CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute

Entrepreneurship Seminar
2024-02-29 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Are you interested in exploring Entrepreneurship as a path to put your science into practice? Then join CUNY CREST at its ‘Entrepreneurship Seminar’ and hear stories from its alumni and learn about helpful resources.
Below are the key event details:
Date: Feb 29, 2024
Time: 1-2 PM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall at the Grove School of Engineering, CCNY
Registration: Click here
Refer to the Entrepreneruship Workshop Flyer for more information
View the seminar recording here.

How Things Work Conference
2024-03-05 13:15 - 15:00 | Great Hall, CCNY, 259 Convent Ave. NY, NY 10031, NY, 10031, United States
CUNY CREST and CUNY HIRES in partnership with NYC Environmental Educators Advisory Council (EEAC), NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center will be co-hosting the upcoming “How Things Work” Eco-Literacy Conference on March 5, 2024 in the Great Hall at CCNY.
The exhibitions will be open to college students, and professionals at 1:15 PM. Register using this sign-up sheet.
Below is some more event information (goals and agenda):

NYC students in middle school and high school and undergrad and graduate students and educators are invited to attend and learn about how environmental systems work from exhibits, guest speakers, and activities.
Exhibitors will help attendees build on their eco-literacy, consider how essential systems work and how students and educators might play a role to feel empowered and take action in addressing environmental stewardship and climate resiliency.
Among the exhibitors will be NYC Parks (Sustainable Facilities), Urban Assembly School for Green Careers, Sanitation Foundation, Empire Clean Cities, The Bronx is Blooming, Sims Municipal Recycling (Balcones Recycling), Lower East Side Ecology Center, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Christodora, Billion Oyster Project, WhyMaker, Solar One, New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) and Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CREFT).
The conference is coordinated by the Environmental Education Projects Forum (the Forum) of the Environmental Education Advisory Council (EEAC) of New York City. EEAC cultivates an inclusive community committed to increasing its capacity to understand and address NYC’s environmental and related societal challenges. EEAC members work together to stimulate and encourage environmental education (EE) in the city and surrounding region.
The Forum is a network of environmental educators across NYC and related professionals working to create and implement projects that establish environmental/sustainability education in schools and non-formal settings.

CCNY Earth Day
2024-05-02 10:20 - 13:30 | North Academic Center, CCNY, NY, United States
Join the CUNY CREST Institute and the City College of New York in celebrating the Earth Day on May 2, 2024. As a reminder to protect our planet that binds us all together, join us to learn how to take action in climate and participate in fun-filled activities such as art competition, poster session, exhibition session with community members, tree planting and more. The theme of this event is ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities.’
*To submit your entry for the art competition, kindly fill out this form and upload in the form/email artwork to crestinstitute@ccny.cuny.edu by April 26, 2024.*
Refer to the Earth Day Flyer for more details.
Register to Attend: Click Here.

What about Nuclear Waste? by American Nuclear Society
2024-07-10 12:00 - 12:55 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Join the CUNY CREST Institute and the Earth System Science & Environmental Engineering Program (ESE) in partnership with the American Nuclear Society for a seminar on ‘What about Nuclear Waste?’ on July 11, 2024 from 12 to 12:55 pm EDT in the Exhibit room, ST-124 or via zoom.

After spending 4 to 6 years in a nuclear power reactor, the fuel is considered “spent” or “used” and is removed from the reactor. Most of what people refer to as nuclear waste is this used fuel. To understand this fuel, and why it is considered waste, we must recognize the nuclear fuel cycle. This presentation will give you a quick tour of the nuclear fuel cycle and then answer the questions: what is radioactive waste, where does radioactive waste come from, and can we manage radioactive waste safely?
Professor Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, PhD will serve as the seminar speaker. She is professor of Nuclear Engineering and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Idaho State University. She has a PhD in nuclear engineering and MS in environmental engineering from Penn State University and a BS in chemistry from Cedar Crest College. Her nuclear career spans ~25 years, during which she has per- formed research in various aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including waste form development, spent fuel pyroprocessing, spent TRISO particle fuel qualification for disposal, fuel and material development and characterization (pre- and post-irradiation), development of a waste minimization plan for a next generation nuclear reactor de- sign, and fuel cycle modeling.
Refer to the flyer for more details: Lecture 7-11-24 flyer
Lunch (pizza) will be served!

Deciphering the Role of Human-induced Climate Change in Flooding in India and its Impact
2024-07-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Marshak 105/107, CCNY, NY, United States
Join the CUNY CREST Institute for the second event under its Deliver, Dialogue, Discuss & Discourse (D4) Series i.e. a seminar focussing on Deciphering the Role of Human-induced Climate Change in Flooding in India and its Impact. Dr. Arpita Mondal, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India will serve as the speaker. This is a great opportunity to attend her talk and ask any questions you may have!
Below are important event details:
Day and Date: Monday, July 15, 2024
Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm EDT
Venue: Marshak 105/107, CCNY & Virtual
RSVP to Attend: Click Here
Dr. Mondal is also an associate faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies. Her research focuses on hydroclimatic extremes such as heat waves, floods and droughts – how they can be characterized, what causes them, and how they are likely to evolve with climate change. She uses a combination of statistical analysis, physical understanding and computer model simulations. Dr. Mondal serves as an Associate Editor of Earth’s Future, Journal of Hydrology and Hydrological Sciences Journal. She has been featured in the book ‘She Is: 75 Indian Women in STEAM’ by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and the Red Dot Foundation. Dr. Mondal completed her PhD in Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, when she had received the Endeavour Research Fellowship of the Government of Australia, the Fulbright-Nehru Research Fellowship of the United-States India Education Forum, and the Berkner Travel Grant of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
Refer to the D4 Flyer for more details.
In-person attendance is highly encouraged. If for some reason you are not able to attend in-person, please use this zoom link to join virtually.
We look forward to your participation and request that you also share this event with others who may benefit from attending!

GEO-REU Seminar: Developing Ethical and Responsible AI for the Earth Sciences
2024-07-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Join the CUNY CREST Institute for a GEO-REU Seminar on Developing Ethical and Responsible AI for the Earth Sciences by Dr. Amy McGovern, Professor of Computer Science, University of Oklahoma, and Director of NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography. You must RSVP here to attend.
Below are important event details:
Date: July 23, 2024
Time: 12-1:30 pm ET
Location: Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall, GSOE and Virtual
Flyer for more details:GEO-REU Seminar
This is a great opportunity to learn about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for early career STEM students, ethics and why it matters in GEO applications, and what is ChatGPT and how to use it safely and fairly. You will also get a chance to interact with the speaker through a Q&A session!

2nd Annual Celebrating Research Excellence Symposium
2024-08-08 08:30 - 15:00 | CityTech, CUNY, 285 Jay St., Brooklyn, New York, NY, 11201, United States
The 2nd Annual Celebrating Research Excellence Symposium will be held at CityTech Main Lobby, Academic Building at City Tech, 285 Jay St., Brooklyn NY 11201 on August 8, 2024 from 8:30 am to 3 pm ET.
For more details, refer to the agenda here.

NOAA Hollings and EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship Program Informational Session
2024-10-17 12:30 - 13:50 | Marshak 105/107, CCNY, NY, United States
Are you a US citizen and a sophomore interested in gaining rich internship experience in oceanic and atmospheric science, integrating technology, and social science? Join us to learn about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institution (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (USP)!
Speakers:
– Dr. Shakila Merchant, Director, CUNY CREST HIRES Doctoral Faculty, CUNY Graduate Center, Grove School of Engineering, CCNY
– Mr. Jose Armando Keppis, 2024 NOAA EPP/MSI U.G. (USP) Scholar, B.E. in Earth System Science and Environmental Engineering, CCNY
– Ms. Sor Bello, 2024 NOAA EPP/MSI U.G. (USP) Scholar, B.E. in Earth System Science and Environmental Engineering, CCNY

View the event flyer here and register here to attend!

Seminar Series: Global Navigation Satellite System Remote Sensing of the Earth’s Atmosphere, Ionosphere, and Surface: Student Opportunities at NSF NCAR|UCAR|UCP
2024-10-31 12:00 - 15:00
CREST D4 Seminar Series
Join the delegates from NCAR & UCAR during their visit to the CUNY CREST Institute.
There will be a presentation on “Global Navigation Satellite System Remote Sensing of the Earth’s Atmosphere, Ionosphere, and Surface” with the goal of creating a collaboration opportunity for Faculty, post-docs, and graduate students to work with NCAR, and UCAR.
Date: October 31, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 3:30 PM
For Virtual Participants: Join with ZOOM
There will be an opportunity to engage with the delegates in small team to discuss collaborative topics of interest.
Video of Student Opportunities

view Presentation
Video of D4 Seminar

view Presentation
Flyers
Download Flyer for D4 Seminar
Download Flyer for Student Opportunities

Integration of Vantage Points, Programs, and Approaches for Space-Based Earth Remote Sensing
2024-11-21 12:30 - 13:30 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Date/Time: November 21, 2024 @ 12:30 pm
Location: Steinman Exhibit Room ST124
ZOOM: Click here
Presented by: Jack A. Kaye, Associate Director for Research, Earth Science Division, NASA HQ Science Mission Directorate

The vantage point of space provides a way to look at the Earth globally, with the ability to observe Earth’s interacting components (air, water, land, ice) and both naturally- occurring and human-induced processes. It lets us look at variability on a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, and, given the decades of accomplishment, has allowed us to characterize and document Earth System variability on time scales from minutes to decades. The size and complexity of the Earth mean that no one nation, program, vantage point, or observing technique can make all the needed observations to understand Earth’s recent evolution and provide needed information to support prediction about its future evolution. Integration across vantage points (space, airborne, surface) is important given their complementary nature (as well as supporting calibration and validation activities for current and future missions), as is that across programs (national, government/commercial), and approaches (e.g., active, passive). In this talk, a review of how NASA’s Earth Science Division integrates across vantage points, observing programs, and observing approaches will be presented, with recent examples provided.
Flyer: KaySeminar11212024

Nature Water - New Journal in the Nature Portfolio
2025-01-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Join the CUNY CREST Institute for a seminar to learn about Nature Water- a new journal on Thursday, January 30, 2025 from 12 to 1 pm EST in the Exhibit room, GSOE at City College.
Nature Water, which launched in 2023, covers all elements of research related to the relationship between society and water resources. Dr. Karin Sjöstrand, a member of the editorial team from the journal’s inception, will discuss the lead-up to and launch of Nature Water, how it fits within the wider Nature family, and the editing and publishing processes at Springer Nature. Nature Water focuses on the natural sciences (primarily Earth and environmental science), engineering (including environmental, civil, chemical, and materials engineering), and social sciences (economy, human geography, and sociology, among other disciplines), with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary research. The purpose of the journal is to publish studies that will help advance fundamental understanding and have an impact on practical technology applications and policy implementation possibilities.
To learn more, view the Flyer. pdf.

A Python Workshop to Efficiently Access, Deliver, Visualize, and Analyze Big Environmental Data in the Cloud
2025-02-19 12:30 - 16:30
Join the CREST Institute for a hands-on Python workshop by Ryan Paul Lafler on February 19, 2025 from 12:30 to 4:30 pm ET at the City College of New York.
Learn more about the event and access the zoom using the QR code on the flyer below:
Python Workshop Flyer Feb 19 2025

CREST Annual Retreat
2025-10-20 09:00 - 16:00 | Center for Workers Education, Broadway, New York, New York

CREST HOLIDAY PARTY
2025-12-09 16:00 - 19:00 | Shepard 250, CCNY, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, 10031, United States

Entrepreneurship Speaker Series by TiE New Jersey and CUNY CREST | Session 1: How People Actually Start a Company
2026-03-19 12:00 - 14:00 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
We’re excited to announce Session 1 of the Entrepreneurship Speaker Series by TiE New Jersey & CUNY CREST. This is the first in a series of six-monthly seminars beginning this semester & concluding in the Fall. Learn more about the whole series here.

Topic: How People Actually Start a Company

Speaker: Dr. Venkatraman Balasubramanian, Strategic Advisor, Mentor, Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, Author

Event Details:
Date & Time: March 19, 2026 | 12:00-2:00 PM
Location: Exhibit Room, GSOE at City College/ Zoom Link
Schedule: 12pm- Networking & Pizza, 12:30 pm- Speaker Presentation, 1:30 pm- Networking Continues

What to Expect:
You’ll learn how founders gain momentum, overcome uncertainty, validate ideas, and discover that mindset is the first startup asset. Open to all CUNY students and faculty. Read the flyer here for details. Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and be inspired. Please share with colleagues, students, or anyone who could benefit from this event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Video Recording of the Seminar:
Recording Link | Passcode: [REDACTED]

Entrepreneurship Seminar Series by CREST & TiE New Jersey Session 2: Design Thinking-Building For Your User
2026-04-16 12:00 - 14:00 | 6-105 NAC, CCNY
Session 2 of the Entrepreneurship Seminar Series by CUNY CREST and TiE New Jersey. This is a series of six monthly seminars beginning this semester and concluding in the Fall.

Topic: Design Thinking-Building for Your User
Speaker: Ami Rao Elisman, Founder at Morro: Behavioral Design & Designing for Adoption

Event Details:
Date & Time: April 16, 2026 | 12:00-2:00 PM
Location: North Academic Center (NAC) 6-105 at CCNY | Zoom Link

What to Expect:
You’ll learn how to understand your users and uncover their needs, move past assumptions to define the right problem, and choose and test solutions that genuinely serve your audience.

Read the flyer here for details.

Seminar on Microbial Resource Management in Engineered and Natural Ecosystems
2026-04-29 12:00 - 13:00 | T 105 at Steinman Hall in the Grove School of Engineering (CCNY), 275 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, United States
The CUNY CREST Institute and the Civil Engineering Department at the City College of New York invite you to an upcoming seminar on Microbial Resource Management in Engineered and Natural Ecosystems.
Speaker: Dr. Ramesh Goel, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Utah
Date & Time: April 29, 2026 | 12:00-1:00 PM
Location: ST-105, Grove School of Engineering, CCNY/ Zoom link
This seminar will explore microbial resource management (MRM) as an integrative framework linking microbial community structure to ecosystem function in both engineered and natural systems. Topics include advances in wastewater treatment, genomic and computational tools for microbial analysis, and insights into microbial diversity and reactor optimization.
Dr. Goel’s research focuses on environmental microbiology, wastewater treatment processes, microbial community dynamics, and computational bioinformatics. He has published extensively in leading journals such as Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, and Water Research, and his work is supported by NSF, USEPA, and other major agencies.
Flyer for details.

BATWorks Tour at the Brooklyn Army Terminal
2026-04-30 11:00 - 14:30 | BATWorks Temporary Space 102 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220, BATWorks Temporary Space 102 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11220, United States
Join us for a visit to BATWorks at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) on Thursday, April 30th from 11:00 am to approximately 1:30–2:30 pm. This event will provide students, faculty, and staff from CUNY CREST, City Tech, and anyone else from CUNY an opportunity to tour the BATWorks temporary facility and learn more about the vision for the future site.
BATWorks is a climate innovation hub and incubator based at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, supporting startups, workforce development, and applied research in sustainable and clean technologies through a partnership between CUNY, NYU, and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).
Participants will gain insight into emerging workforce development and entrepreneurship programs in climate technology developed through this collaboration. If you are interested in exploring opportunities in climate innovation, applied research, and career pathways in this growing sector, we encourage you to register by April 27th.
Lunch will be provided | Limited Capacity
For more information, contact: Hamid Norouzi at HNorouzi@CityTech.Cuny.Edu
Registration Link: https://shorturl.at/aB3OI
Address: BATWorks Temporary Space 102 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220
Thursday, April 30th from 11:00 am to approximately 1:30-2:30 pm
BATWorks Tour Flyer

Virtual Seminar: Building a Resilient Australian Great Barrier Reef
2026-04-30 12:15 - 13:30
What does it take to build resilience in one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems?
Join the upcoming virtual seminar, Building a Resilient Australian Great Barrier Reef, featuring leading voices in reef science and resilience practice. We are honored to welcome Fred Nucifora, General Manager for Major Projects at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), as our featured speaker.
Organized by the CUNY CREST International Collaboration Pillar led by Juan Mercado, Neal Phillip, Ph. D., Paramita Sen, and Nir Krakauer, this session will highlight current research and management efforts supporting the long-term health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef, with a focus on climate adaptation, ecosystem monitoring, and global collaboration.
📍April 30, 2026 | 12:15-1:30 PM EDT | Zoom: https://shorturl.at/xIcce
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eTTsFe_y
We look forward to your participation!

Science Talk by CREST Faculty Affiliate Dr. Linda Y. Tseng
2026-06-10 10:00
We are pleased to invite you to the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH’s) upcoming Science Talk on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, from 10:00–11:00 AM EST.

CREST Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Linda Y. Tseng, Assistant Professor at the City University of New York, will deliver the talk on Using Radiocarbon Analysis to Understand Fossil Carbon in Water Recovery Processes: Implications of Fossil Carbon for IPCC Greenhouse Gas Methodologies. She will discuss how radiocarbon analysis has revealed fossil carbon in wastewater systems and how this finding is reshaping greenhouse gas accounting frameworks, including updates to IPCC guidelines.

Please register here to join the session. Meeting details will be shared with all registered participants upon registration.

Talk on AI, Sustainable Development, and the Future by Tshilidzi Marwala
2026-06-23 11:30 - 12:30 | Exhibit Room, Steinman Hall at Grove School of Engineering, 259 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
You are invited to an upcoming talk on Artificial Intelligence, Sustainable Development, and the Future by Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Event Details:
Date: June 23, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Location: Exhibit Room at GSOE in The City College of New York/Zoom Link
This talk will explore how artificial intelligence is shaping sustainable development across critical areas such as climate, health, education, and resilient cities. It will also examine AI’s role in accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while addressing the risks and challenges of its unchecked use. The session will further highlight the United Nations’ role in promoting responsible and inclusive AI governance.

Read the Flyer for details:
_Seminar Flyer (June 23)
