact. Our innovative approach to bringing together experts from disparate fields to tackle pressing environmental challenges has redefined the relationship between science, policy, and real-world solutions.
Highlights: Twenty Years, Twenty Wins from the Woods Institute community
As we mark 20 years of advancing practical solutions for people and the planet, we celebrate all the contributions and accomplishments of the Woods Institute community. Read on for 20 highlights spanning Woods research, education and leadership programs.
Playlist: Celebrating 20 years of Breakthrough Environmental Research
Watch videos from our 20th Anniversary Symposium for perspectives from Stanford President Jon Levin, the Woods Institute's founders, marine ecologist and White House adviser Jane Lubchenco and panelists working on climate change, water security, environmental justice and more.
Story: New artwork commemorates Woods Institute's anniversary
An artist and ocean scientist collaborated to create an installation that encourages playful reflection on human-environmental impact.
Video: Linking art and science to inspire conservation
Hear from Stanford scholars working at the intersection of art and science in this recording of Shared Practice: Finding Creative and Scientific Intersections.
Video: A conversation with the artists behind Sea of Dust
Learn more about the uncommon collaboration that produced the inaugural Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Visiting Artist installation Sea of Dust.
Our Mission: To advance global sustainability through new knowledge and practical, fair solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
Our history
In 2003, Stanford’s 10th President, John Hennessy, announced the university would create a new interdisciplinary institute for the environment – an independent center designed to serve as an umbrella organization for environmental research and education at Stanford University.
“Some of our most daunting challenges are environmental ones,” he said at the time. “How can we build a world that supports sustainable development for our “children’s children’s children?”
For years that question had been driving a grassroots movement on campus led by a group of Stanford faculty members doing research related to the environment. They studied very different fields – agriculture, biology, earth sciences, economics, engineering and law – but they shared a common understanding: modern environmental challenges require multidisciplinary solutions.
Our vision
Unique opportunities come from combining cutting-edge scholarship, diverse partnerships and deep engagement across sectors and disciplines. Achieving our mission is not something we can accomplish by ourselves. Stanford has top scholars, but the challenges we address have so many dimensions that scholarly collaborations, within and beyond the university, will always be essential. We strive to create an environment that encourages, nurtures, and celebrates academic collaborations. Scholarship is an important piece of the solutions puzzle, but far from the only piece. Partnerships with the private sector, governments at all levels, and diverse faces of civil society are essential for understanding key issues, opportunities, constraints, allies, and competitors. More broadly, success depends on engaging the widest possible range of those who may be affected, from customers to communities negatively impacted by solutions. Progress on environmental sustainability is a thoroughly human venture, and it can succeed only when every voice is at the table is engaged, respected, and understood.