The group will advance sustainability research, programming, and practice through an interdisciplinary approach.
Left to right: Jorge Cuartas, Tracy Chippendale, Carolyn Dimitri, Mary Leou, Shondel Nero, and Krishnendu Ray
NYU Steinhardt launched a faculty-led Sustainability Group, supported by the Dean’s Office, to leverage the School’s interdisciplinary approach and New York identity to educate and conduct scholarship on sustainable communities.
The group is co-chaired by Shondel Nero, professor of language education, and Krishnendu Ray, professor of food studies and director of the PhD in Food Studies program.
“Steinhardt is a large and interdisciplinary school, so we intend to take our expansive knowledge of the world and humanity and bring it to bear on advancing sustainability,” says Nero, who co-authored The Power of Narrative: Climate Skepticism and the Deconstruction of Science. “Every discipline at Steinhardt can enter the conversation on supporting sustainable communities from their own unique viewpoint, making for a more comprehensive understanding of education, human development, and communities.”
The group held a launch event held on March 17 to introduce its goals to attendees, as well as give an overview of members’ ongoing and cross-disciplinary research around sustainability, including:
- Jorge Cuartas, assistant professor of applied psychology, and his work on understanding the psychological effect of rising temperatures on children around the world
- Tracy Chippendale, associate professor of occupational therapy, and her work on assistive technology to help the aging population better navigate their communities
- Carolyn Dimitri, professor of food studies and director of the graduate Food Studies program, and her work to better understand the resources farmers need to make maintainable change toward more sustainable farming
- Mary Leou, clinical professor of environmental education and director of the Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education & Sustainability, and her work on the importance of greenspaces and outdoor learning in the city
Shondel Nero at the podium. Seated, left to right: Elise Capella, Kristie Patten, Cecil Scheib, Jack Knott.
Around 40 people attended the launch, including Steinhardt Dean Jack H. Knott; NYU’s Chief Sustainability Officer Cecil Scheib; Vice Provost for University-Wide Initiatives and Graduate Education and Professor of Applied Psychology Elise Cappella; and Professor of Occupational Therapy and Counselor to the President Kristie Patten.
“At Steinhardt, we define sustainability as meeting the human, natural, and material needs of present and future generations while actively working to maintain ethical and equitable relationships with other species and the environment,” said Dean Knott in his opening remarks. “We will be thinking globally and acting locally to educate for sustainable communities and working closely with other NYU climate and sustainability programs.”
Even in its early stages, the Sustainability Group already has activities underway, including collecting sustainability-related syllabi from faculty throughout Steinhardt to be shared with an NYU-wide database of sustainability-related syllabi; launching a bi-monthly newsletter; and surveying the Steinhardt faculty and researchers to expand the group’s membership.
To learn more about the Steinhardt Sustainability Group, please contact Shondel Nero (shondel.nero@nyu.edu) or Ran Mei (rm6723@nyu.edu).
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