education news63
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Effective Communication Helps Lower Energy Use
Current Master of Science in Sustainability Management student Jocelyn Gan is a programs associate at Building Energy Exchange. In this role, Jocelyn manages the Daylight Hour social media campaign, an annual event that encourages offices to turn off the lights for one hour in day-lit spaces.
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ESP Alum Focuses on International Development and Conservation
Ashley Toombs, a 2015 graduate of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program, recently joined BRAC USA, a poverty alleviation and international development organization founded in the 1970s in Bangladesh and now operating in 12 countries in Asia and Africa.
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Faculty Profile: Kitty Kay Chan
Master of Science in Sustainability Management professor Kitty Kay Chan was drawn to the program because she felt the curriculum’s interdisciplinary learning environment was the perfect catalyst for future sustainability managers to effect real change.
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Citi’s Sustainability Strategy
In 2015, Citi announced a new environmental finance goal to lend, invest and facilitate $100 billion over 10 years towards activities focused on environmental solutions and reducing the impacts of climate change globally.
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Student Profile: Arnaud Goessens
Before starting the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Arnaud Goessens worked in a variety of capacities focusing on conservation and biodiversity. Arnaud moved to New York from his native Belgium to gain new policy-making skills and expand his professional network.
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SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment
In an event jointly hosted by Columbia Divest for Climate Justice and the SIPA Environmental Coalition, students heard three prominent voices in climate science and action: Professor Maureen Raymo from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, author and activist Bill McKibben and Peggy Shepard, founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
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Certificate Program to Focus on Environment and Security
A new professional certificate program at Columbia University will address the linkages between environment and security, aimed at practitioners with responsibility for providing assessments and warnings regarding environment-security risks or for designing programs to manage such risks.
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Student Profile: Sylricka Foster
For Sylricka Foster, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program is providing a foundation in policy and management skills to complement her background in environmental geology and political science. She hopes to use her degree to create positive social change and to increase awareness about environmental issues.
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Curriculum is Currency for MS Student’s Career Aspirations
Current student Chris Meissner started the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program to make a career change from strategy and corporate development into water related issues. However, upon beginning the program, Chris realized that the complex nature of sustainability demands a multi-disciplinary practitioner.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More
