Earth Institute News Archive
posted 06/15/05
Climate and Society Students Begin Summer Internships and Thesis Projects
Summer term rounds out the 12-month curriculum
Climate and Society students like Kareff May Rafisura of the Philippines (above) will spend their summers interning to finish their M.A. in Climate and Society degrees. Internships are part of the program’s core practical training that prepares students to solve problems using interdisciplinary concepts and methods. Photo credit: Bruce Gilbert
Kareff May Rafisura of the Philippines has spent this year studying the development policy implications of climate impacts in the M.A. Program in Climate and Society, and this summer she will get hands-on experience through her internship at the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI), working on projects related to water resources management in the Philippines and the use of climate information.
Rafisura is also going to Bangkok to attend a workshop jointly led by the IRI and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center.
Rafisura is part of the first group of students in the year-long master’s program in Climate and Society to begin their summer internships this week. Internships are part of the program’s core practical training that prepares students to solve problems using interdisciplinary concepts and methods.
Students were selected for prestigious internships in the policy, academic, and private sector communities. These include:
- Pew Center on Global Climate Change
- Environmental Defense — Climate Science office
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) — Global Environmental Facility
- University of Miami, Division of Marine Affairs and Policy
- NOAA’s South Carolina Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Center
- German Bundestag (Parliament) – Office of the Head of Environment Committee
- Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Utility Company
- Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate Prediction
- Columbia University’s Center for Research in Environmental Decisionmaking
- Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center
- Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Global Research Office
The Climate and Society curriculum is focused on adapting to and managing climate variability and climate change, with a focus on the developing world, where people are most vulnerable to climate impacts. Climate influences crucial development issues, including drought, vector-borne diseases, and water supplies. Recent advances in understanding of climate science and climate forecasting led to the creation of this cutting-edge education program, with the intention of bringing these scientific advances to those who can use the information to aid development.
Students in the M.A. Climate and Society follow a unique core curriculum in climate science and climate impacts taught by expert researchers at the International Research Institute of Climate Prediction (IRI) at Columbia University. In the Spring Semester, students have a choice of three general electives ranging across the offerings of the university, from Atmospheric Chemistry to the International Relations of the Environment. The summer internship or thesis requirement is complemented by an intensive summer seminar to prepare students to bring their unique interdisciplinary education to diverse environments in the public and private sectors.
Students who opted instead to write a master’s thesis are pursuing a range of topics, from an improved forecasting model for Ethiopia to creating an integrative climate curriculum for secondary school education.
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world's leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines — earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences — and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through research, training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world's poor. For more information, visit www.earth.columbia.edu.