Stony Brook University’s response to an unnamed, once-in-a-century storm last August was a masterclass in climate resilience.
Suffolk County, New York recorded more than nine inches of rain in 24 hours, a rare event that exceeded prior records. This particular storm caused major damage due to heavy rains, storm surge and aging infrastructure.
The Stony Brook community saw devastation to nearby Mill Pond, causing millions of dollars in damage to roads, homes and businesses that were washed away, and even damages to a few residence halls on campus. In two weeks, students were expected to start classes; they were still unboxing from moving in during the prior weekend.
For Interim President Richard L. McCormick, the intensity of extreme weather called for around-the-clock cleanup efforts just weeks into his tenure, emergency contingency plans and forcing new students, including those from overseas, to alter their expectations for the new year. Like no other storm in the university’s history, the timing of this event placed climate change center stage.
Bringing It Home
“Stony Brook University seeks to advance conversations on climate change and its implications for our state, nation and the world,” McCormick said. As he reflected on this critical moment, he told the campus community he remained “impressed, but not surprised, with the campus’s optimism, determination and ability to bounce back from this untimely challenge.”
By September, McCormick took his campus’ key learnings from this recent struggle to Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, held in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly and the City of New York. “Nowhere is the connection between knowledge, education, and addressing critical societal issues more clear than through our work in climate,” said McCormick at the time.
The opportunity to present at the event for the first time arose following strong partnerships made in recent years to rise against climate change in New York and beyond.
We’re the Anchor
In 2023, the university was named the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange — a new non-profit center for climate solutions — to draw on expertise from Stony Brook faculty, staff and students to enhance research opportunities and programming with dozens of academic, corporate and non-profit community partners. The Exchange is based on Governors Island, a 172-acre island nestled between Manhattan and Brooklyn in the busy New York Harbor. The risks posed by sea level rise and the potential damage to lives and livelihoods come into particular relief from its shores.
The recognition draws on Stony Brook’s global leadership in climate research and helps communities understand and implement solutions to respond to the human and environmental impacts. Carbon-emitting trucks, cars, planes and electricity generation make life on bustling Long Island possible. Yet human-created climate change poses a tangible threat to its village centers, farms, fisheries, boardwalks and beaches.
“We are honored to be able to serve in this leadership capacity,” said McCormick, who is currently co-chair of The Exchange’s Board. “As the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange, our commitment to spearhead these dialogues, foster partnerships, and further the impactful research and innovation are already taking place at our university, so expanding our reach is a natural fit.”
“Stony Brook University’s expertise across climate-related topics makes them an ideal anchor partner for The New York Climate Exchange,” said Stephen Hammer, CEO of The New York Climate Exchange. “From the Alan Alda Center to the School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences to the Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center, and more, we look forward to weaving SBU’s thought leadership into our multi-stakeholder programming and future Climate Hub on Governors Island.”
Collaboration Is Key
Two years ago, Carl Lejuez, Stony Brook executive vice president and provost, organized a campus-wide initiative called the Collaborative for the Earth (commonly referred to as C4E) to amplify the climate-focused work of faculty, staff and students, and engage external partners, policymakers and the public who are passionate about addressing climate change and other environmental concerns.
“The urgency of climate change has become all too clear,” said Heather Lynch, director of Collaborative for the Earth and the endowed chair for ecology and evolution in the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS). “The challenge with climate change is that it sounds like something we can worry about later, but communities like ours are just one record-breaking storm away from the kinds of impacts we teach about in the classroom.”
C4E brings together the campus community in town hall meetings, debates and a podcast — all focused on exploring ways to advance academic programming, research opportunities and external partnerships. The collaborative focuses on yearly themes, and organizes programming and events around that year’s theme. Last year, the group explored offshore wind; this year, nuclear power.
Last fall, for example, an interdisciplinary team from Stony Brook sailed over to visit five offshore wind turbines off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island — the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States.
This C4E field trip was a rare, up-close chance for 50 members of faculty, staff and students from different departments — marine sciences and engineering, as well as digital media, urban planning and the arts — to encourage study around the theme of offshore wind and other renewable energies planned around New York in the future.
“We can study the merits of offshore wind all we want, but until students and faculty actually see what a wind farm looks like up close, they can’t really engage with the issues at hand. Here on Long Island, we’re right in the middle of a massive effort to harness offshore wind. Our students deserve every opportunity to take advantage of those career opportunities,” Lynch said.
“There is so much our students need to learn that can’t be taught in a lecture hall,” she added.
This year’s theme of exploring nuclear energy will culminate in an academic debate at The New York Climate Exchange’s first Climate Solutions Summit NYC from April 23-24.
Critical Lessons in Partnership and Action
Kevin Reed, Stony Brook’s associate provost for climate and sustainability, and chief climate scientist at The Exchange, said these opportunities have inspired collaboration with energy, marine and other industry groups, as well as other academic and non-profit partners.
“Building partnerships across disciplines, sectors and communities is paramount to developing climate solutions that will be usable by the groups who need them the most,” Reed said. “Reimagining aspects of our educational programs is also critical to developing the next generation of leaders to ensure we address our climate challenges in the most sustainable ways.”
C4E is the first step in a larger effort to bridge disciplines and areas of expertise to support the fight against climate change. The second started in January, when Lejuez announced a university-wide strategic effort, led by Reed and Lynch, to discuss and determine how the university can enhance its efforts in support of critical work in climate, environment and energy.
The effort, led by a committee of faculty and staff, will consider how Stony Brook can create structures and spaces that empower collaborative efforts beyond the natural silos of academia. It will go beyond creating spaces for people to come together and begin to identify how the university can build interdisciplinarity into its teaching, research and service mission around climate change.
A one-credit “pop-up” class about climate change is a first example of the centrality of collaboration and interdisciplinarity at Stony Brook. The class — with an initial enrollment of 50 undergraduates, which is slated to grow to hundreds in the fall — offers students a well-rounded, introductory understanding of the science, complexities of policymaking, possible career paths, and the impact of climate change on individuals and communities.
“As the top-ranked public university in the state and a member of the AAU [Association of American Universities], Stony Brook must help find solutions to the existential challenges of climate change and sustainability,” Lejuez said. “Our best chance, at Stony Brook and around the world, must include ideas, perspectives and expertise from all disciplines: the physical and social sciences, engineering, humanities, medicine and health, and the arts.
“I’m proud to be part of an institution that centers collaboration and dares to think outside the box to find solutions.”
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