Earth and Environmental Sciences Archives - ��ճԹ�

What Water Remembers

Susan Landers — Mon, 04 May 2026 16:12:33 +0000

This year’s capstone class on a field trip to Bushwick Inlet.

Water defines New York City, this place of “hurried and sparkling waters,” the city “nested in bays.” These words are Walt Whitman’s, from his poem “Mannahatta”—the original Lenape word for what we now call the island of Manhattan.

Knowing the landscape of Mannahatta, that is, New York City before European contact, is crucial to understanding present-day rivers, creeks, streams, bays, ponds, and inlets: Water carves its stubborn paths to (and from) the sea on its own terms, not ours.

This is one of the lessons graduate students learn in a new master’s capstone course developed and co-taught by Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Jennifer Cherrier.

Jennifer Cherrier

Instead of writing a thesis, students in the new, professional M.S. specialization in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences undertake a yearlong group capstone project. With Cherrier as lead instructor, they assist the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in developing a plan for watershed-scale storm resiliency. Informed by both historical and present-day data, they focus on the implementation of nature-based solutions. This year, they applied the planning process developed by last year’s inaugural capstone cohort to a specific place: the Bushwick Inlet Basin, along the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront.

Looking at that specific coastal location in the context of its larger watershed, and incorporating the use of nature-based solutions in their final site plan, these students are doing the kind of holistic work that is the future of resiliency planning in New York City—and an example of the kind of work ��ճԹ� helps to spearhead locally and regionally with the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB), where Cherrier is associate director for integrated water research.

How the Water Used to Flow

But let’s go back to the beginning.

McCarren Park was a salt marsh. Nearby, North 14^th and 15^th streets between Nassau and Wythe—where you can now buy a motorcycle or go to a climbing gym—was open water on the marsh’s edge. Where bowlers now spill out of lanes on North 12^th Street, between Wythe and Berry, intertidal mudflats would have been submerged at high tide.

“We need to understand how the water used to flow,” says Cherrier.

Using historical data from renowned ecologist Eric Sanderson’s and his book Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City, students learned how “water tends to follow its original pathways,” says Fiona Crisp, a master’s student in earth and environmental sciences who is in this year’s capstone class. This knowledge, she says, “allows us to work with nature to develop more creative and resilient stormwater management strategies.”

Combine that historical data with current information—the class employs state-of-the-art software like Scalgo, which “uses satellite data to show where water is going to flow,” says current master’s and capstone student Kevin Garcia—and a more complete picture about flood-prone areas begins to emerge.

Thinking Bigger

Crucially, the class has been studying urban climate resiliency at what is called the watershed scale: In the case of the Bushwick Inlet Basin project, that means looking at a—manageable—sub-watershed of the larger Newtown Creek watershed in which the basin is located.

Watershed-scale research, says Cherrier, involves tracking the water along a flow path: either starting from a rain event at the highest elevation and continuing on through the landscape all the way down to the lower-elevation coastline (as in Hurricane Ida) or vice versa—when a storm surge pushes water inland from the coast (as in Superstorm Sandy).

“Taking a watershed view of the area has changed how I think about local issues by emphasizing the fact that everything is connected,” says Crisp. “Localized flooding isn’t isolated. It is shaped by the surrounding environment and watershed as a whole.” As a result, “solutions cannot be piecemeal.”

Cherrier describes the complexity of these solutions, which must address how “to keep people safe, to keep the water clean, to enhance ecological restoration…and also to provide waterfront access—and to do this all within the lens of keeping in mind what the communities need, because the solutions are really specific” to particular places.

Thus, environmental science links with the social sciences and more, requiring the study of demographics, transportation infrastructure, parks, zoning, regulatory frameworks, etc. All this, says Garcia, is part of watershed-scale planning in the capstone class: “There are so many components that we take into account.”

Developing the Process

Last year’s class “came up with a process” for this kind of research and analysis, says Cherrier. This year’s students applied that process to the Bushwick Inlet Basin.

Co-taught by Cherrier and Simon Kates, senior project manager for planning and climate adaptation at Copenhagen-based architecture and engineering firm Ramboll (which has offices in midtown Manhattan), the course requires the group to work together as a team—which they will need to do as professionals—and it helps students develop real-world connections. The DEP is the client for the finished work.

Collaborating with the DEP is a key part of the class.

Cherrier, who was a ��ճԹ� lead on the NYC Stormwater Resiliency Study, which served to inform the NYC Stormwater Resiliency Plan and whose research group has developed eco-WEIR technology to capture and treat polluted stormwater, feels strongly about ensuring that academic research—including rigorous student research—gets out into the world where it can be useful. This is one of the many ways in which the class aligns with the priorities of the SRIJB, which offers students internship and research opportunities and maintains long-running and crucial collaborations with city and state agencies, industry partners, and nonprofits—for projects like , which has achieved an international reach.

Looking to expand these already strong connections, Cherrier came up with a “pitch” to city government: “We train your future workforce,” it began. Then: These students do research—via theses, dissertations, and capstone projects—so “what if we designed these projects in collaboration with you to ensure they align with your research needs; or in the case of the capstone, with you as a client where we could continue to build on this work so that it could be iterative year after year?”

Real-World Impact

Capstone students Grace Damiano, Kevin Garcia, and Fiona Crisp

The class is structured like a professional project: Students generate a scope of work based on the needs of the client, then develop and follow a schedule to produce deliverables.

This is hugely important training for ��ճԹ� students, says Cherrier, noting that “the city and Ramboll have been super impressed with our students and really love the fact that they’re so multidisciplinary.” Furthermore, the class “outputs are actually being used by the DEP,” she says, making the project a “win-win for students…and also for the DEP.”

And students are thrilled with the experience.

“Not only did we learn academic concepts, but we also applied them,” says Crisp. “Working directly with professionals made the experience more tangible and showed how our work can have a real-world impact.”

Grace Damiano, who is an earth and environmental sciences Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center and an SRIJB fellow, participated in the inaugural capstone class in 2024–25. That class began by gathering information: conducting a literature review to compile research on watershed-scale planning. Next, Damiano recalled her group producing and sending to the DEP two “massive slide decks”—one of these outlined a process for watershed-scale planning in New York City and the other applied that process to the Gowanus Canal watershed (to demonstrate how such an application might work). Damiano appreciated the variety of professionals the class had contact with, both at the DEP and beyond.

Among the professional opportunities this year was participation in a coupled two-day walking tour and workshop event on March 26–27 in honor of World Water Day, hosted by the SRIJB in collaboration with the DEP and co-facilitated with Ramboll. The event, organized by Cherrier with the support of SRIJB Executive Director Brett Branco, aimed to promote dialogue on urban watershed management with leads from several city agencies and—in a crossover with the class—focused on a watershed-scale plan for the Bushwick Inlet Basin, with the ultimate goal of getting critical input to help advance urban watershed planning and action in New York City.

Prepared by their research, the capstone class was able to fully engage in conversations with representatives of government agencies, industry partners, and nonprofits who are at the forefront of tackling these water-management issues. From a professional standpoint, that kind of contact “is very, very nice for any student who’s in a master’s program,” Damiano says, “especially someone who’s finishing up their capstone. It’s an important networking opportunity.”

It was also an opportunity to be a part of the solution.

Issues surrounding storm resiliency and flood-risk management present complex problems—ones ��ճԹ� students, both now and in their future careers, will be tasked with solving. Thanks to this kind of training, in which future scientists and civic leaders learn to think big to generate local solutions, they are prepared for the challenge.

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Suresh Sethi Part of Study That Unlocks “Sturgeon Thunder”

Richard Pietras — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:04:59 +0000

Suresh Sethi, director of the Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center and associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, was part of a groundbreaking study that used underwater sound recordings—also known as bioacoustics—to detect the presence of Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River.

The team discovered that these large, ancient fish make a unique underwater noise during spawning season, which they dubbed “sturgeon thunder.” By listening for this sound, scientists can identify when and where sturgeon are present without ever having to see them.

This innovative research was a collaboration between ��ճԹ�, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell University, and other partners. It shows how new acoustic technology can help scientists monitor and protect sensitive fish species more effectively, supporting better conservation and management efforts.

You can read more about this study .

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��ճԹ� Welcomes Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence

Richard Pietras — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 14:21:05 +0000

��ճԹ� is proud to announce that Chemistry Professor Stephen Sangster has been selected as the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for the 2025–26 academic year. Sangster, a faculty member in the Science Department at the University of Belize, will be part of the campus community through June 2026.��

Sangster will collaborate closely with Associate Professor Rebecca Boger, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Boger, an expert in geospatial technologies, marine science, and science education, will serve as the campus host for the Fulbright program.��

“��ճԹ� is honored to host Professor Sangster and benefit from his global perspective, particularly on issues facing small-island developing states, international chemical agreements, and innovative approaches to environmental education,” Boger said. “We are thrilled to have him on campus engaging with our students and faculty.”��

Sangster brings a wealth of expertise in environmental science, particularly in the synthesis of potentially biodegradable polymers. He was nominated to the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention in 2023 and currently serves as Belize’s national counterpart for microplastics projects supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. His work focuses on advancing environmental science education and fostering community engagement in environmental research in Belize.��

As part of his residency, Sangster will:��

teach undergraduate courses in environmental science during the spring 2026 semester;��

co-lead the Earth and Environmental Sciences colloquium this fall;��

engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with faculty from the Earth and Environmental Sciences and Economics departments, the Urban Sustainability program, the Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, and the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center;��

participate in guest lectures and community outreach activities; and��

explore long-term research and education partnerships across departments.��

The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, supports U.S. institutions in hosting international scholars who enrich academic programs and foster cross-cultural understanding. Sangster is one of only 25 scholars selected nationwide for the 2025–26 cycle.��

Since its founding in 1946, the Fulbright Program has supported nearly 450,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals in international exchange. Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 44 heads of state or government.��

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Getting Down to Earth

Audrey Peterson — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 20:08:39 +0000

Senior Carlos Baez decided to pursue his long-held interest in paleontology when he transferred to ��ճԹ�. Through research opportunities and summer fieldwork funded by a Magner Career stipend, he has gained valuable hands-on experience in paleontological methods. He has been given the chance to present his findings at the Geological Society of America.

Can you tell us about your background?

I grew up in New Jersey. Both of my parents were in the military, which meant a lot of moving to other states. So, I had to adjust to a lot of different schools, people, and cultures, and try to find my place. I first attended the College of Staten Island to pursue a business degree, then I transferred to the Borough of Manhattan Community College for forensic science, but something wasn’t clicking. I took a step back and thought about what I really want to do. I have always been interested in dinosaurs and paleontology, even as a child. So, I decided to transfer and give earth and environmental sciences a shot, and ��ճԹ� has a great program.

So, paleontology is now your field of study?

Professor [Matthew] Garb got me into it. The earth and environmental sciences program and faculty are amazing. The program at ��ճԹ� is growing and becoming increasingly important in light of our changing climate. I wanted to do things outside of my classes, and he informed me that there was summer fieldwork and lab research available. He let me know that an alumna, Anastasia Danilova, a museum specialist at the American Museum of Natural History, was working on a project and would occasionally visit ��ճԹ�. He told me I could work on fossils and sediment samples that she had brought back from a site that she was too busy to process herself. He taught me how to properly sieve the sediment so that the contents of it were easier to see under the microscope. He also taught me how to interpret what I was seeing in the grain samples under the microscope. Grain sizes and fossils tell us a lot more than we may think. He helped me understand how certain fossils or grains could tell us what was happening to the environment 66 million years ago during a major extinction event. This all prepared me for a trip to the Gulf of Mexico last summer.

Where specifically did you work?

Professor Garb, Anastasia, and two of my fellow students did paleontology fieldwork in Mississippi and Alabama, and in late July, we went to South Dakota. We were looking for fossils to help identify environmental changes and to determine how the environment in the past compared to the present. We were working specifically with ammonites [shelled cephalopods that died out about 66 million years ago]. In Mississippi, we found something pretty unusual—thousands and thousands of fossils in one small area. My work will serve as the basis for a presentation I will give at the Annual Meeting this fall.

Working with mentors like alumna Anastasia Danilova mentor is a “full circle” moment. She was able to conduct her fieldwork on a Magner Career Center stipend while she was an undergraduate.

The Magner Career Center stipend also funded my internship at the museum and will partially cover the cost of my trip to the GSA meeting.

What’s next after graduation?

My plan is to go to grad school. I immersed myself in paleontology, but at the same time, I want to explore different avenues.

Do you have any advice for your fellow students?

You shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. I feel like many people are ashamed of doing that, resetting their major if something doesn’t click. Deep down, you always know where your heart’s at. So, when you really know what you want to do, network with like-minded people, and that will take you down the right path. Opportunities will open up when your heart’s in it. Don’t do what you have to, do what you want to. Form study groups with like-minded students and never be afraid to ask questions.

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��ճԹ� Celebrates 10 Years of International Climate Resilience Partnership

Richard Pietras — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 20:21:57 +0000

��ճԹ� celebrated a decade of transformative collaboration between New York City and Copenhagen in climate resilience, highlighting the role of higher education in driving global solutions to urban environmental challenges.

At a celebratory event held during New York City Climate Week on September 25, speakers reflected on the success of the partnership, which began in 2015 and has since evolved through formal agreements and renewed commitments. Central to this collaboration is the integration of research, innovation, and workforce development—anchored by ��ճԹ�’s (SRIJB)—and its academic counterparts at the Technical University of Denmark.

The symposium was co-organized by the SRIJB, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the City of Copenhagen, Ramboll Water (SRIJB’s industry partner) and C40 Cities, with additional support from the . This collaborative effort builds on the 2024 partnership between ��ճԹ� and Ramboll, which focuses on addressing urban water challenges and climate adaptation.

��ճԹ� Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Jennifer Cherrier served as a lead organizer for the event, with Associate Professor Brett Branco lending his expertise on a panel session. Branco serves as the executive director of the SRIJB and Cherrier as its associate director for integrated water research.

In addition to the September 25 event, the SRIJB organized further meetings with administrators from the Technical University of Denmark, CUNY, and the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center to explore a potential partnership aimed at enhancing urban storm resiliency and adaptation efforts.

The day also saw a new three-year memorandum of collaboration executed between New York City and Copenhagen at the Danish consulate. This latest step named CUNY as the lead academic partner in New York City and the efforts run through the SRIJB.

“This partnership has demonstrated the incredible power of international cooperation,” said ��ճԹ� President Michelle J. Anderson. “From knowledge-sharing to the implementation of practical solutions like the Cloudburst Programs, our cities are stronger and more resilient because of this work.”

The initiative has created a unique learning environment for students, blending academic inquiry with real-world application. ��ճԹ� SRIJB Fellows are active participants in the Technical University of Denmark’s . This year, students from ��ճԹ� joined peers from Colombia, Denmark, Kenya, and South Africa to present their summer water case assignments at NYC. In November, the cohort will travel to Copenhagen with Cherrier to present their findings at the Digital Action Summit.

��ճԹ� continues to serve as a hub for inclusive innovation, public service, and experiential learning. Its commitment to accessible education and social impact positions the institution as a leader in preparing the next generation of climate resilience professionals.

“Our students are at the heart of this work,” Cherrier said. “They’re gaining invaluable hands-on experience that prepares them to lead future innovations in sustainable urban development.”

Graduate students in the earth and environmental sciences non-thesis track are currently developing year-long capstone projects focused on urban climate resiliency at the watershed scale, with New York City serving as the client.

The college has also forged strong ties with industry partners such as Ramboll, ensuring that academic research translates into actionable solutions. Through continued partnership, innovation, and education, ��ճԹ� remains committed to building a more resilient and sustainable future for all.

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Geology Society Students Win Big at Regional Competition

Susan Landers — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:22:19 +0000

Exciting news for the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department: ��ճԹ�’s Geology Society has just clinched victory in the Northeastern Section of the 2025 GSA Geology Club Tee-Off competition. National finals are just around the corner, with voting opening in late April here.

The brilliant design of the winning submission (shown above) came from ��ճԹ�’s very own Geology Society Vice President, Noah Hopkins.

Reflecting on the competition, Professor Wayne Powell commented, “When we made it to the final round against Stockton University (NJ), it was a nail-biting showdown! Our club members really came together, networking and rallying for support. I was on the edge of my seat, watching the vote totals climb throughout the night, frantically reaching out to friends and colleagues to join in the effort. In the end, we celebrated a thrilling victory by over 200 votes, amassing a total of 2636 votes!”

The competition, sponsored by the Geological Society of America, aims to boost student engagement and shine a spotlight on the incredible work being done by geology clubs across campuses.

The is more than just a student club. It’s a vibrant community dedicated to fostering a love for geology and the natural world among students from all backgrounds.

If you have a passion for the great outdoors, this is the place for you! With adventures ranging from cleaning up Plumb Beach to exhilarating hiking trips and mine explorations, the Geology Society is packed with educational and exciting activities. All who wander are welcome to join in the fun!

Let’s celebrate this amazing achievement and get ready to show our support in the national finals!

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FloodNet Featured in Climate Week Event at ��ճԹ�

Richard Pietras — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:03:02 +0000

To highlight Climate Week, ��ճԹ� hosted an event showcasing the project—including a data dashboard that reports street-level flooding detected by ultrasonic sensors—for residents who experience flooding in their neighborhood or work on climate adaptation solutions driven by technology.

Launched in 2022 with the help of ��ճԹ� Professor , Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the executive director of the , FloodNet is a consortium of researchers, government agencies, and community-based organizations that addresses flooding issues through a first-ever, free online tool that lets communities and agencies know where, when, and how quickly flood waters are rising.

Brett Branco.

“We typically do these workshops in neighborhoods affected by flooding, but since it is Climate Week, we decided to invite people to ��ճԹ� to learn more about the technology,” said Branco. “These workshops help ensure that the data we produce are useful and usable by people, so we can be better prepared for flooding.”

During the workshop, titled “Engaging Communities With Flood Sensor Data and Storytelling,” attendees used data from flood sensors installed across New York City to get a firsthand look at how the technology can work for them and their communities.

FloodNet was developed as a collaboration between researchers at the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB) at ��ճԹ�, NYU Tandon’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), and the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC), in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, and with the financial support of the C2SMART Tier 1 U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center at NYU Tandon, the NYU Marron Institute, and the CUNY Office of Research.

On Sept. 9, Mayor Eric Adams said the city is on pace to have 500 flood sensors installed in priority flooding areas by 2027. The 200th sensor was recently installed in Corona, Queens’ Louis Simeone Park, earlier in September.

The event was co-hosted by the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, New York Sea Grant, the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, and FloodNet, in partnership with the New York Climate Exchange.

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��ճԹ� and Ramboll Announce Partnership to Address Urban Water and Climate Adaptation

Richard Pietras — Wed, 29 May 2024 16:00:48 +0000

Flooding is one of the most destructive natural hazards worldwide, posing significant risks to human health and safety. It leads to the degradation of adjacent waters and results in more than $40 billion in damages annually.

With the projected increased frequency of extreme precipitation and storm events associated with climate change, these problems will become even more acute.

��To address these issues through dynamic planning and holistic approaches that provide equitable solutions to meet both community and environmental needs, ��ճԹ� has teamed up with international architectural, engineering, and consultancy firm , headquartered in Denmark.

Jennifer Cherrier

Led by Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Jennifer Cherrier, this cross-sectoral initiative will address urban water and climate change resiliency challenges in New York City, Copenhagen, and beyond. The work will more effectively address and create place-based and nature-based solutions around flooding, water degradation, and other global climate challenges.

Highlights of the partnership include:

Green workforce development;
Workplace immersion and internships;
International experience and knowledge exchange;
Collaborative research, communication, and translation of new nature-based design knowledge and innovation into practice for climate adaptation.

“I’m thrilled to see this formalized partnership with Ramboll come to fruition,” Cherrier said. “I believe the partnership will create opportunities and sustained pathways for all involved, particularly our students, to really push the needle for getting innovative nature-based solutions into the hands of practitioners to effectively meet resiliency challenges around climate adaptation and, at the same time, enhance urban liveability for all.”

Brett Branco

Katherine Fry

Joining Cherrier from ��ճԹ� is Environmental Earth and Sciences Associate Professor Brett Branco, also the director of the . The SRI@JB is a partnership among the National Park Service, the City of New York, and the City University of New York (CUNY), and coordinates with other institutions and organizations, including .

Professor Katherine Fry, who is working as an SRI@JB Faculty Fellow, will lead the communications efforts.

This partnership will build on ��ճԹ� and the SRI@JB’s commitment to these issues, while preparing its diverse students to become leaders and change agents through coursework and practical hands-on experience.

Cherrier, who is also SRI@JB’s associate director for integrated water research, has more than 25 years of research expertise in aquatic carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, with a more recent focus on the use of nature-based approaches for mitigating urban flooding and offsetting pollutant loading to aquatic systems. In addition to her research, Cherrier works with various cities developing cross-sectoral partnerships to enhance sister-city knowledge exchanges centered on addressing urban water and climate adaptation challenges.

Branco is an expert on the science of coastal environments and the integration of science into public policy and resource management. He is also one of the developers of FloodNet, New York City’s first flood-monitoring network that provides user-friendly, free data via an interactive map to alert users to rising waters in flood-prone areas.

Fry, a professor of media studies in the Department of Television, Radio & Emerging Media, is also a media ecologist and media literacy educator who brings years of interdisciplinary communications and media research and outreach into the classroom and the community. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, she co-founded the former New York City–based nonprofit media literacy organization The LAMP and created all of its programming, which served numerous communities in four of the five boroughs.

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Professor Rebecca Boger Helps Bring CUNY-GLOBE Program to ��ճԹ�

Richard Pietras — Mon, 13 May 2024 15:00:36 +0000

Offering STEM education and related programming that can empower the next generation of diverse students, faculty, and citizen scientists to make positive environmental impacts has never been more important.

��With that in mind, Professor Rebecca Boger, also the chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, was selected as the principal investigator for a highly competitive cooperative agreement award aimed at expanding and innovating NASA’s program.

The five-year, $11.1-million, multicampus initiative, called the “” partnership, includes a team of researchers from ��ճԹ�, CUNY Graduate Center, the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center (CUNY ASRC), and Lehman College, as well as the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Global STEM Education Center, and State University of New York at Fredonia.

Among its many features, GLOBE supports inquiry-based education to promote environmental literacy as well as advances Earth system science and applications. GLOBE was established in 1994 by the U.S. government and launched worldwide in 1995. It is one of the most long-standing and well-respected education and participatory science consortia dedicated to understanding our global environment and how it is changing. With more than 125 participating countries, GLOBE is also a preeminent program for advancing science diplomacy, building a global workforce, and facilitating collaboration toward a sustainable future.

Boger worked for GLOBE first as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Knauss Fellow and then as an international project scientist between 1998 and 2007, when she started her position at ��ճԹ�. Since then, she has continued working with GLOBE in several ways, including as a co-investigator on the Seasons and Biomes project, trainer, and chair of the science working group.

“I am thrilled to expand on my past work with GLOBE and bring these resources to ��ճԹ� and other campuses,” Boger said. “GLOBE has been operating for nearly 30 years as a textbook example of a highly effective international community of practice in participatory science, and we are beyond excited to help advance its very urgent work.”

“��ճԹ� is honored to be recognized by NASA for the GLOBE program, and we look forward to the major positive impact it will have on the greater New York City area,” said Peter Tolias, dean of the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. “Congratulations to Professor Boger, who is helping the department become a regional focal point and leader for environmental research and education.”

The objectives of the program include:

Supporting robust scientific outcomes through programmatic attention to data quality
Strengthening GLOBE’s connection to NASA Earth science
Expanding partnerships between the GLOBE community of practice, humanitarian organizations, and the greater science and application communities
Broadening access to GLOBE through strategic partnerships, updated and new resources, open science practices, and an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Increasing GLOBE’s role in STEM workforce development
Integrating and further developing participatory science infrastructure

The grant distribution among the campuses is:

CUNY ASRC: $6.3 million
��ճԹ�: $4.1 million
Lehman College: $461,645
CUNY Graduate Center: $258,115

The CUNY-GLOBE partnership will support research projects in the areas of STEM and Earth and environmental sciences and will actively involve students, faculty, and community-based scientists. GLOBE resources and tools will facilitate data sharing and address data requests. These innovations create additional opportunities to support STEM educators’ and researchers’ career advancements. In addition, the team will work to develop and expand on GLOBE’s participatory science infrastructure, providing more opportunities and additional pathways for the public to contribute to GLOBE science.

“The GLOBE Program is an extensive network of committed individuals and groups who share GLOBE’s core value of furthering STEM educational attainment through active participation in and contribution to purposeful science and applications for the benefit of the global environment,” said Amy P. Chen, NASA GLOBE program manager. “The experienced team from CUNY and collaborating partners have an ambitious plan to strengthen and innovate GLOBE’s enabling infrastructure in science, training, education, and public engagement. I am looking forward to seeing GLOBE further its reach and impact from this team’s effort.”

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Green Infrastructure Test Bed Planted on Campus

Richard Pietras — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 13:49:57 +0000

(Left to right) Rami Sadovnik (student), Carrie Sadovnik (Director of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability), Stalin Espinal ’18, Paige Rushing (student), and Devlin McKenna (Office of Information Technology Services) help with the new green infrastructure project.

An innovative and environmentally friendly green infrastructure test bed received the finishing touches on June 15 when volunteers planted and mulched over 2,700 plugs of northeast native plants near the sidewalk between the Lily Pond and Whitman Hall.

The project was led by Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Associate Director of the Science and Resiliency Institute at Jamaica Bay Jennifer Cherrier, the Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability, along with support from the college’s Facilities, Planning and Operations, and student, staff and faculty volunteers, including Professor of Television, Radio & Emerging Media Katherine G. Fry.

Earth and Environmental Sciences and Associate Director of the Science and Resiliency Institute at Jamaica Bay Jennifer Cherrier (right) oversees the installation of the hybrid ecoWEIR system at ��ճԹ� that students, faculty and staff helped to install. The project will serve as a place for interdisciplinary research for not only the campus but the entire CUNY family and affiliated collaborators, the surrounding community, and the region to help educate and partner with them on issues related to stormwater and climate resiliency.  Helping Cherrier are students Wilson Deng (left) and Paige Rushing.

“Our campus has been long prized for its beauty. Beyond adding lush meadow greenery, Professor Cherrier’s ecoWEIR test bed bolsters biodiversity and offers transformative learning and research opportunities. This and other green space initiatives epitomize our commitment to a sustainable campus,” said Carrie Sadovnik, Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability.

The approximately 455 square-feet test bed of drought and flood-resilient plants, which also attract pollinators to further aid the environment, was designed by Office Landscape and Urban Design, a ��ճԹ�-based and minority-owned design firm, in consultation with Cherrier. The site will be used for interdisciplinary research by both students and faculty and functions both as a traditional green infrastructure —similar to what is currently being installed by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection throughout New York City—as well as a green infrastructure called , a hybrid system developed by Cherrier’s research.

Both types of green infrastructure, traditional and hybrid, are used to help manage and filter out pollutants from stormwater runoff as well as other surface and surficial groundwater flows into aquatic systems. However, the hybrid ecoWEIR system is designed to give nature a boost to maximize pollutant removal and allow for fit-for-purpose water reuse. The ecoWEIR system is also being piloted in to remove phosphate from Prospect Park’s waterways to help offset toxic algae blooms that have been plaguing the lake for the past decade.

Current Sustainability Coordinator Stalin Espinal ’18, who studied Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, holds up one of the plants for the project.

Cherrier added that in addition to the imminent research that her group will be doing at the test bed site—including that of Ph.D. student Nia Rene, M.S. student Paige Rushing, and undergraduate student Sarah Maria Dos Santos—the project will serve as a place for interdisciplinary research for not only the campus but the entire CUNY family and affiliated collaborators, the surrounding community, and the region to help educate and partner with them on issues related to stormwater and climate resiliency.

“While I was proud to lead the effort, I cannot thank Carrie Sadovnik, Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Sustainability, her staff, my graduate student Paige, the Facilities team, as well as other ��ճԹ� and CUNY faculty, staff, and students enough for coming together this past month to help make this happen,” Cherrier said. “I am also indebted to the ��ճԹ� administration for their long-term support of this project as well as to my colleagues at for their collaborative support and contributions to ecoWEIR throughout the years and, finally, I’m thankful for initial funding for this work provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”

Rushing, an earth and environmental sciences graduate student, participated in the gardening of the green space event. Rushing has been analyzing the ecoWEIR system for her master’s thesis which explores the effects of nutrient concentrations in stormwater runoff and discovering how effective the system is as a nature-based solution for stormwater management.

“This planting event was one of the final stages in completing the installation. We planted hundreds of native perennials and have been working over the past month to fill the excavated site,” Rushing said. “Getting the system in the ground was a large task and rigorous, so it’s great that we had [��ճԹ�] facilities personnel and volunteers to help with the planting and all the other stages of the installation process. There is still more to learn through the research that will be conducted in this space.”

Rushing is looking forward to watching the garden grow and is optimistic about the future of the green space.

“I’m excited to watch the garden grow throughout the next year and to work on it because I enjoy being outside in nature. I feel optimistic about future research that will happen in this new green space.”

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