Joel I. Cohen

Visiting Scholar, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Presently, Joel I. Cohen is a Visiting Scholar at the Nicholas School for the Environment where his studies focus on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park as a conservation corridor, present status of biodiversity, and the Park's connection with surrounding agricultural landscapes. He is mentored by Stuart Pimm, the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation at Duke University. He obtained a PhD in plant breeding and genetics, after serving as an agricultural volunteer in Peace Corps, working in upland hill environments of Nepal. He has taught students, from secondary through college, in biology, biodiversity, and soils. While working in international development, he led genetic resource initiatives for national and international gene banking, during which time he worked for the United States Agency for International Development and centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. He is currently earning his Certificate in Environmental Communication from Executive Education of the Nicholas School. His recent publications have focused on courageous people who have impacted our thinking on conservation, which include papers on women naturalists, Nikolai Vavilov, Rachel Carson, and the integration of such individuals into a biodiversity or biology curriculum. A complete list with access to current publications can be found at Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joel-Cohen-9 and an article on Dr. Cohen's experiences is found from Research Features at the following two links: https://researchfeatures.com/microscopy-anthropocene-extinction-placing-biodiversity-conservation-center-biology-education-ngss/  or: https://cdn.researchfeatures.com/3d_issues/RF135/index.html.