This project is led by a team at the Earth Institute of Columbia University.
Columbia’s Earth Institute blends research in the physical and social sciences, education and practical solutions to help guide the world onto a path toward sustainability.
The people who make up the Earth Institute are earth scientists, economists, business and policy experts, specialists in public health and law, researchers, teachers and students. The institute comprises more than two dozen research centers and several hundred people who collaborate across many disciplines and schools at the university.
At our largest research unit, the renowned Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, some of the world's leading scientists study geology, oceans, freshwater systems, climate and atmosphere to better understand the Earth’s systems. By bringing those physical scientists together with experts in economics, law, public health and policy, the institute creates collaborations that help us learn how to best address issues of global sustainability.
We use that knowledge to develop policy and engineer practical solutions to our many challenges: climate change and environmental degradation, rapid urbanization, infectious diseases, natural hazards, the need for clean and accessible energy, water and sanitation, and the sustainable use of resources.
And we are educating the next generation of leaders in earth sciences and sustainable development.
Meet the team
Cassie Xu is the Associate Director of Non-Degree Education and Outreach Programs at the Earth Institute. In this role, she leads the development, implementation, and management of non-degree educational, outreach, and training programs and activities associated with the Institute. These activities include professional learning programs for adult learners, educator training efforts, pre-college programs, and curriculum development for K12 learners, among others. She holds a dual role with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where she has oversight of existing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) efforts for K12 students and educators and public audiences.
Jason Smerdon is a Lamont Research Professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, member of the Earth Institute faculty, and co-director of the Earth Institute's Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development, all at Columbia University. The broad objective of Smerdon's research is to characterize and understand climate variability and change on multi-decadal to centennial timescales. His recent work has focused on hydroclimate variability and change, with an emphasis on multidecadal droughts in North and South America. Smerdon received a B.A. in Physics from Gustavus Adolphus College and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Michigan.
