Urban Climate Change: Research & its Application in Urban Green Spaces

SUMA

Explore the Future of Urban Climate Change Solutions with Leading NYC Sustainability Experts

Urban green spaces are vital for climate resilience and community well-being, New York City is at the forefront of innovative research and application.

Join us for a fascinating discussion featuring key figures in the field of urban climate change research and sustainability, including Michelle Mueller Gamez, Sustainability and Climate Research Manager at Central Park Conservancy; Shannon Doherty, Senior Analyst for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Environment and Planning, NYC Parks; and Novem Auyeung, Senior Scientist for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Together, these experts will delve into how cutting-edge research is transforming New York City’s parks into crucial hubs for climate adaptation.

Together, these experts will delve into how cutting-edge research is transforming New York City’s parks into crucial hubs for climate adaptation and communities.

This event is part of the Practicum on Practical Applications of Environmental Research course, offered through the M.S. in Sustainability Management (SUMA) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS). The event is open to the public. Members of the Columbia University community, as well as prospective SUMA and SPS students, are encouraged to attend.

Speakers:

  • Michelle Mueller Gamez, Sustainability and Climate Research Manager, Central Park Conservancy

Michelle is a climate researcher, writer, and strategist with expertise in infrastructure, the built environment, and nature-based solutions. At Central Park Conservancy, she leads research on how the changing climate impacts landscapes and how to improve ecosystem services to drive action. She is committed to fostering thriving environments for people and nature. She holds a Master in Urban Planning, Environmental Policy, and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  • Shannon Doherty, Senior Analyst, Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Environment and Planning, NYC Parks

Shannon Doherty is an ESP alum and Senior Analyst for the Deputy Commissioner of Environment & Planning at NYC Parks. Over the past eight years, Shannon has served in multiple units throughout the agency including Maintenance & Operations, the Office of Administration, and Partnerships for Parks. Beyond managing the city's greenspaces, Shannon teaches Weather & Climate at CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx and contributes to a NASA DEI grant involving a surface-based precipitation measurement network.

  • Novem Auyeung, Senior Scientist, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

Novem Auyeung is Senior Scientist at NYC Parks. She leads a team of scientists who are tasked with monitoring and assessing NYC Parks’ natural resources; advising on natural resources protection and conservation; and using research and data to inform natural resources management. She is also part of the NYC Urban Field Station, a partnership between NYC Parks, USDA Forest Service, and Natural Areas Conservancy (a NYC-based non-profit) that focuses on knowledge co-production across different disciplines/sectors and bridging the gap between science and implementation.

  • Moderated by Louise A. Rosen, Senior Associate Dean, Administrative Affairs and Communications; Lecturer in International and Public Affairs

Louise A. Rosen serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs and Communications at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies and is a lecturer in International and Public Affairs. Prior to joining SPS, she had been Deputy Vice President for Strategic Engagement. In her decade at the Earth Institute she incubated eight degree programs, including the first undergraduate major in Sustainable Development at Columbia University and the M.S. in Sustainability Management.

She advocates for environmental conservation, animal rescue, and animal/nature-assisted therapies. Her research includes understanding socially-constructed values of the environment to create empathy to advance support for sustainable development and the natural world. In particular she is interested in non-verbal communication, experiential storytelling, the sentience of the non-human living world and how empathy with them can be used as a path forward to seeding empathy across social groups.

She was a cofounder of three magazines in London, and has written for several publications including Newsweek.com, Forbes magazine, Upside Today, Fortune Small Business, Vogue, and The New York Times. She has a B.S. in geography from the London School of Economics and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. Currently she is earning an M.S. in Narrative Medicine, Columbia University, with a focus on narratives in nature and empathetic design. She volunteers to help children with special needs and veterans and first responders with PTSD.

For further information, please contact sps-events [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu.