The IHDP executive director, Andreas Rechkemmer, along with scientific officer, Falk Schmidt, and new scientific committee member Ilan Chabay were in the United States from 5 to 14 March 2008. The mission aimed at discussing IHDP’s research and education plans, and to strengthen existing ties, and building new relationships with some of the United States’ most prominent research institutions.

At Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the group visited officials at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Rechkemmer offered a seminar on societal tipping points and climate change. They also presented IHDP and its work to senior researchers of the Graduate School of Education and the Institute of Experimental Physics. The meetings resulted in agreements to begin the planning of a formal scholar exchange programme between IHDP and the Kennedy School, and a positive response to the new IHDP research initiative on Knowledge and Social Learning.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the group had two meetings with the MIT Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development, where both sides expressed interest in future collaborations including a formal scholar exchange with MIT.

In New York City, the group visited Columbia University by invitation of the Earth Institute. There they met with various senior representatives of this prominent environmental think tank to discuss collaboration on achievement of common goals and agendas. The IHDP team also held meetings with senior representatives of the IHDP co-sponsored centers CIESIN and PERN.

At Washington, talks were scheduled with the National Science Foundation, various government departments, and the National Academies. Overall, the visits were successful in promoting and expanding the possibilities for IHDP’s research, collaboration and education portfolio, and further meetings and dialogue are already in order to make the collaborations concrete.

Text: Louise Smith