12/08/2022
By Thomas Pineros-Shields
You are invited to presentations by the SOCI.2360 Climate Crisis and Society students at Allen House, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022 from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided by the Department of Sociology.
This semester students worked in partnership with the City of Lowell on their Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant by collecting tree data in the downtown area. This data will contribute to the development of Lowell’s Urban Forestry Master Plan to address Urban Heat Island. In September and October, students conducted a tree survey in downtown Lowell.
Inspired by this experience, the students then developed projects to take local action to understand and mitigate the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations in Lowell. Students will present results of the following four projects:
- Historical Analysis of Green-space and Society in Lowell. Students compiled a comparative timeline of green space and human population in Lowell from 1900-present.
- A Tale of Two Cities. Students developed comparative case studies of the Urban Heat Island effects in two Massachusetts cities, and explore options for climate mitigation.
- Stay In Your Lane! Students surveyed 168 UML students and faculty about a vision for more sustainable transportation on campus.
- Commonwealth Collegiate Academy Climate Curriculum (CCACC). Students developed curriculum materials to re-create SOCI.2360, to be taught to Dracut High School students in Spring 2023.