A Message on the Passing of Dr. Gordon Hamilton Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 10/25/2016 on 10/25/2016 The staff of the Heising-Simons Foundation was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Dr. Gordon Hamilton—a Foundation grantee and prominent researcher from the University of Maine—after he suffered an accident on October 22 while conducting research in Antarctica. Dr. Hamilton, a physical glaciologist, was renowned for his research on glaciers and their relation …
Introducing Our New Education Program Officer Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 10/14/2016 on 10/14/2016 I write you today to share the latest arrival to the Early Education grantmaking team at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Last month, Rebecca Gomez joined us as a program officer for the program. She’s an incredible addition to the Foundation, and will be working with many of our grantees on early education policy and on improving …
The Valuable Momentum of the Paris Agreement Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 10/10/2016 on 10/10/2016 Last week, the United Nations announced that enough countries have ratified the landmark Paris Agreement to curb climate change that it will enter into force in early November. This is a major step forward, and I am thrilled at the global leadership that is so critical to the goals we are trying to achieve in …
Liz Simons and Mark Heising Among Forbes’ “America’s 50 Top Givers” of 2015 Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 10/6/2016 on 10/6/2016 This week, Forbes magazine unveiled its annual list of America’s 50 Top Givers, which includes Heising-Simons Foundation founders Liz Simons and Mark Heising. This marks the first time that two generations from the same family appear on Forbes’ list. Liz’s father, James Simons, also appears on the list, as he has since its launch in 2013. To read …
Mapping Greenland’s Helheim Glacier Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 9/27/2016 on 9/27/2016 In 2014, a team of glaciologists, software engineers, and electrical engineers from across the U.S. came together to address the lack of experimental data on glacier dynamics. The group sketched out a concept for an autonomous glacier monitoring system, to become reality in the summer of 2015 when the Autonomous Terrestrial Laser Scanner (ATLAS) system was deployed and installed at the Helheim Glacier, one of Greenland’s…
Heising-Simons Foundation Joins Coordinated Effort to Expand Energy Efficiency Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 9/22/2016 on 9/22/2016 Next month, more than 100 countries will meet to discuss a possible amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These greenhouse gases, used in air conditioners and refrigerators around the world, are up to 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing climate change. …
Partnering to Bring Student Scientists to Newsrooms for the Summer Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 9/13/2016 on 9/13/2016 The Heising-Simons Foundation believes in the vital role science journalists play in cultivating accurate coverage of science and technology in the news. For that reason, we supported four AAAS’ Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows this past summer.
Introducing our Director of Climate and Clean Energy Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 9/12/2016 on 9/12/2016 We are very excited to share the news of a new hire at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Last week, Devra Wang joined the Foundation as our first director of the Climate and Clean Energy program. Devra has deep experience working on climate and energy issues, serving most recently as a program director at the Energy Foundation. …
3-D Galaxy-mapping Project Enters Construction Phase Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 8/10/2016 on 8/10/2016 A 3-D sky-mapping project that will measure the light of millions of galaxies has received formal approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to move forward with construction.