Last week, Professor Harvel joined the Becker Rose Café Series to discuss about the decline in coral reefs around the world and its impact on biodiversity.  Professor Harvel has been working on the sustainability of coral reefs for quite some time and helped make a documentary on its biodiversity.  What was really interesting is how she utilized glass models from the 1860s to compare its biodiversity to what is currently going on now.  In 1860, the Blaschka brothers were requested to create glass models of sea creatures for students to use to learn.  There was about 570 glasses produced for the marine biology major, but was later forgotten.  Professor Harvel saw the glass collection as a lens to the biodiversity during the 1860s.  She then got the idea of using these glass pieces as a time capsule to help determine the current state of coral reefs compared to the 1860s and see how many species have become extinct.  The time capsule project showed that the marine ecosystem has been rapidly changing due to many factors.  This and other problems arising in marine life has called for multi-national effort to preserve what is left of the coral reefs.

The rapid change in technology in relation to the change in environment was a key theme in the documentary.  Technological change has caused long-term damage to the biosphere.  As key stone species are declining, ecosystems are rapidly changing.  But technological change has also helped us discover these environmental changes and find solutions to these problems.  Without technological change, we wouldn’t have been able to discover an ocean virus that threatens many species of coral reefs.  Professor Harvel’s talk was insightful of the how current tech change has spurred major impacts in our environment.  I am looking forward to the glass pieces display in the Johnson soon.