State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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Meet the Inaugural Cohort of the Earth Institute Summer Intern Program

compilation of intern headshots
In this summer’s Beyond Basic Science program, these undergraduates and educators will work on research projects that connect the science of climate change to people and communities.

The Earth Institute is excited to introduce the first cohort of interns for the Beyond Basic Science – Connecting Climate to Communities program. This program, led by Cassie Xu and Joshua Fisher, will offer an opportunity for eight undergraduates and four K12 educators to join research projects across the Earth Institute for 10 weeks in summer 2021.

This program is designed to provide participants with experience in connecting the science of climate change to people and communities through applied research. Cohort members will work with stakeholders on real-world challenges while gaining valuable skills in research competence and fluency in scientific processes. A key aspect of this program is that it aims to increase participation and diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields by providing a pathway to engage students and educators from diverse geographies, academic institutions, and backgrounds. It is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

The Earth Institute aspires to work with stakeholders to develop new and deeper understanding of the science behind climate-related issues and to identify pathways toward greater and more effective collaboration in the world’s climate crisis. For the Beyond Basic Science program, researchers from across Earth Institute will serve as mentors for the participants. The backgrounds of the mentors reflects how a diversity of disciplines and paradigms is needed to confront these challenges, with mentors including economists, legal researchers, climate scientists, urban planners, sociologists, and environmental scientists all hosting participants at their departments this summer. Climate change is an intersectional issue and climate research is now evolving to begin addressing this issue with concepts of social justice, corporate responsibility, and systemic racism. The impacts of climate change are felt first and hardest by those who have contributed the least to climate change. Some of the mentors for this year’s cohort recently published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that emphasizes the importance of working directly with community stakeholders to best help them.

All of the projects in this year’s Beyond Basic Science program center around climate change and participatory research, so members of the cohort will gain valuable skills in working to engage multiple stakeholders in their knowledge development process. We are excited to bring together such an incredible group of students and educators to continue the work of connecting scientists, communities, and policy makers.

Welcome to the following members of the 2021 Beyond Basic Science cohort.

Undergraduate Students:

tareen haque headshotTareen Haque

Major: Environmental Earth Systems Science

School: Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York

Project: Advancing Climate Justice

Mentors: Thad Pawlowski and Johanna Lovecchio, Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes

Oneil Mahoneyoneil headshot

Major: Biotechnology/Data Science

School: Borough of Manhattan Community College

Project: Protected Area Management & Natural Resource Governance: Exploring Pathways for Environmental Sustainability & Peacebuilding

Mentor: Joshua Fisher, Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity

sanica headshotSanica Manglorkar

Major: Geosciences (Concentration in Environmental Geosciences)

School: Georgia State University

Project: Projecting Climate Change Induced Migration and Displacement in Africa

Mentor: Alex de Sherbinin, Center for International Earth Science Information Network

cassie headshotCassandra O’Connor

Major: Meteorology

School: Florida Institute of Technology

Project: Supporting Short- and Medium-Term Anticipatory Action and Policy Development in Climate Security and Food Systems

Mentor: Andrew Kruczkiewicz, International Research Institute for Climate and Society

melissa headshotMelissa Olivar

Major: Sociology/International Studies

Minor: Human Right Studies

School: City College of New York

Project: Youth, Peace, and Security

Mentor: Beth Fisher Yoshida, Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity

daniella headshotDaniella Passariello

Major: Business and Global Affairs

Minor: Environmental Studies
School: Georgetown University

Project: Strengthening Undernutrition Early Warning Systems in Colombia and Guatemala

Mentors: Ángel G. Muñoz and Carmen González Romero, International Research Institute for Climate and Society

raven headshotRaven Rouseau

Major: Environmental Science/Engineering

Minor: Mathematics
School: Spelman College

Project: Population Exposure Estimates in Proximity to Nuclear Power Plants

Mentor: Dara Mendeloff, Center for International Earth Science Information Network

daisy headshotDaisy Zapata

Major: Biology

School: Quinnipiac University

Project: Racial Inequalities and Disasters

Mentors: Thomas Chandler and Joshua DeVincenzo, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Educators:

edita headshotEdita O’Brien

School: Curtis High School, Staten Island, NY

Project: Protected Area Management and Natural Resource Governance & Supporting Short- and Medium-Term Anticipatory Action and Policy Development in Climate Security and Food Systems

Mentors: Joshua Fisher and Andrew Kruczkiewicz; International Research Institute for Climate and Society

lea headshotLea Buena

School: Pelham Lab High School, New York, NY

Project: Racial Inequalities and Disasters
Mentors: Thomas Chandler and Joshua DeVincenzo, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Mentors: Thomas Chandler and Joshua DeVincenzo, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

sal headshotSalvatore Puglisi

School: The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management, New York, NY

Project: Advancing Climate Justice

Mentors: Thad Pawlowski and Johanna Lovecchio, Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes

tina headshotTina Ahmadi

School: Pike High School, Indianapolis, IN

Project: Racial Inequalities and Disasters

Mentors: Thomas Chandler and Joshua DeVincenzo, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

 

We are incredibly excited to be offering this opportunity and cannot wait to see the final research projects of the cohort!

Science for the Planet: In these short video explainers, discover how scientists and scholars across the Columbia Climate School are working to understand the effects of climate change and help solve the crisis.
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Tom M
Tom M
2 years ago

I have been carrying around a copy of the EPOCH TIMES article Nov. 3 – 9 2016 weekend edition. Well, since that time. I advocate for the planet. I spent years in Humboldt demonstrating for the planet. Then moved to San Francisco, hoping to get more involved in environmental efforts. Then I found the above mentioned article. I felt we need to build a global network replicating a trimmed version of what you at the Earth Institute do. Creating an action organization, with people to interface with govs. and regional cultural leaders. To develop management capabilities to implement best practices that match that region’s needs to move to more stainable way of life. Connected to the network for expert advice, funding & resouces.

Tom M
Tom M
2 years ago

I can’t help but feel there are so many more people who want to be part of the solution. Than there are who don’t or are just afflicted with apathy.
We need to nurture and engage those millions around the world, such as Ms. Greta Thunberg has done. We must NOT lose their interest