Columbia Climate School welcomes first class of students
Columbia University Alma Mater
The Columbia Institute of Climatology, in cooperation with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, will be adopted in September this year Master of Arts in Climate and Society. In a year, students From all around the world They will develop their scientific inquiry methods and how to best apply their background to solve the climate crisis.
Alex Halliday, founding dean of the Climate Institute and director of the Earth Institute, wrote in an email to State of the Earth: “The demand for climate-educated labor is growing; coming soon The class will become leaders in this field. They have the opportunity to shape emerging careers and fields from climate finance to climate justice.”
Climate and Society Program
Although the climate school is new, the climate and society program was founded by the faculty 16 years ago Mark Gunn. Cane’s pioneering forecasting model in the 1980s made him a world-renowned climate scientist. He recognized the need to educate professionals on the basics of climate science and equip them with tools to communicate the science with other stakeholders .
“This is a forward plan,” said Cynthia Thomson, An alumnus, is currently the deputy director of the Climate and Society Project. “Until recently, you would say’climate and society’ and people would give you this expression as if they didn’t really understand what you were talking about.”
With the development of scientific understanding of climate change and the development of public awareness, the program continues to expand the scope of its courses. In addition to climate science and variability, students now also understand climate impacts, future climate solutions, and potential climate careers.
“For the school, this is a suitable employment plan,” Halliday wrote, “providing students with the key interdisciplinary knowledge they need for their future careers.”
The program of the program is divided into three semesters. In the first two semesters, students will learn the same five core courses, including “Climate and Change Dynamics” and “Management and Climate Adaptation”. Then, they will have the opportunity to adjust their education by choosing four elective courses. The last three months of the program are dedicated to providing students with practical learning experiences through summer internships or capstone seminars with external organizations.
“When you talk about something as dynamic as climate change, unless you go out and put the theory into practice, it’s difficult to understand how it all fits together,” Thomson said.
The flexibility of the program is designed to support a more diverse student population. Broadly speaking, the previous courses included students with backgrounds in earth sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences. Of the more than 400 alumni of the program, about one-third continue to study for graduate students, one-third now work for non-governmental organizations, and the remaining one-third is divided between the public and private sectors.
“We don’t have a formal way of instructing students,” said Mingfang Ting, The co-director of the program. “They have found their own way, and we help them navigate these ways.”
The dawn of the climate school
The climate school is the first of its kind Announce July 2020, as a way for Colombia to respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by leveraging its wealth of expertise and global influence. Halliday wrote that the school will measure success by whether the knowledge it cultivates among students is transformed into action to serve a more sustainable, just and safer future.
Thomson and Ting have found that climate schools have brought new highlights to climate and social programs. Ting said: “We do see an extremely positive impact on the visibility and available resources of the program.”
Perhaps one of the most significant changes in the program is its ability to educate and train more students; this year’s class size is twice as large as in previous years. Behind the scenes, this means that the program will provide two of each course and host additional events and speakers.
“We have always liked the intimacy of this project,” Thomson said. “We look forward to developing the program, but still maintaining this sense of community among students.”
Under the leadership of the Climate School, the Earth Institute will continue to cooperate with other Colombian schools to jointly carry out sustainable development and environmental education programs. The Climate Institute will also develop new projects and expand existing projects based on the professional and academic needs of the field. This includes degree-granting programs, courses and majors for undergraduates, K-12 education for teachers and pre-university students, and capacity building for domestic and international government agencies.
As the climate school grows, Ting and Thomson plan to integrate new and popular courses into the climate and society curriculum. This includes a course focused on climate equity and justice, a climate migration course, and a climate communication course.
“The inaugural course of the Climate School will be the first, but it is far from the last. Working with the faculty and peers of the Climate School to develop their skills next year and play an active role in responding to climate challenges around the world,” Ruth DeFries, co-founding dean of the Climate Institute, wrote in an email to the state of the earth.
At the same time, Ting and Thomson eagerly welcome their next class of climate and society students. “These students-their motivation, enthusiasm, and enthusiasm for solving the climate crisis-give me hope for the future,” Ding said. “They are all ready to make an impact.”
