The Biosphere 2 Center, located in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Ariz., is an enclosed, human-made environment largely isolated from the harsh desert outside. With its small-scale ecosystems that include a rainforest, an ocean, and a savanna, B2C is a giant test tube in which scientists can control environmental variables such as carbon dioxide and temperature. Besides being a life-scale lab, however, B2C is the site of an increasing number of educational programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. Columbia University, which manages B2C, is offering students what it says is a unique opportunity for studying serious environmental issues such as global warming that likely will affect future generations in a significant way. Environmental studies have to be a big-ticket item for the 21st century, says Columbia chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies Leonard W. Fine, who has developed a new program at B2C to introduce chemistry graduate students to environmental sciences. B2C ...