MPA in Development Practice2
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In the Middle East, Discovering the Aspirations of Youth
“I was on the ground collecting data in Jordan, and worked with data collection teams in Syria and Palestine. Within Jordan this involved traveling across the country to speak with Syrian youth refugees, as well as Jordanian and Palestinian youth. I was deeply struck by how candid the respondents were.”
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Taking Flight (Remotely) over East Africa
“Despite an early love affair with technology encouraged by my computer scientist, Silicon Valley-based parents, even I had a hard time envisioning a world in which I would spend a summer flying fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over pastoral East Africa.”
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Optimism, But Also a Hard Bottom Line for Island States
“Reaching an agreement would firstly mean an increase in awareness for the particular situation faced by small island developing states. States such as Kiribati are on the front line of climate change since they are already experiencing its effects, and an agreement would enhance recognition of [their] vulnerability.”
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From Waterloo to Paris: Students Serve as Delegates for Kiribati
Students from 28 masters in development practice programs, including the Earth Institute’s Masters in Public Administration-Development Practice at Columbia, are participating in various ways at the climate talks in Paris.
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Remote Data Team Helped Put Haiti Back on the Map
Before the Haiti earthquake, few publicly available maps of the country existed. When the earthquake hit in 2010, some of the little data that existed was destroyed. Then a team at Tufts University went into action, and from afar, helped build updated maps of roads and earthquake damage to help humanitarian organizations deal with the…
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Perspective: Q&A with Development Practitioner Ignacio Urrutia
By Sarayu Adeni With careful planning and a methodical approach, Ignacio Urrutia, MPA-DP ‘13, aims to solve problems before they happen. Currently working in South Asia’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Unit at the World Bank, he brought over five years of experience at the World Bank and UNDP in Washington, D.C. and…
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Perspective: A Q&A with Development Practitioner Sarah Curran
Sarah Curran, Master of Public Administration in Development Practice (MDP), Class of 2011, believes that addressing complex global issues starts with a meal. As a Program Manager for the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute, she brings a full plate of organizational and information experience, from back home in the UK…
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Glenn Denning’s Road to Bali, and the Earth Institute
Glenn Denning grew up in Brisbane, Australia, loved the outdoors and hated the idea of working in an office. And, he really didn’t have any urge to go to other countries. Then he happened to overhear a conversation in a hallway between two students. That bit of serendipity sent him on a road to a…
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From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille met with students and scientists of the Earth Institute to explore core issues of Haiti’s growth and development.
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“
