Stony Brook University

12/12/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/12/2024 12:47

Collaborative for the Earth’s Final Town Hall Of 2024 Looks To External Partnerships

Derek O'Connor, workforce development manager in the Office of Economic Development, said there are opportunities for students and faculty to be involved in external partnerships in the Research and Development Park at Stony Brook. Photos by J.D. Allen.

Off-campus internships, community building and economic development, as well as national college programming: Collaborative for the Earth(C4E) brought together a panel of potential partners for faculty, students and staff to engage with in the year to come.

The Collaborative's third town hall event on December 4 sought to strengthen community and industrial partnerships at Stony Brook University to address local and global environmental issues. Many of these opportunities directly tie into faculty research and give students space to learn with potential employers that are engaged in responding to impacts of climate change, said Heather Lynch, director of Collaborative for the Earth and endowed chair for ecology and evolution in the Institute for Advanced Computational Sciences.

"It's critical that we connect the research we do on campus to real world problems, and that we work closely with partners off campus to make sure we're asking the right questions. Again and again, faculty express a desire for more engagement with the community but building those relationships takes time," Lynch said. "This town hall event was designed to kick start that conversation in a more systematic way than has been done in the past."

In a significant partnership, the Collaborative has created momentum for Stony Brook faculty, students and staff around the university's designation as anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchangeat Governor's Island. This partnership has fostered an internship program with the Exchange this past summer.

Kimberly Joy Dixon, director of Employer Engagement and Diversity Recruitment at the Career Center, said job and internship fairs are designed to connect students and Stony Brook alumni with industry partners, including in climate-focused roles.

Uzair Mahmud, a third-year student studying public health and biology, was one of two interns placed with different Exchange partners: the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). From early June to late August, his role was to help manage the council's events and support staff and grant writing proposals that helped connect art and science.

"This internship is an example of cross-sector collaboration. I, as someone in the sciences, is learning about how we can preserve our sciences, expand our scientific work and bring attention to it through art," Mahmud said. "I'm thankful to this opportunity and hopeful that I can translate my research into something that the masses may be able to understand through their own culture and understanding."

"We need to break down silos through innovative internship opportunities for students and coordinating research with faculty and staff across external partners to rapidly develop sustainable climate solutions," said Kevin Reed, Stony Brook's associate provost for climate and sustainability, and chief climate scientist at the Exchange.

The opportunity with the Exchange was coordinated by the Stony Brook Career Center, as well as other climate-focused events, including job and internship fairs designed to connect students and Stony Brook alumni with industry partners. Those include PSEG Long Island, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Environmental Defense Fund and the National Parks Service.

"Our goal is to work with departments and our partners to make sure that our students are getting experiences, whether it's through the classroom or outside of the classroom, in everything that they do," said Kimberly Joy Dixon, director of employer engagement and diversity recruitment at the Career Center.

"We'd be delighted to have more discussions about how to involve students that have an interest in wildlife conservation issues," echoed John Turner, of the Four Harbors Audubon Society and Seatuck Environmental Association.

Faculty and staff who were present at the town hall were abuzz with interest in opportunities for partnerships facilitated by the Office of Economic Development. Derek O'Connor, the Office's workforce development manager, said there are opportunities located in the Research and Development Park at Stony Brook, including:

"What we try to do is triangulate a center's expertise with an industry need and serve a prioritized population through workforce development programing," O'Connor said.

For example, the Office of Economic Development, School of Professional Development (SPD), and School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS)created interdisciplinary faculty- and industry-guided programs for K-12 students and professionals on the fundamentals of offshore wind and what are the future job opportunities. "We really need to prepare the next generation of workers here in New York," he said, "and through energy and training, like the program that I'm going to talk about in a minute, we can do that."

More federal and state supported partners call Stony Brook home.

Rebecca Shuford, director of New York Sea Grant, said students and faculty were a core part of coastal environmental sustainability, research and community awareness for the entire 50 years that the state-federal partnership has been on campus.

"Everything we do has societal benefit or a connection to trying to make sure information gets into the hands of our coastal constituents to help them be a part of decision-making processes," Shuford said.

- J.D. Allen