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.
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.