The ninth annual Student Conference on Conservation Science - New York took place at the American Museum of Natural History October 24-26, 2018. Over 300 students, postdocs, and early-career scientists, representing 25 countries and 25 U.S states, got together at the museum to take part in the only international series of conservation conferences featuring students.
Emerging conservation scientists were provided with opportunities to present and get feedback on their work, gain experience and make contacts to help them launch their careers. In addition to plenary talks, panel discussions and mentorship from leading conservation professionals, selected participants presented their research through 89 talk, speed-talk, and poster presentations. Participants were offered 11 in-depth, interactive workshops on a variety of conservation topics, 6 ‘behind the scenes’ museum collection tours and a Resource and Career Fair with 29 representatives from NGOs, government agencies, and universities.
SCCS‐NY 2018 featured the Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Panel Discussion as a special public program on the evening of Thursday, October 25. The focus of the discussion was "Conservation and Resilience: What Climate Change is Teaching Us", and panelists explored how climate change affects the places where we live and work and how we are thinking about energy, our built environment, and conservation of nature in the face of changing landscapes, as well as some of the innovations that are making a difference.
Professor, Department of Biology at the University of Puerto Rico; Associate Director, Casa Pueblo
Arturo Massol-Deyá is a biologist and community organizer in Puerto Rico. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, he worked together with the community-based organization Casa Pueblo to lead a local response to provide energy and equipment to those in need, and change the island's energy policies from fossil-fuel dependence towards renewable energy sources.
Research Social Scientist, U.S. Forest Service
Erika Svendsen is a leader in the field of environmental stewardship as it relates to community development, governance, and human well-being. She is the co-Director of the New York City urban field station, a special partnership between the Forest Service, NYC Parks, and several NGOs and academic institutions aimed to join research and practice to improve the quality of life in urbanizing areas.
Landscape Architect, Educator, and Community Organizer, Co-Founder Local Office
Jennifer Bolstad is a landscape architect, an educator, and a community organizer for social and environmental justice. Her ecology-driven design works stars with modeling vulnerabilities, such as storm surge, and exploring infrastructural solutions.
Urban Designer, Co-Founder Local Office
Walter Meyer is an urban designer who uses ecosystem services to create resilient hydrology and energy systems, especially in vulnerable coastal communities. In 2013 he was recognized by the White House as a "Champion of Change" for his work with alternate energy in the recovery after Superstorm Sandy.
Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History
The Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series was established in honor of Dr. Mack Lipkin, Sr., by his many friends and admirers. Dr. Lipkin was a physician who was a gentle and powerful force in advancing the most humane and caring practices of medicine. The 2018 panel is presented in collaboration with the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy.
This event free public event was organized as a part of the Student Conference on Conservation Science-New York (SCCS-NY).
Professor, Department of Biology at the University of Puerto Rico; Associate Director, Casa Pueblo.Dr. Arturo A. Massol-Deyá is from the mountainous municipality of Adjuntas in Puerto Rico where his parents founded the community-based organization Casa Pueblo. Working to conserve the island’s biodiversity and to protect its critical watersheds from industrial activities such as mining, Casa Pueblo has led the establishment of two community-based protected forest areas - changing the Island's forestry policy and catalyzing an increase of protected areas from 3.7% to 8% of the land area.In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, Dr. Massol-Deyá worked together with Casa Pueblo to lead a community response that aimed to change the energy policies of a country that is dependent on fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy sources. Serving as an energy oasis, providing energy and equipment to those in need following the hurricane, the initiative demonstrates how community-based resource management can end reliance on fossil fuels while conserving natural resources and fulfilling its global responsibility to mitigate global warming and social inequalities.
Research Social Scientist, U.S. Forest Service. Dr. Erika Svendsen is a leader in the field of environmental stewardship as it relates to community development, governance, and human well-being. She is the co-Director of the New York City urban field station, a special partnership between the Forest Service, NYC Parks, and several NGOs and academic institutions. The goal of the field station is to join research and practice to improve the quality of life in urbanizing areas by conducting, supporting, and communicating research about social-ecological systems and natural resource management. The field station is part of a growing network of cities and agencies working to advance research, cultivate ideas, and foster collaboration among scientists and practitioners focused on urban forestry and ecology as they relate to social-cultural issues.Erika is co-author of the book, How Planting Trees Strengthens the Roots of Democracy. She has received the Forest Service Chief's Award for engaging urban America and an Early Career Scientist Award recognizing her co-development of STEW-MAP, a sustainability tool for assessing and visualizing the contributions of civic stewardship groups in caring for their local environment. Erika is also the former director of NYC Parks’ GreenThumb community gardening program and has worked for The Rockefeller Foundation on leadership issues in the field of environment and development.
Major funding for the 2018 Student Conference on Conservation Science has been provided by Marshall M. Weinberg.
Conference Partners:
Conference Contributors:
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Pace University