In February 2007 Corell participated in the Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE), an annual event designed to introduce scientific information, share traditional knowledge, and provide solutions to promote a clean and sustainable environment.
As part of his tour, Corell presented an overview of the state of climate change science to a group of approximately 80 - 100 people in an opening session of the AFE. The conference recorded over 1,200 attendees last year, and a similar number of participants attended this meeting. A large percentage of forum participants were Alaska Native, many of whom flew in from remote villages throughout the state. Other attendees include scientists, citizens, regulators, tribal leaders, etc.
In addition to the AFE presentation, Corell spoke to students at Pacific Northern Academy and Service High School and met with the new Commissioners based in Anchorage for the Arctic Research Commission. He was also available to meet with the press for interviews.
Robert Corell is the director of the Global Change Program at The H. John Heinz III Center. He was formerly a senior research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is actively engaged in research concerned with global change and sustainability, in particular the interface between science and public policy. He served as chair of the steering committee for the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Corell is an oceanographer and engineer by background and training.