Spring Lunch: Science, Society, and Our Environment

Award-winning biochemist and educator, Sean M. Decatur is President of the American Museum of Natural History, one of the nation’s leading educational and cultural institutions. Since arriving in 2023, he has presided over the opening of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation; prioritized and accelerated the Museum’s work to address its challenging historical legacy, collecting practices, and cultural representation; and become a spokesperson for science education and the ways museums can redress past practices, include diverse perspectives, and serve broader audiences. 

He was formerly president of Kenyon College, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor at Oberlin College, professor at Mount Holyoke College, and a visiting scientist at MIT. He serves on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College and on the board of directors of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Joyce Foundation, and New York City Tourism + Conventions. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore and Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from Stanford University. 

Edward Alexander, who grew up north of the Arctic Circle in Fort Yukon, Alaska, works with the Woodwell Climate Permafrost Pathways team to advance understanding of the climate impacts of wildland fire and accompanying abrupt permafrost thaw in the Arctic-boreal Zone. He helps explore and elevate scientific analyses, Indigenous knowledge, and Indigenous mitigation practices for potential policy solutions to help address the accelerating wildland fire regime in the north.

He also assists the Permafrost Pathways adaptation team in building capacity and resilience in Arctic communities at the forefront of the climate crisis. He represented the Gwich’in internationally as the co-chair of Gwich’in Council International for five terms and currently serves as head of delegation for the Arctic Council’s Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Working Group and co-chair for a pan-Arctic informal working group on wildland fire with the Kingdom of Denmark for all of the Arctic States and Permanent Participants. He was appointed by the United Nations to represent the Arctic as a whole to the Food and Agricultural Organization’s International Indigenous Led Fire Adaptation Network (IIFAN) board, which is part of the UN Global Fire Hub. He loves to be on the land in Gwich’in country, fishing, hunting, gardening, and exploring cultural sites with his wife and children and has a deep concern for the health of the land on which he was raised.

Dr. Mary E. Blair is associate director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the Museum. She leads research focused on the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and human well-being. She is also a descendant of Indigenous Sámi reindeer herders from Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino), Sápmi (Finnmark, Norway), and her new NASA-funded project explores how Arctic Indigenous Sámi reindeer herders are navigating unprecedented environmental shifts by supporting Indigenous expertise honed over generations with modern tools including drones and satellite data.