News and Events

Far from the bustle of Columbia’s campus, a group of undergraduate students in degree programs managed by the Climate School Office of Undergraduate Programs recently journeyed to Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, to explore sustainability through lived experience.

The Cuttyhunk Practicum, which began in 2024 as a partnership between Columbia and Barnard professors Jason Smerdon and Sandra Goldmark and the Gull Island Institute’s Classroom-To-Island initiative, offers sustainable development students a hands-on opportunity to examine what it means to inhabit a place well.

Designed to fulfill the…

We got wonderful news today!  Richard and Aandishah were both honored with annual awards at Lamont.  In his announcement, interim director Steve Goldstein described the accomplishments as follows.

Today Richard Seager, Palisades Geophysical Institute Lamont Research Professor, received the 21st Scientific Excellence in Mentoring Award. This award honors outstanding members of our scientific staff who go above and beyond to support, guide, and empower others.

Richard’s nominators included 7 graduate students. Here is an excerpt from the nomination: “Across the board, [Richard]…

There was lots to celebrate at the end of the academic year.  We took the opportunity to get the group together and celebrate some notable accomplishments.  Hannah passed her oral exams this semester.  Tehreem graduated and presented her senior thesis.  And Aandishah was elected president of the GSAS Graduate Council.  Oh, there were also some notable papers published by Anson and Yelin this semester.  Congrats to everyone on their wonderful accomplishments!

Tehreem Qureshi successfully presented her senior thesis at the annual Senior Thesis Poster Session on April 24th.  In addition to marking this important milestone, Tehreem was also awarded the Walter C. Pitman III Award.  This award "acknowledges excellence in research and presentation as expressed by the senior thesis, and allows the recipient to attend an international scientific meeting and present his/her research results."  Congratulations to Tehreem on a fantastic accomplishment and recognition, and to Anson and Yelin who worked as her primary mentors on her senior thesis!…

The Columbia Climate School Office of Undergraduate Programs recently hosted its third annual Alumni Career Conversations Panel, featuring three alumni from the Sustainable Development Program (SDEV). The event offered an opportunity for current Columbia students to learn about the various sectors and future career paths open to students interested in pursuing climate and sustainability-related careers. Kayran Abasali (CC’13), Annie Evangelakos (Block) (CC’19) and Anthony Perez (CC’21) shared their diverse experiences during and after the program, including work spanning both the public and…

The Midwinter Climate Institute 2025 has just concluded, leaving behind a wave of inspiration and new resources for 500 New York City Public School (NYCPS) educators committed to integrating climate change education (CCE) into their classrooms. Held over three days—two in-person sessions at Teachers College, Columbia University, and one remote learning day—this Institute provided a collaborative space for K-12 teachers to engage with experts, exchange best practices, and explore multidisciplinary approaches to climate education. Funded by the NYC Mayor’s Office, anc co-sponsored…

On January 9, as deadly wildfires raged across the Los Angeles area, destroying thousands of structures and displacing tens of thousands of residents, Columbia University hosted the first day of its Attribution Science and Climate Law Conference. Co-organized by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Columbia Climate School, the conference brought together scientists, legal experts, policymakers and advocates to explore how advancements in climate attribution science can shape litigation, policy and governance.

Attribution science is a rapidly evolving field that…

More than 13,000 droughts spanning years have overwhelmed our planet across nearly four decades. These severe droughts are becoming hotter, longer and more devastating as our planet’s global temperature increases, new research has found.

Some of the worst drought effects appear in grassland areas — such as in eastern Australia as well as in the western United States, where Los Angeles is battling a spate of deadly and destructive wildfires. Additionally, researchers recently identified thousands of other multiyear droughts that may be overlooked on a global scale.

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Still, assessing…

As we grapple with climate change’s devastating and escalating effects, it’s logical to ask why past administrations didn’t take steps to mitigate the crisis well before it escalated. Yet one of the most compelling, if unheeded, voices of caution came from Jimmy Carter, the country’s 39th president, who passed away on December 29. 

“Jimmy Carter’s recognition of the climate threat in the 1970s was in some ways prescient, but also a recognition of the sound scientific evidence that existed even at that time,” says Jason Smerdon, a professor of climate at Columbia Climate School…

The Center for Science and Society is pleased to announce four new members to our Executive Committee. These faculty members join a diverse community of researchers and scholars from across Columbia University who provide oversight on the Center's programming, fundraising, and future directors. Read More

Our group had a big week at AGU!  There was lots of activity in the poster halls and many excellent sessions.  Check out all of the action shots below.

Check out all of our lab presentations at AGU.  They are listed below in chronological order.  Come by and say hi!

MONDAY

GC13E-0228

Characterizing the Unprecedented Co-Occurrence of 2023 Boreal Summer Heat Extremes in Central America, Western Europe, and Central Asia

Tehreem Qureshi, Anson H Cheung, Yelin Jiang, Jason E Smerdon

PP01-16

Comparison of Global Climatic Responses to Large Tropical Volcanic Eruptions Over the Last Millennium in Paleoclimatic Reconstructions and Model Simulations

Zhaoxiangrui He, Ernesto Tejedor, Jason E Smerdon, Mathias F Vuille,…