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Dr. Stephen H. Schneider (1945-2010) was the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences, Professor (by courtesy) of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. Dr. Schneider received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Plasma Physics from Columbia University in 1971. He studied the role of greenhouse gases and suspended particulate material on climate as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1972 and was a member of the scientific staff of NCAR from 1973-1996, where he co-founded the Climate Project. Internationally recognized for research, policy analysis and outreach in climate change, Dr. Schneider focused on climate change science, integrated assessment of ecological and economic impacts of human-induced climate change, and identifying viable climate policies and technological solutions. He consulted with federal agencies and/or White House staff in the Nixon, Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, Clinton and G.W. Bush administrations. Actively involved with the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), an initiative of the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization since its origin in 1988, Dr. Schneider was co-author of "Uncertainties in the IPCC Third Assessment Report: Recommendations to Lead Authors for More Consistent Assessment and Reporting"in 2000 and the cross-cutting theme paper #4: "Assessing the Science to Address UNFCCC Article 2" in 2004. He has been a contributor to all four IPCC Assessment Reports and is currently a Coordinating Lead Author of Working Group II Chapter 19, "Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change." For the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR) and the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), Dr. Schneider has also been a member of the Core Writing Team for each of the Synthesis Reports, which integrate the contributions of Working Groups I, II and III. The 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report will be used by governments world-wide as the most up-to-date, credible document regarding climate change science, impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation until 2012. After decades of work, Dr. Schneider, along with four generations of IPCC authors, received a collective Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
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