Sustainability students tackle real-world sustainability challenges in workshop briefing
Symposium students, classmates, faculty and staff come together to deliver presentations.
May 4, Sustainability Undergraduate Program Hosted the Spring 2023 Symposium Briefing, where upperclassmen presented their work with clients throughout the semester.
this Sustainability Symposium Allows undergraduate sustainability majors and special concentrators to connect the theoretical knowledge they acquire through natural and social science courses with real-world, client-based projects.
At this event, students shared the results of their projects with the University community before sharing their final reports with clients. A total of nine teams participated in this semester. Clients include Energy Futures Initiative, Community and University Partnerships Program, Mississippi Citizens United Prosperity, Enviroserve Rwanda, Action for Sustainable Transformation, New York State Council of Churches, Crauderueff Solar, and Columbia University Transportation.There are also presentations from current students Rwanda and Bangladesh Field-based capstone course.
Read more about the nine programs for the spring 2023 semester below.
The “Supporting the ‘S’ in ESG Investing” team presents their project.
Project: Support the “S” in ESG Investing
client: Energy Futures Program
team member: Karina Alejos, Ana Cardenas, Lucas Chapman, Manon Confavreux, Pierre Grados, Christopher Lee, John Joseph Stankard, and Tobias Liebst Von Obelitz
The first team is working with the Energy Futures Initiative, a Washington-based nonprofit organization, to accelerate the clean energy transition through technological and policy innovation. Students examine how to better understand social impacts in ESG and how to structure policies to ensure equal access to clean energy transitions. The team conducted an analysis of investor practices in measuring social impact, reviewed current standards, frameworks and rating schemes, learned about the requirements of the Justice 40 initiative, and analyzed the challenges of measuring impact. The team recommends incorporating government-level regulations on ESG reporting, external metrics, and community engagement, as well as increasing transparency through data collection in the Justice 40 initiative.
Team members of the “Building Resilience in Jackson, Mississippi” team share the background of their project.
Project: Building Resilience in North Jackson, Mississippi
client: Community and University Partnerships Program and Mississippi Citizens Unite for Prosperity
team member: Annie Delgadillo, Daniel Delafield, Quiya Harris, Zoe Lerouge-Hemar, Saj McBurrows, Vanessa Mendoza, Inyul Rizwan and David Yang
The second team worked with community and university partner programs and Mississippi Citizens United for Prosperity to better understand the regional causes of flooding and develop adaptation plans. The team studies the management of upstream reservoir and river systems as well as the community’s history and racial and environmental injustices. The group traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, where they met with their clients, local community members, and learned about the community’s context to better define goals and project outcomes. As their final deliverable, they developed a communications plan for the Brookwood community that community members can use as a tool to enhance engagement.
The two Rwandan teams pose for a photo after the presentation.
Project: E-Waste Recycling in Rwanda
client: Green Rwanda
team member: Pilar Arriaga, Zoe Chan, Ryan Kalugdan, Trevor Kodzis and Taejeong Woo
A third team is working with international e-waste recycling company Enviroserve Rwanda to expand e-waste collection and recycling in the region. Enviroserve Rwanda is currently the only e-waste recycling company in East Africa in a public-private partnership with the Rwandan government. The aim of the project is to create a partnership with the University of Rwanda to recycle e-waste and increase recycling rates through communication strategies.The team includes students from Columbia University and the University of Rwanda who were able to meet in person while students at Columbia University To Kigali During spring break. The team toured the Enviroserve facility and interviewed local schools and organizations.
The E-Waste Recycling team shows photos taken during their trip to Kigali, Rwanda.
Project: Improving Stoves in Rural Rwanda
client: Sustainable Transformation Action
team member: Matthew Capuano-Rizzo, Aliyah Elfar, Sophie Hanin, Elvis Maliza and Shea Strippel
The fourth team also included students from Columbia University and the University of Rwanda. In partnership with Action for Sustainable Transformation, they support the Abakorana Bushake Clean Cookware Cooperative. The goal of the project was to understand how to create efficient, clean stoves in the region. The team researched market entry and strategies to connect consumers with cookware products. While in Kigali, they conducted field visits to markets and stove production sites. They developed recommendations for stove design, quantification and market access.
The Analysis of Greening Phenomena team highlighted the study area in the Morrelganj district of Bangladesh.
Project: Analysis of Greening Phenomena in Polder 32 and Morrelganj Upazila, Bangladesh
team member: Simon Kaplan, Storey Choudhury, Marie Claire Joseph and Camila Rodriguez
A fifth team, working with students at the University of Dhaka, analyzed extreme climate events in Bangladesh, including cyclones, floods, storm surges and droughts. The goal of their project is to understand the factors that cause differences in vegetation patterns in different locations. They analyzed these patterns by Polder 32 and Morrelgani to see if they were of human or natural origin.They developed a method that involves the their trip to bangladesh Qualitative analysis to understand factors affecting greening. They also looked at other threats to the greenery, including saline intrusion into groundwater and past cyclones.
The Bangladesh team smiles and poses for a photo wearing their Bangladesh Tour t-shirts.
Project: Climate Extremes and Migration as Existential Threats to Coastal Bangladesh: Stories of Water Insecurity, Displacement, and Prospects for Community Adaptation
team member: Rebecca Holloway, Brendan Moore and Emily Stone
The sixth team studied water insecurity and displacement in four study sites (Noilcha Char, Jugiadaspara, Polder 32 and Polder 35/1) in Bangladesh. They worked with Dhaka University students during their trip and conducted more than 30 interviews, which were translated and analyzed. Topics they asked about included experiences with climate change, flooding and water use, and migration. Their results concluded that economic opposition, environmental displacement, and religion were the main reasons for migration. They also analyze aid and adaptation trends in the region, as well as the challenges posed by the uneven distribution of aid in the region.
The Surface Water Mapping Algorithm team shares the factors used in their mapping analysis.
Project: Improving the Accuracy of Surface Water Mapping Algorithms in Bangladesh
team member: Nicolas Lopez, Zazoe van Lieshout and Ana Torres
The final Bangladesh team used satellite imagery and remote sensing to map flood events and their impact on local communities in Bangladesh’s Sylhet region. Their project goal is to measure the performance of water map algorithms to improve reliability. They looked at flood index insurance to analyze the frequency and severity of disasters in the region, and loss indices to understand payouts to communities. They created a method for measuring water-mapping algorithms and compared algorithms using hand-labeling and comparative analysis.
The “Using Solar Energy to Promote LL97 Compliance” team shares information about Local Law 97.
Project: Harnessing Solar Energy to Improve House of Worship’s LL97 Compliance
client: New York State Council of Churches and Crauderueff Solar
team member: Timothy Bowen, Scout Burchfield, Nour Elgoweili, Marie Febrillet, Frederick Fyhr, Marine Gapihan, Maya Lameche, Bea Urofsky and Maris Welch
Team Eight worked with the New York State Council of Churches and Cauderueff Solar to identify strategies for using solar energy to advance local laws97 and climate justice in buildings of worship. The team analyzed how different property types are affected by local laws and the potential suitability of solar in buildings across the city. The team researched local law 97 compliance rules, used GIS technology, performed economic analysis, and created survey assessments to better understand homeowners’ knowledge of solar to make recommendations for buildings that are suitable for solar installation. Their final output includes economic analysis and educational materials that their clients can use to understand the path to compliance with local laws.
The “Columbia Intercampus Shuttle” team poses for a photo after presenting their findings.
Project: Efficiency Improvements for Columbia University’s Intercollegiate Shuttle and Park and Ride System
client: Columbia University Transportation
team member: Divya Agarwala, Zoe Dupuis, Heidi Lichtl, Matt Moran, Sarah Nabirye, Georgina Seal, Mona Suzuki and Quan Tan
The final team worked with Columbia Transportation to understand on-campus shuttle transportation, improve shuttle efficiency and accessibility, and expand Lamont Park-and-Ride service. The team conducted an analysis of current shuttle trends and used customer data, surveys and site spot checks to identify where reductions or soft stops could be made. The team made proposals to expand Lamont Park-and-Ride service and proposed a Broadway/Crosstown line. The team researched alternative transportation options and strategies to increase communication and modified shuttle maps and graphics to enhance information access.
The seminar briefings this semester were a great success and we look forward to the seminar briefings next semester in Fall 2023!
Colombian Sustainability Undergraduate Program is an interdisciplinary program that examines sustainable development through the lens of the natural and social science systems.
To learn more about Sustainability Undergraduate Programvisit our website.
