Please join us for the Earth and Environmental Sciences GEOS Colloquium SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE AND THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC Thursday, March 15th, 5:30pm followed by a reception The Graduate Center, CUNY 365 5th Ave, New York, NY Room 4201
“Resilience in Jamaica Bay: the science and humanity of it all,” Adam Parris, Executive Director, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay “Why institutions matter for resilient societies” Denise D. P. Thompson, Department of Public Management, John Jay College "Why resilience requires democracy: an opportunity for NYC & the role of CUNY" Michael Menser, Philosophy and Urban Sustainability Studies, Brooklyn College & EES, CUNY GC BIOs Dr. Thompson is assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where she runs the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Saturday program and teaches courses in Policy Analysis, Research Methods, International Comparative Public Administration, Emergency Management and Organization Theory and Management. Dr. Thompson’s research and publications focus on disaster risk reduction and management among the small-island developing states of the Caribbean. Among her published works are: “Non-linear Policy Change”; “Do Catastrophes in poor countries lead to event-related policy change? The 2010 earthquake in Haiti”; “Disaster logistics in small island developing states: Caribbean perspective"; and “Leveraging Learning to Improve Disaster Management Outcomes” Her forthcoming book, “Disaster Risk Governance: the missing ingredient in Resource Poor Countries”, is scheduled for publication in 2018. Adam Parris, Executive Director, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay: Having lived near estuaries all his life, Adam Parris is passionate about positive change where people, waters, and diverse species converge at the coast and about making science more relevant and useful. Currently, he leads the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay in New York City, a partnership between governmental, research, and community organizations aimed at improving resilience in the region’s coastal waters. Previously, he helped develop the Sea Level Rise Tool for Sandy Recovery, an effort to integrate science on future sea level rise with flood insurance information for rebuilding and recovery efforts. He has been involved in integrating sea level rise information into the coastal planning efforts of a number of Federal agencies, as well as the states of California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. From 2010 – 2015, Mr. Parris directed NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program, a national effort to connect science to climate adaptation and preparedness decisions in different regions across the US. With over 50 scientists from the RISA program, he co-edited and co-authored Climate in Context: Science and Society Partnering for Adaptation, an in-depth exploration of techniques for producing usable knowledge and climate services. He enjoys speaking in public and has done so regularly for over 100 audiences large and small, including local and national media outlets. Mr. Parris won a Presidential Green.gov award as Climate Champion, a NOAA Administrator’s Award, and a Bronze medal from the Department of Commerce. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Environmental Geology from Bucknell University and a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Vermont. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two kids and dog, who are a constant source of inspiration, humility, and good humor. www.srijb.org Dr. Michael Menser is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Urban Sustainability Studies at Brooklyn College and Earth and and Environmental Science and Environmental Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and President and Chair of the Board of the Participatory Budgeting Project. His research and publications are on participatory democracy and public participation particularly as they pertain to socio-ecological resilience, technology, food, and environmental justice and on the commons-infused concept of the social-public (in contrast to the more neoliberal public-private partnership). He was a member of community based “Alliance for a Just Rebuilding” after Superstorm Sandy and contributed to Prospects for Resilience: Insights from NYC's Jamaica Bay. He is the author of We Decide! Participatory Democracy in Theory and Practice (Temple University Press 2018).