two people standing in front of a large computer screen in a conference room. Credit: Mathew Burciaga, UC Berkeley

Building tangible, replicable, and inclusive environmental solutions

Our Mission

The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science & Environment (DSE) leverages the power of modern data and environmental science to create a healthy planet where people and nature can thrive.

One of our newest initiatives involves developing open source and local AI models, which are part of a more sustainable future for scientific computing. Read the latest.

DSE launched in 2022 and is a partnership between UC Berkeley's Rausser College of Natural Resources and the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, with the financial support of Eric and Wendy Schmidt.

Learn more about DSE Explore our projects

News

See all news

Los Angeles Times: Is there a Greener AI option?

On this week's episode of Boiling Point, postdoctoral researcher Cassie Buhler discusses the benefits (particularly for energy efficiency and privacy) of open weight AI models.

October 15, 2026

Cal Alumni Association: Hard questions about AI in the classroom

In this recent article, faculty advisor Carl Boettiger describes how he teaches his students to critically assess any AI-based findings, rather than accept them as objective facts.

October 5, 2026

Open & Local AI Language Models: Part of a More Sustainable Future for Scientific Computing

Our perspectives on the value of open and local AI models in science

September 8, 2026

Projects

Image

Expand Bioacoustic Data Collection
Image

Accelerate Global Conservation Decisionmaking
Image

Open & Democratize Methods for Geospatial Data Analysis
Image

Reduce the Worst Greenhouse Gases
Image

Addressing Climate-Caused Water Scarcity
Image

Improve Wildfire Recovery in National Parks & Beyond
Image

End Plastic Pollution
Image

Scale Sustainable Agriculture