Climate Week NYC

During this workshop, we will showcase youth education programs from The New York Climate Exchange Partners with a 30-minute overview of Partner programs and then 60 minutes of hands-on activities demonstrating the programs around virtual mapmaking, data literacy, in relation to climate literacy and resilience in communities with a focus on NYC neighborhoods. Each program will have a table/station with hands-on activities in the room that folks will rotate between every 15 to 30 minutes.

Climate Week Data Literacy
Register for Free
Climate Week Living Buildings
Register for Free

Climate Week NYC

It’s no longer enough to be sustainable. We must be resilient. A key solution is carbon-neutral, net-positive energy, net-positive water Living Buildings. 

This session will feature Shan Arora, David Erdman, and Matthijs Bouw. They will (1) discuss how Living Buildings promote climate mitigation and adaptation, (2) provide a design and research perspective on buildings as part of the climate solution, and (3) present strategies to achieve “resilience value” in the implementation of complex projects.

The Exchange at Georgia Tech will have a lead member in nine of the ten inaugural New York Climate Exchange program teams. In addition to their work with the other New York Climate Exchange partners on the core program teams, each Georgia Tech lead will work with an expanded team of Georgia Tech researchers, academics, staff members, and students to bring the best of Georgia Tech to The New York Climate Exchange efforts and to move the work of their program team forward. 

These team descriptions represent the teams that will comprise the anticipated programming workstream through Summer 2024. The details of the specific activities, deliverables, and timelines may evolve as the work develops.

To join the expanded team at The Exchange at Georgia Tech please contact the designated Georgia Tech Lead.

1. Amplifying Meaningful Partnerships (AMP) Grant Pilot Program Administration 

Debriefing the AMP Grant Pilot Program and strategizing future opportunities to support and amplify collaborative community-based programming. 

  • Core Activities: Review outcomes of the Pilot AMP Grant Program to discern impact and effectiveness; inventory existing community grant programs at partner universities and corporations; think creatively about other pathways to supporting collaborative community-based programs; recommend make recommendations to NYCE Leadership on funding and administration of potential future community funding programs.
  • Deliverable: A concept note to recommend community-funding structure for FY 2025 based on the team’s review of the pilot program and process.
  • Timeline: February – June 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Kris Chatfield, Program and Portfolio Manager, Center for Sustainable Communities Research & Education (SCoRE).
AMP
BOOST

2. Research Activation 

Identifying the types and mechanisms of research that effectively expands and activates The New York Climate Exchange's unique partnership model.

  • Core Activities: Develop guiding principles; understand the needs of our research communities; identify and develop vehicles; identify opportunities to involve the community; and identify impact measurements. 
  • Deliverable: Concept note that details recommended research pipeline development process. 
  • Timeline: February – May 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: no Phase 1 GT Lead.

3. Earth Day/Week Planning 

Developing and executing activities for The New York Climate Exchange to sponsor or partner on for Earth Week 2024.

  • Core Activities: Determine approach to Earth Week 2024 in line with The New York Climate Exchange’s current capacity and priorities; develop and deploy identified activities.
  • Deliverable: One to three New York Climate Exchange-hosted and/or promoted events for Earth Week 2024.
  • Timeline: February – April 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Jairo Garcia, Adjunct Faculty Sustainable Urban Development, School of City and Regional Planning, College of Design.
     
Earth Day
Grants

4. Research External Funding

Recommending a research grants strategy for The New York Climate Exchange that reflects the diversity of grants strategies across The New York Climate Exchange's partner network. 

  • Core Activities: Survey of New York Climate Exchange Partners (incl. community) to determine their internal interest and capability to apply for grant programs; Analyze federal, state, and local grant funding sources for which The New York Climate Exchange could apply; Recommend a short-term grants strategy.
  • Deliverable: Concept note that details a recommended grants strategy.
  • Timeline: March – May 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Saeedah Hickman, Senior Director, EVPR Administration, Office of the Executive Vice President for Research.

5. Climate Exchange Innovation Challenge

Planning and executing a hackathon-like program for students from New York Climate Exchange partner universities to use AI to develop creative technology-based solutions to a climate challenge, leveraging the IBM Call for Code platform.

  • Core Activities: Determine subject matter of Innovation Challenge; garner participation from New York Climate Exchange partners; deploy IBM Call for Code technology; gather data to use for the challenge; roll out marketing and promotion for the program; execute the program with on-campus and in-person component.
  • Deliverable: Execution of Innovation Challenge.
  • Timeline: February – September 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Sean Alexander, Georgia Tech Class of 2023 (December graduate), Executive Director, Startup Exchange (outgoing).

Team Hydro Heroes was one of two Georgia Tech finalists in the Innovation Challenge. 

6. Internships

Designing an undergraduate internship program for summer 2024 pilot where college students could be placed at New York Climate Exchange Partner organizations.

  • Core Activities: Engage New York Climate Exchange Partners to determine interest in internship program; Investigate opportunities for a curricular component for the internship; Develop a standard internship job description; Develop a standard internship timeline; Engage in outreach to promote summer internship program; Develop an application and interview process to select and place interns.
  • Deliverable: Selection and matching of interns to New York Climate Exchange community partners; summer curriculum with educational, experiential, and professional development components.
  • Timeline: January – June 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Inge Rocker, Professor School of Architecture | College of Design, Chair USEC | GATECH Colleges, Founder & Chair Industry Innovation | Circular Economy Lab (I2CE).

Summer 2024 Internship

The Summer 2024 intern cohort consisted of undergraduate students representing students from the following universities: City University of New York, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, Pace University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stony Brook University. Interns received a stipend and worked individually for 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday) but came together on Fridays for educational and professional skills development opportunities. Georgia Tech had two students in this inaugural cohort of interns.

Allison Eberhardt

As an architecture student at Georgia Tech, Allison's passion lies in creating sustainable communities that prioritize environmental stewardship and social well-being. She volunteers with Paint Love, a nonprofit organization dedicated to utilizing art for community change and healing. This summer, she is excited to merge her academic background with her volunteer work at Beam Center, an organization dedicated to fostering collaboration and interdisciplinary learning in STEAM fields. Here, she looks forward to contributing to projects that seamlessly blend architecture, sustainability, and community engagement, while also expanding her knowledge of climate issues through the New York Climate Exchange.

Rhea Joshi

Rhea is pursuing a degree in Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. She is working with a team of students and faculty to address sustainability in the Bahamas. She is an editorial intern of The Environmental Magazine, part of Scientific American. This summer, she is excited to work with Solar One to spread the word about educating and implementing a green workforce. She looks forward to applying the knowledge she gains while working with Solar One to the construction of sustainable buildings and climate policy to help combat climate change. 

7. NYC K-12 Education

Identifying opportunities for The New York Climate Exchange to support and/or develop climate-related K-12 programming within New York City.

  • Core Activities: Assess existing climate curriculum within New York City Public Schools; Assess existing vocational programs within New York City Public Schools that are aligned to green careers; Analyze opportunities for The New York Climate Exchange to amplify existing curricular or vocational models and/or to create novel and sharable curriculum; Recommend a short-term K-12 engagement strategy.
  • Deliverable: A concept note, described above, that analyzes existing K-12 climate education and recommends one to three initiatives The New York Climate Exchange could support or lead.
  • Timeline: February – May 2024. 
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Allen Hyde, Associate Professor, School of History and Sociology.
K-12 Education
On-Island Research

8. Research on Governors Island

Identifying near-term opportunities to conduct research on and/or around Governors Island.

  • Core Activities: Assess pre-construction opportunities for research on Governors Island, ideally integrating The New York Climate Exchange's physical plan; Recommend a short-term on-island research strategy.
  • Deliverable: A concept note that contains one to three options for research activities that NYCE could promote in the pre-construction phase.
  • Timeline: February – May 2024. 
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Michael Gamble, Architect + Associate Professor College of Design | School of Architecture; Director, Modern Cities Study Abroad, Western Europe; Chair, Advisory Board, Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design.

9. Research Convening

Determining The New York Climate Exchange’s near-term approach to convening around climate-related research through virtual or in-person settings and identifying a few near-term potential areas of focus. Recommending an approach to this first convening of this kind.

  • Core Activities: Determine the best ways to engage researchers through The New York Climate Exchange in the near-term; determine The New York Climate Exchange’s unique value proposition of convenings like these, given current resourcing and the vast partner network; identify a few promising topics to convene around; plan the first of such recommended convenings; recommend convening strategy moving forward.
  • Deliverable: A concept note that details the recommended convening strategy and a few promising topics for near-term convenings; planning and execution of the first of such convenings.
  • Timeline: February – June 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Annalisa Bracco, Professor and Associate Chair for Research,
    School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Research Workshops
Workforce Development

10. Workforce Development

Determining near-term workforce development opportunities for The New York Climate Exchange to support or lead based on existing activities among New York Climate Exchange partners and across New York City.

  • Core Activities: Identify terms that require standard definitions for The New York Climate Exchange; solicit input from New York Climate Exchange community partners; review workforce priorities as identified in the Green Economy Action Plan; coordinate with communications team to determine communications opportunities for glossary-related communications; coordinate with The New York Climate Exchange capital development team to determine workforce training opportunities related to The New York Climate Exchange’s physical site construction on Governors Island; conduct landscape analysis of existing definitions and programs that could be relevant to all activities.
  • Deliverable: A “green economy glossary” that standardizing relevant definitions for The New York Climate Exchange’s internal use; developing concept note to lay the foundation for communication of the contents of this glossary to external audiences; a concept note to recommend a workforce development strategy to support the construction of The New York Climate Exchange’s physical site on Governors Island.
  • Timeline: February – May 2024.
  • Georgia Tech Lead: Frank Wickstead, Professor of Practice, School of Building Construction.