People

	Anthony Broccoli , Director Climate and Environmental Change Initiative Environmental Sciences Dr. Broccoli studies changes in climate, both past and future, with a goal of better understanding the mechanisms responsible for such changes. He uses numerical models of the climate system in his research, carefully comparing their results with evidence from the climate record.
	Marjorie Kaplan , Associate Director Climate and Environmental Change Initiative Dr. Kaplan leads the Climate and Environmental Change Initiative program office and manages the full portfolio of CECI activities in consultation with the Director. Dr. Kaplan's 30 year career has included 21 years in government and 10 years in the private sector. She was the first Director of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Climate and Energy where she oversaw regulatory programs under the Global Warming Response Act, the Global Warming Solutions Fund Law and regional initiatives to address climate change within various sectors including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Transportation and Climate Initiative.
	Lisa Auermuller Rutgers, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences (Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve) Lisa Auermuller is the Watershed Coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve in Tuckerton, NJ. In her role at the Reserve, Lisa's duties include assessing the needs of coastal decision makers and providing relevant and timely training opportunities. These programs are designed to better inform decision makers of the research that is being conducted in the reserve, the competing uses of New Jersey's coastal zone and the impacts that decisions have on watershed quality. Most recently, Lisa's primary areas of interest have been in stormwater management, climate change and coastal community vulnerability as it relates to sea level rise. Lisa has been working with a variety of partners to develop tools and protocols to help communities understand their risks, plan for those risks and put adaptation measures into place.
	Leonard Bielory, M.D. Center for Environmental Prediction, SEBS Dr. Bielory, past director of the UMDNJ - Asthma and Allergy Research Center (Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Ophthalmology), and consistently selected as one of New Jersey and New York "Top Docs" in the New Jersey and New York metropolitan area surveys for the past 20 years, has been involved in various clinical trials and is presently focusing his interests on Climate and Allergic Airway Disease. The present EPA funded research is examining modeling the impact of allergies (pollen producing plants such as trees, weeds and grasses) over the next 50 years, studying the impact of different temperatures and CO2 concentrations on the growth of ragweed , grasses and other weeds as well as evaluating their allergenic pollen content via immunological and biological assays including electron microscopy.
	Trevor Birkenholtz Department of Geography Since 2001, Professor Birkenholtz has been working with groundwater-dependent irrigating farmers in the arid and semi-arid zones of Rajasthan, India to study the way that they adapt to agrarian technological, environmental and social change. His current recent research traces the spatial relationships between these processes and climate change induced social-ecological variability, informal and formal climate change adaptation strategies, and multi-scalar economic processes.
	Martin Bunzl Philosophy My work lies at the intersection of the philosophy of science and climate change policy.
	Annmarie Carlton Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Center for Environmental Prediction Annmarie performs 3-dimensional photochemical modeling for air quality and climate with emphasis on atmospheric aqueous chemistry and formation of secondary organic aerosol through cloud processing, She is interested in the atmospheric processing of pollution and specifically how biogenic emissions and anthropogenic pollution interaction to influence regional climate and air quality.
	Lee Clarke Sociology I'm currently writing about problems of "warning," specifically the institutional facets of how organizations and decision-makers make sense of the myriad signals about hazards. The case of climate change is particularly interesting because the broad scientific consensus results in so little institutional change.
	Phaedra Daipha Department of Sociology Dr. Daipha studies and writes about forecasting operations at the National Weather Service, environmental decision-making, and the social foundations of meteorological risk.
	Steven Decker Department of Environmental Sciences Dr. Decker researches the evolution, predictability, and societal impact of midlatitude weather systems, and how these aspects may change under future climate scenarios.
	Jennifer Francis Marine and Coastal Sciences Jennifer Francis earned a B.S. in Meteorology from San Jose State University in 1988 and a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1994. As a professor at Rutgers University since 1994, she taught courses in satellite remote sensing and climate-change issues and also co-founded and co-directed the Rutgers Climate and Environmental Change Initiative. Presently she is a Research Professor with the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and studies Arctic climate change and Arctic-global climate linkages with ~40 peer- reviewed publications on these topics. During the 13 months from July 2009-July 2010, her family of four spent a year sailing through Central America. She and her husband circumnavigated the world in a sailboat from 1980-1985, including Cape Horn and the Arctic, which is when she first became interested in Arctic weather and climate.
	Qizhong (George) Guo Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Guo's expertise is in urban stormwater management, watershed and water quality modeling, and water resources and environmental engineering. He is interested in developing structural and non-structural measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
	Dr. Serpil Guran Director of Rutgers EcoComplex Dr. Serpil Guran is the Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex. Her responsibilities include management of the EcoComplex operations, programs, business incubator and facilities, as well as providing vision and leadership in establishing the EcoComplex as a center for the commercialization of environmental and alternative energy technologies. Dr. Guran specializes in research, development and assessment of sustainable biofuel and recycling technologies, and life cycle analysis of alternative fuel production systems.
	Jeanne Herb Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Jeanne Herb is a Research Administrator at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. While her area of practice is environmental policy, in general, her work includes a particular focus on state and local level policy targeted at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for impacts of climate change. Prior to joining the Bloustein School, Jeanne served more than 20 years in senior positions in state government and the NGO community focused on state, local and federal environmental policy innovation.
	David McDermott Hughes Anthropology David Hughes studies the cultural and moral dimensions of complicity with climate change. He is interested in how high-emitters of CO2 justify and rationalize their use of hydrocarbons.
	Michael J. Kennish Marine and Coastal Sciences Primary interest is the study of coastal ecosystem responses to climate change, most notably the investigation of climate change effects on biotic communities and habitats in estuarine and coastal marine environments, as well as coastal watersheds.
	Robert Kopp Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences and Rutgers Energy Institute Dr. Kopp's research focuses on the statistical and qualitative analysis of geological records of past environmental changes, on the interpretation of past and projection of future sea level changes, and on the integrated assessment modeling of climate and energy policy options. Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty in Fall 2011, he served as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Department of Energy's Office of Climate Change Policy and Technology.
	Richard Lathrop Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources, Walton Center for Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis In my research I have attempted to integrate insights of landscape ecology and geography with the application of geo-spatial technology to improve our understanding of the structure and function of coupled human-environmental systems at broader landscape to regional scales and then translate that understanding into effective and appropriate techniques to improve 'on-the-ground' natural resource management and land use planning.
	Howard Latin Rutgers University School of Law at Newark Professor Latin has focused on climate-policy alternatives from a multi-disciplinary perspective: using law, economics, diverse social sciences, and international relations to explain why previous mitigation efforts have been ineffective and why the conventional greenhouse gas emissions-reduction programs, including economic incentives mechanisms, have reinforced the international negotiations stalemate between developed and developing countries. In 2011, his book CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY FAILURES: Why Conventional Mitigation Approaches Cannot Succeed was published by World Scientific Publishers. This book argues that unrealistic emissions-reduction programs are wasting billions of dollars, limited administrative resources, public attention, and precious time on climate-policy failures that preclude effective precautionary strategies.
	Robin Leichenko Department of Geography and Rutgers Initiative on Climate and Society Leichenko's current research focuses on economic and social vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in U.S. cities, coastal areas, and rural regions. Leichenko has also conducted work on economic drivers and impacts of climate change in India, Pakistan, China, and southern Africa. Leichenko is currently serving as a review editor for the IPCC Working Group II, Fifth Assessment Report, and she is a contributing author on the forthcoming IPCC Special Report on Extreme Events. Her 2008 book, entitled, Environmental Change and Globalization: Double Exposures (Oxford University Press), won the Meridian Book Award for Outstanding Scholarly Contribution from the Association of American Geographers.
	Benjamin R. Lintner Environmental Sciences Dr. Lintner's research focuses on developing predictive understanding of the space and time variability of tropical precipitation, which is critical to our ability to simulate climate with models, to interpret observations of past and modern climate conditions, and to anticipate future climate change impacts.
	Monica Mazurek Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (Academic Home), Center for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure (Research Center Affiliation), Environment & Energy Program, Center for Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation (CAIT) Dr. Mazurek studies the chemistry and sources of carbonaceous fine particles in Earth's troposphere. She is involved with field programs that identify molecular markers with emission sources and applies this to understanding atmospheric brown clouds in megacity regions.
	Bonnie J. McCay Human Ecology Adaptation of social and ecological systems to environmental and climate change, with a focus on marine fisheries and institutions for science and management.
	Janice McDonnell Department of 4-H Youth Development As the 4-H Science Engineering & Technology (SET) Agent, Janice McDonnell works with county agents, scientists, informal educators, and classroom educators to promote climate literacy. Janice offers a variety of annual programs and projects to help young people learn about climate change including the 4-H Climate and Environmental Change Teen Summit, 4-H Science Saturdays, and a variety of teacher professional development programs.
	Dr. Pamela McElwee Human Ecology McElwee was trained as a geographer and anthropologist and is interested in how individuals and households respond to changes in the physical environment, and how their responses are shaped by external policies and other constraints. Her ongoing projects include studies of adaptation and vulnerability to climate change in Vietnam and the development of forest carbon markets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use.
	James R. Miller Marine and Coastal Sciences Jim Miller uses a combination of observations and climate model simulations to understand how water will both impact and be impacted by future climate change, with a major focus on the analysis of feedbacks in the climate system. Of particular interest is predicting future changes in water resources, river flow and temperature, permafrost, Arctic climate, and climate in mountainous regions.
	Kenneth G. Miller Earth and Planetary Sciences My research focuses on reconstructing the history of sea-level change on all time scales from 100+ million year to the last few thousand years. I am interested in projections of sea level rise in this century and its effects particularly on New Jersey.
	Mark Miller Atmospheric Science Dr. Miller's research involves the interaction of clouds and atmospheric gases with incoming solar radiation and outgoing thermal infrared radiation. His research group utilizes a combination of in-situ and remote sensor measurements define atmospheric structure in under-sampled regions around the planet. These data are used to evaluate and improve the representation of clouds and radiation throughput in regional weather forecast models, regional climate models, and global climate models.
	Cymie R. Payne Human Ecology Payne studies global governance of the environment and natural resources. She has written on the linkage between state and international climate policy, particularly with respect to emissions trading systems; conflicts of state law with international trade; and regulating risks of new technologies such as carbon sequestration.
	Ying Fan Reinfelder Earth and Planetary Sciences Dr. Ying Fan Reinfelder is a hydrologist with research interest in global water cycle and its role in the climate system through physical, biological and geochemical pathways.
	Asa Rennermalm Department of Geography Dr. Rennermalm studies hydrology and climate in the Arctic region with emphasis on Greenland ice sheet hydrology. Her work involves modeling, satellite data analysis, and fieldwork. She has participated several field expeditions to the Arctic, including Alaska and Greenland.
	Dr. David A. Robinson Department of Geography Dr. Robinson conducts research associated with climate dynamics and change, particularly focused on global snow cover. As New Jersey State Climatologist he gathers data, conducts research and leads outreach efforts associated with the weather and climate of the state.
	Alan Robock Department of Environmental Sciences Dr. Robock's research focuses on geoengineering, regional atmosphere-hydrology modeling, climatic effects of nuclear weapons, soil moisture variations, the effects of volcanic eruptions on climate, and the impacts of climate change on human activities. He has published more than 300 articles on his research, including more than 170 peer-reviewed papers.
	Yair Rosenthal Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences The overarching motivation for my research is to understand mechanisms of climate change on various time scales through the study of paleo-archives, primarily from ocean sediments.
	Thomas Rudel Human Ecology I am currently working on two, somewhat separate issues regarding the mitigation of climate change. One involves an NSF funded project on regrowth in tropical pastures in Ecuador (a biocomplexity in the environment grant) with implications for REDD+. The other is a book manuscript on the political sociology of environmental reforms (e.g. reductions in emissions).
	Laura C. Schneider Department of Geography Dr. Schneider specialized in land change science. Her focuses on understanding how environmental disturbances affect patterns and processes of land-use land-cover change. Her research interests are monitoring and modeling land transformation, biophysical remote sensing and the effect of fire, droughts and hurricanes on tropical forests of Meso-America. She is currently involved in research looking Environmental Disturbance in Greater Yucatan (EDGY) in Mexico which was funded by Moore Foundation, also she is a Co-PI in an NSF-CNH funded project looking at pastures and forest re-growth in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
	Oscar Schofield Marine Sciences Professor Schofield studies how changes in the climate impact marine ecosystems. His research builds and deploys robotic ocean technologies to map the regional changes in the ecosystem. The research spans the global ocean from tropical, temperate and polar seas.
	Rachael Shwom Department of Human Ecology Rachael Shwom's research focuses on how production and consumption systems have and can change to mitigate and adapt to the risks and realities of environmental change, particularly climate change. She understands these transformations not just as technological or economic processes, but inherently social and political processes. She has published on public opinion on climate change, environmental values, and the politics of energy efficient appliances.
	Hilary Sigman Department of Economics, School of Arts and Sciences Sigman is an environmental economist. Her recent work on climate change examines monitoring and enforcement of public policies to reduce greenhouse gases.
	Liz Sikes Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences Liz's research interests are principally in the field of paleoceanography - the study of long-term (thousands of years) climate variability expressed in the ocean. The unifying theme in her research is the interconnection of carbon cycling, ocean circulation, and global climate with a strong focus on the Southern Ocean's influence in glacial and interglacial regimes.
	Barbara Turpin Environmental Sciences Barbara Turpin studies the composition, properties and behavior of organic aerosol and the atmospheric chemistry leading to its formation. Atmospheric aerosols affect climate by scattering and absorbing solar radiation and serving as cloud condensation nuclei.
	Judith S. Weis Department of Biological Sciences Judith Weis is an estuarine ecologist, who is especially interested in responses of estuarine animals to stresses, such as pollution, invasive species, and parasites. Climate change, (both increased temperatures and acidification) in addition to causing its own effects, will probably exacerbate effects of these other stresses
	Ming Xu Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources Dr. Xu's research focuses on climate change impacts and adaptation, especially the impact on ecosystem processes and biodiversity and the ecosystem-based adaptation.

Meet our Interns

Alexis Patrylak is a junior Dance and Bioenvironmental Engineering double major. She is a member of the Environmental Science and Engineering Club. As an intern with the Climate and Environmental Change Initiative, she hopes to further the initiative and strike interest among students on campus.
Shunondo Basu is a senior Meteorology student at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He is the Engineering Supervisor at the RU-tv Network and the webmaster of the Climate and Environmental Change Initiative.
Max Van Zandt is a Senior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. His studies are focused on the intersection of Political Science, Economics, and how those disciplines affect the major environmental issues of our time. He has also studied at Freie University in Berlin, Germany and is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society.

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