About CBEST
CBEST’s mission is to conduct and promote innovative research in biodiversity and ecosystem science, and with our commitment to collaboration and stewardship, share that research with our communities.
We are committed to the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students as they develop as young scientists, involving them in field and laboratory research using state-of-the-art facilities and approaches. We work to educate our local Villanova community and beyond about how the Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems are influenced locally, regionally and globally by anthropogenic activities.
The Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship (CBEST) seeks to promote research in biodiversity and ecosystem science with a focus on understanding people-driven changes in ecosystems, their component organisms and the benefits they provide to society.
- Promote and integrate diverse research strengths at Villanova in biodiversity and ecosystem science
- Engage with our community to provide educational opportunities in biodiversity and ecosystem science
- Form a diverse and engaged community of students and researchers in an environment that fosters critical scientific thinking and expands communication skills
- Form partnerships with campus, land managers and community forums to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services concepts both locally and abroad
As an Augustinian Catholic university, we at Villanova believe that diversity of all kinds is at the heart of teaching and learning experiences. Whether student, staff, or faculty member, we know that to grow is to broaden perspectives and develop new insights on the world.
At CBEST we are committed to promoting UNITAS in support of the mission of both the University and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
At CBEST, we acknowledge that the sciences of biodiversity and ecosystem stewardship have impacts on social, economic, and environmental justice issues that are manifested at local, regional, and continental scales across the globe. Too often, we have seen historical legacies of oppression and exploitation that have compromised the cultures of people whose lives depended on land-based living, while at the same time resulted in loss of natural biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Addressing these kinds of issues holistically is a priority of CBEST.
CBEST believes that the future of our scientific enterprise depends on a diverse research community, comprised of individuals who bring their individual backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to bear on the pressing issues that we face. CBEST is committed to achieving a more diverse community of faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students, in the belief that to promote the common good, we must have a diversity within CBEST that reflects the diversity in the world in which we live.
CBEST also supports the UNITAS: Inclusive Education statements of the Department of Biology and the Department of Geography and the Environment.
SUPPORT THE CENTER
Your donations support the Center in its mission to conduct and promote innovative research in biodiversity and ecosystem science, and share that research with the community.
COLLEGE GUIDING PRINCIPLES
COLLEGE MISSION
UNITAS: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
SUSTAINABLITY