The summer capstone project is a chance for Columbia Climate School’s Climate and Society students to put academics into action. After a year spent studying subjects like climate mitigation, adaptation and justice, students partner with an organization—this year’s participants included the NYC Department of Health, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Capgemini, H2Global, the Climate Imaginarium and others—to tackle critical climate challenges in the real world.
This month, students had a chance to showcase their projects, which offer impactful solutions in health, the arts, policy, climate finance and urban resilience. Details on some of the projects appear below.
Client: NYC Health Department
Project: Be a Buddy Pilot Evaluation
Advisor: Rafael Ramos
Students: Yongcheng Chen, Andrea Falche, Kathy La, Saira Ramirez Mingueta, Ilana Schwartz and Kelvin Shi
In 2017, NYC’s Be a Buddy program was designed to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and protect residents against the worst impacts of rising temperatures caused by climate change. This past summer, students conducted interviews, surveys, and reviewed a range of data points to understand the health impacts of extreme heat in the South Bronx, central Brooklyn and northern Manhattan. Students also provided insights and recommendations to support the future development and growth of this program.
Client: National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)
Project: Accelerating Circular Economy Solutions for Indian Cities through Green Financing Strategies
Advisor: Max Mauerman
Students: Leonie Chalochet, Samantha Dady, Allison Forstmann, Siddharth Gundala, Farhat Khaled, Kyra Sadat Ruben, David Sathuluri and Anuka Upadhye
This capstone compared two cities in India on their opportunities for investments in the circular economy and waste management. One of the cities they compared was advanced in their waste segregation and circular program. The other city was in its infancy, with low use of circular waste management solutions. Students explored each city’s culture, along with opportunities for separating waste, reducing CO2 emissions and achieving cost savings. This research was presented as a potential framework for evaluating waste management programs worldwide.
Client: Capgemini
Project: Integration of Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital for Company Adoption and Increased Economic Value
Advisor: Jeffrey Schlegelmilch
Students: Rex Cheng, Yining Chen, Taylor Ko, Marie Legendre, Shixun Shangguan, Angela Sun, Constantin Thill and Zhi Wang
Students evaluated the impact of reducing CO2 emissions and achieving energy cost savings from greenhouse gas emissions at a large international distribution plant. In their analysis, they examined the potential risks associated with the current situation and the potential impacts and savings for the future if mitigation approaches are captured. They examined the existing policies of the area, the country and commitments made under previous COP pledges, with an eye to helping provide climate resilience analysis for other large distribution center locations.
Client: H2Global Foundation
Project: Fertilizer Decarbonization
Advisor: Michael Puma
Students: Alexis Mitchell, Sumana Murugan, Yi Nie, Cesar Perez, Shera Rachman and Nastassja Ronge
Students evaluated the harvesting and distribution of fertilizer in Nigeria and Brazil. In their presentation, they examined the policies, costs, opportunities and strategies for decarbonization, aiming to enhance the country’s economy through these efforts. Their methodology and comparative analysis might be used to evaluate approaches for other products that contribute to the gross domestic product and also to greenhouse gas emissions.
Client: The Village of Nyack
Project: Planning for Neighborhood-scale Decarbonization in Nyack, NY
Advisor: Ashley Curtis
Students: Julia Goldsamt, Rey Lautenschlager, Runzhe Li, Will Stein, Sarah Wilczynski and Bill Zhu
Students evaluated decarbonization opportunities for the town of Nyack, NY. In their presentation, they discussed various infrastructure projects that are already funded and underway, as well as opportunities to leverage these existing projects with green initiatives. They evaluated the green initiatives based on their total saved energy costs, CO2 reduction, feasibility and opportunities for implementation into existing programs. Their recommendations will be shared with Nyack’s governing committee for further consideration and implementation.
Client: R2 Resilience
Project: Building Climate Resilience through Insurance Incentives
Advisor: Jeffrey Schlegelmilch
Students: Suixuan Chang, Chesang Rotich, Urvashi Singh, William Staniar, Yuwen Zheng and Jiarui Zhu
In the “Building Climate Resilience through Insurance Incentives” presentation, students evaluated various insurance models to understand the impact of climate-related events on costs. In their analysis, they examined two different geographic regions, measuring green mitigation incentives and funding models to reduce the long-term costs associated with extreme weather events and climate change. They recommended strategies for communicating climate risk information, such as breaking down an energy bill, to illustrate the impact and future savings by incorporating mitigation efforts.
Client: Climate Imaginarium
Project: Arts and Climate Program Development
Advisor: Suzana Camargo
Students: Ryan Ewanow, Peyten Hernandez, Shuyu Liu, Phoebe Pinder, Sarah Rubinstein, Kikelomo Sanni and Tatianna Sitounis
Located on Governor’s Island in New York, the Climate Imaginarium serves the community by combining topics in climate and culture through a range of events, exhibits, immersive experiences, art installations, film screenings, concerts and more. This year’s capstone team evaluated how the Climate Imaginarium core objectives align with NYC’s climate goals. They analyzed the foundation projects against the results and made recommendations for future programs and initiatives.
The Master of Arts in Climate and Society is an interdisciplinary program that trains professionals and academics to understand and address the impacts of climate change and climate variability on society and the environment. Learn more.