State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

education news78

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    14 M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) students were selected to be a part of the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps Fellowship program this summer. Through this 10-week fellowship, over 100 graduate students from around the country are placed within leading organizations including companies, cities, and universities to serve as organizational change agents for energy…

  • A Fellow’s Story: Crossing Oceans, Breaking Boundaries

    A Fellow’s Story: Crossing Oceans, Breaking Boundaries

    After working in tropical forests and coastal areas throughout college and graduate school, Manhattan did not seem like a natural place to migrate after completing my PhD. But pursuing an Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship was was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

  • Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Last spring, the pressing issue of water prompted a passionate group of Columbia graduate students across a variety of disciplines to band together and form the Columbia Aquanauts. As the only club on campus focusing on water management, the Aquanauts aim to build a space where students can not only discuss their views and knowledge…

  • M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    Prior to completing the M.S. in Sustainability Management program in spring 2013, MSSM alum Nick Turchak and current MSSM student Sally Paridis developed a corporate communication platform for sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA) data as part of their independent project. Both students drew on skills learned from the Industrial Ecology course, taught by adjunct…

  • ESP Students Present Research Results at Final Presentations

    ESP Students Present Research Results at Final Presentations

    On Wednesday, August 14, students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program presented their final workshop briefings for their class: Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Policy Analysis. The summer workshop projects allowed ESP students to gain experience tackling tough environmental problems by working with real-world clients while creating the collaborative…

  • ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    This summer, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have been able to get out of the classrooms and into nature, gaining exposure to many of the ecosystems in New York City and the organizations that work to protect them.

  • ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    Students in the Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program participated in a guided tour of Stamford, Connecticut’s waste water treatment plant as a part of their hydrology class led by Professor Michael Puma. The purpose of the trip was for students to experience firsthand how cites manage their waste water.

  • MPA Students Engage with Professionals

    MPA Students Engage with Professionals

    On July 31, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program met with representatives from diverse professional fields for a Career Development Panel. Moderated by Monica Pham (MPA-ESP ’13), this panel gave students the opportunity to see the potential far-reaching applications of a degree in Environmental Science and Policy.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    14 M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) students were selected to be a part of the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps Fellowship program this summer. Through this 10-week fellowship, over 100 graduate students from around the country are placed within leading organizations including companies, cities, and universities to serve as organizational change agents for energy…

  • A Fellow’s Story: Crossing Oceans, Breaking Boundaries

    A Fellow’s Story: Crossing Oceans, Breaking Boundaries

    After working in tropical forests and coastal areas throughout college and graduate school, Manhattan did not seem like a natural place to migrate after completing my PhD. But pursuing an Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship was was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

  • Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Last spring, the pressing issue of water prompted a passionate group of Columbia graduate students across a variety of disciplines to band together and form the Columbia Aquanauts. As the only club on campus focusing on water management, the Aquanauts aim to build a space where students can not only discuss their views and knowledge…

  • M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    Prior to completing the M.S. in Sustainability Management program in spring 2013, MSSM alum Nick Turchak and current MSSM student Sally Paridis developed a corporate communication platform for sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA) data as part of their independent project. Both students drew on skills learned from the Industrial Ecology course, taught by adjunct…

  • ESP Students Present Research Results at Final Presentations

    ESP Students Present Research Results at Final Presentations

    On Wednesday, August 14, students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program presented their final workshop briefings for their class: Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Policy Analysis. The summer workshop projects allowed ESP students to gain experience tackling tough environmental problems by working with real-world clients while creating the collaborative…

  • ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    This summer, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have been able to get out of the classrooms and into nature, gaining exposure to many of the ecosystems in New York City and the organizations that work to protect them.

  • ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    Students in the Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program participated in a guided tour of Stamford, Connecticut’s waste water treatment plant as a part of their hydrology class led by Professor Michael Puma. The purpose of the trip was for students to experience firsthand how cites manage their waste water.

  • MPA Students Engage with Professionals

    MPA Students Engage with Professionals

    On July 31, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program met with representatives from diverse professional fields for a Career Development Panel. Moderated by Monica Pham (MPA-ESP ’13), this panel gave students the opportunity to see the potential far-reaching applications of a degree in Environmental Science and Policy.