June-August, 2025- Issue 23 | | |
The City University of New York Remote Sensing Earth Systems Institute
(CUNY CREST) quarterly bulletin is an initiative to keep you up-to-date on the Institute’s success stories, events, opportunities, highlights, and more. Happy reading!
| | From the Desk of the Executive Director | | |
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As the summer draws to a close, I am proud to reflect on a season filled with scientific discovery, educational impact, global engagement, and growing collaboration across disciplines and borders.
We recently wrapped up another successful cohort of our CUNY CREST HIRES program, which brought 35 bright and motivated high school students into the heart of our research community. These young scholars engaged in hands-on research, mentorship, and professional development, culminating in powerful research presentations at two major symposiums. CREST also continued to make its mark on the global stage. I represented the institute at the IGARSS 2025 in Australia. Additionally, I was invited to the United Nations University-INWEH’s Science Talk series, where I shared insights on urban and coastal resilience and bridging knowledge from Mumbai to the Caribbean and NYC. Our involvement in the UNU Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany and engagement in meetings at the UN headquarters reflect CREST’s commitment to shaping global water dialogue ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Congratulations to our postdoctoral fellow Dr. Said A. Mejia-Manrique for his recent publication in Natural Hazards on landslide susceptibility using AI. One of our doctoral students Fatemeh Yavari participated in the Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute at the The University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, AL. Our team continues to build meaningful relationships through fieldwork, as our doctoral students Ana M. Mejia-Manrique and Eromosele Emmanuel Osuide’s trip to Puerto Rico demonstrated. Another doctoral student Ali Haider engaged in effective mentorship of four summer high school interns on a project that aligns with the UNU hub-R-SIRUS; New York City Flood Mapping Using Interferometric Wide-swatch Sentinel-1 SAR Imagery. These efforts underscore CREST’s commitment to community-informed science and localized solutions.
We are also excited to welcome Dr. Saptarashmi Bandyopadhyay as a new CREST Faculty Affiliate. His expertise in AI, computer vision, and distributed computing will strengthen our cross-disciplinary research and education offerings, particularly within our UNU hub-R-SIRUS and Earth and Environmental Engineering degree program frameworks. I also congratulate Dr. Naresh Devineni for his well-earned appointment as a 2025-26 University Faculty Leadership Fellow in the CUNY Office of Research and participation in the Sub-Seasonal to Seasonal-Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Technical Workshop on Climate-Informed Flood Prediction and Water Management in Nairobi, Kenya.
Finally, it was a privilege for CREST to take part in Geospatial Technologies for the Earth: Commemoration & Showcase Day, celebrating a decade of impact at BGCCCI. Looking ahead, our focus is clear: to advance environmental research and education that is collaborative, inclusive, and impactful. I encourage you to stay connected & join us in our shared journey.
| | A Summer of Learning & Impact:
2025 CUNY CREST HIRES Highlights | | This summer, thirty-five (35) aspiring NY metropolitan region high school students received hands-on technical training, mentorship from the City College of New York faculty and students, and the chance to conduct college-level research in Earth System Sciences and Environmental Engineering through the CUNY CREST High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences (HIRES) Program, led by Founding Director, Dr. Shakila Merchant and the HIRES team. The program kicked off on June 30, 2025 and successfully wrapped up on August 14, 2025. For many students, it was their first time having a mentor, using advanced software, presenting to an audience, and stepping into world-class research labs. What makes CUNY CREST HIRES unique is that it is not just about research & learning, it is about building a community. Students formed friendships, discovered mentors, & created a sense of belonging that will last well beyond the summer. | | The United Nations University Hub at CCNY (R-SIRUS) Joins the First Annual UNU Hubs Meeting in Hamburg, Germany | | The inaugural Annual Meeting of the United Nations University (UNU) Hubs was held at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) from June 5-6, 2025. A milestone event, it set the stage for enhanced research collaboration across UNU Hub institutions. It brought together representatives from the four active UNU Hubs-Calgary (Canada), TUHH (Germany), CCNY (USA), and Lund University (Sweden) as well as delegates from the forthcoming hubs at the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and the University of Toronto (Canada), fostering a growing network of academic collaboration focused on sustainability, innovation, and global impact. The UNU Hub at CCNY-Remote-Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS) was notably represented at the meeting by R-SIRUS Executive Co-Director and Dean of the Grove School of Engineering, Alexander Couzis and R-SIRUS Executive Co-Director and NOAA Chair and Professor at GSOE, Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi, R-SIRUS Deputy Executive Director of Operations, Dr. Karin Sjöstrand, and CCNY Faculty-Drs. Mitch Goldberg, Naresh Devineni, Prathap Ramamurthy. | | Dr. Naresh Devineni Appointed 2025-26 University Faculty Leadership Fellow at CUNY Office of Research | | | | CREST faculty affiliate and Professor of Civil Engineering at CCNY and the Earth and Environmental Sciences Program at the CUNY Graduate Center, Dr. Naresh Devineni is serving as a 2025-26 University Faculty Leadership Fellow in the CUNY Office of Research. This fellowship fulfills the Office of Academic Affairs’ goals to grow faculty development and strengthen ties with the University Faculty Senate. Dr. Devineni’s contributions will help drive key research initiatives and strengthen the university’s mission. By the end of this fellowship in July 2026, Dr. Devineni hopes to help position CUNY as a leader in convergent research. | | Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi Shares Insights on Urban Flood Forecasting at UNU-INWEH’s Science Talk Series | | On June 18 2025, Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi delivered a talk on Urban Flood Forecasting and Community-Based Risk Mitigation: Integrated Approaches from Mumbai to the Caribbean and New York City at the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health’s (INWEH) Science Talk series. By hosting public online seminars, the Science Talks series brings research to life, highlighting its real-world impacts and fostering connections between science and society. Learn more about the series here and watch Dr. Khanbilvardi’s full talk below. | | Fatemeh Yavari Completes the Prestigious Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute Internship | | CREST congratulates its doctoral student, Ms. Fatemeh Yavari (Civil Engineering), for successfully completing the prestigious Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute internship on July 25, 2025. The institute, jointly organized by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) and the University of Alabama, is a highly competitive program that brings together graduate students, faculty, and professionals from across the country to advance water prediction and flood forecasting research. The program commenced on June 9, 2025. Ms. Yavari is thankful to her advisor, Dr. Naresh Devineni, for his invaluable guidance and support throughout the process. | | Dr. Shakila Merchant Delivers a Seminar on Nonprofit Capacity Building and Career Readiness | | |
Dr. Shakila Merchant delivered a professional development seminar on Nonprofit Capacity Building and Career Readiness with The VirtualIntern powered by Mobilizegreen on July 25, 2025. The VirtualIntern platform connects college students with nonprofits through paid, project-based virtual internships focused on sustainability and community impact. Students co-design meaningful remote projects, gain career preparation, and receive mentorship while nonprofits expand capacity. The seminar was well attended with over 50 interns curious to explore career pathways in green job and sustainability.
Building on the successful partnership established during the summer where four CCNY undergraduate students participated in paid internships as Virtual Interns (TVI) funded by MobilizeGreen, the collaboration has now been extended into the fall semester. This continuation will provide professional development learning opportunities and micro credentials to undergraduate students who want to pursue careers in the green sector.
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CREST's Doctoral Researchers Conduct Field Study
on Flood Risk and Mitigation in Puerto Rico
| | Visit to the Proyecto de Restauracion Ecologica de Dunas in Middles Beach, Isabela.
Photo credit: Dr. Luisa Feliciano. | | |
Ana M. Mejia-Manrique and Eromosele Emmanuel Osuide, CREST doctoral students and R-SIRUS fellows, recently completed a research field trip to Puerto Rico to advance their studies on flood risk and resilience. During the trip, students familiarized themselves with Puerto Rico’s flood-prone regions, met directly with agencies and community representatives, and gathered valuable local knowledge for their research. They will now integrate field feedback, analyze survey data, and expand collaborations with municipalities to strengthen flood resilience research.
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Said A. Mejia-Manrique Publishes Research on
Dynamic Landslide Mapping
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Said A. Mejia-Manrique, CREST & R-SIRUS Post-Doctoral Fellow, published a research paper in Natural Hazards titled Dynamic landslide susceptibility for extreme rainfall events using an optimized convolutional neural network approach on June 7, 2025.
The project was a collaborative effort that brought together leading experts across institutions including Dr. Reza M. Khanbilvardi (Department of Civil Engineering, CUNY-CREST Institute, UNU Hub at CCNY-R-SIRUS), Dr. Carlos E. Ramos-Scharrón (Department of Geography & the Environment and Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin), Dr. K. Stephen Hughes (Department of Geology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico), and Dr. Jorge E. Gonzalez-Cruz (Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany). The impact of this work extends beyond academic innovation.
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Dr. Saptarashmi Bandyopadhyay Joins the City College as Assistant Professor of Computer Science and
CREST Faculty Affiliate
| | Dr. Bandyopadhyay in front of the Google HQ in Mountain View, CA. He interned at Google X in 2023, and Google AI AR / Google Deepmind in 2024-2025, where he presented to the Google Deepmind Climate Research Group. | | CREST welcomes Dr. Saptarashmi Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at CCNY and The Graduate Center, CUNY, as a new faculty affiliate. Dr. Bandyopadhyay joined CCNY on August 26, 2025, bringing expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Agents, Modern Distributed Computing with AI Agents, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Multimodal Vision Language AI to both teaching and research. Dr. Bandyopadhyay is also an affiliate of the UNU-Hub-R-SIRUS and the Earth System Science & Environmental Engineering program at CCNY. He plans to lead new CREST projects using AI agents to conserve natural resources in low-data settings while also contributing to existing projects with opportunities for AI to enhance decision-making, and mentoring undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students in AI and computer science. | | |
CREST at the 45th International Geoscience and
Remote Sensing Symposium in Brisbane
| | Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi represented CREST at The 45th International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), flagship conference of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), in Brisbane, Australia, from August 3 to 8, 2025. The overarching theme of the symposium was ‘One Earth’ emphasizing the necessity of remote sensing technologies and global collaboration to address the planet’s pressing environmental challenges. It brought together more than 2,500 scientists and remote sensing professionals worldwide, offering a rich blend of technical sessions, workshops, plenaries, and networking opportunities. |
| R-SIRUS Joins United Nations in Dialogues on Water, Disasters, and Diplomacy | | Dr. Karin Sjöstrand attended important meetings at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from July 8 to 10, 2025. These meetings were geared towards preparing for the 2026 UN Water Conference. A major milestone was reached as the UN General Assembly formally adopted the six themes for the conference’s interactive dialogues: Water for People, Water for Prosperity, Water for Planet, Water for Cooperation, Water in Multilateral Processes, Investments for Water. R-SIRUS welcomes these themes as a critical framework for catalyzing collective action on water related challenges and accelerating progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6. | |
UN Special Envoy on Water, Mrs. Retno Marsudi, following the announcement- a moment of commitment to global water resilience | | Dr. Naresh Devineni Co-Leads S2S-AccelNet Technical Workshop on Climate-Informed Flood Prediction and Water Management in Nairobi | | Dr. Naresh Devineni served as one of the four instructors at the three-day Sub-Seasonal to Seasonal (S2S)-Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network (AccelNet) Technical Workshop, “Climate-Informed Flood Prediction and Water Management,” held in coordination with the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Nairobi, Kenya, August 28-30, 2025. The workshop brought together researchers and practitioners from the Greater Horn of Africa to strengthen S2S forecasting, the critical window between weather and seasonal outlooks. Building on partnerships and shared tools, Dr. Devineni and collaborators will carry forward pilots, training, and student engagement that improve flood readiness across regions through this project. | | |
The Bronx Community College Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute Celebrates a Decade
of Impact and Innovation
| | CREST participated in the Geospatial Technologies for the Earth: Commemoration & Showcase Day hosted by the CUNY Bronx Community College in partnership with Hunter College on August 21, 2025. The Bronx Community College Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute (BGCCCI), directed by Dr. Sunil Bhaskaran, was established a decade ago as a center under the flagship of CREST Institute. This conference celebrated ten years of innovation and impact, showcasing BGCCCI’s achievements through a one-day symposium filled with engaging talks, research highlights, and interactive activities. | | Upcoming Opportunities & Events
at UNU-Hub at CCNY- R-SIRUS | | Open House
at City College | |
Learn about R-SIRUS at its open house. This is a great opportunity to understand the hub’s mission, learn about the diverse opportunities it offers including research collaborations, internships, and academic engagement, and hear from the leadership on how you can leverage these opportunities to enhance your academic and professional growth.
Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:30 PM
Location: Exhibit Room and GSOE lobby at CCNY
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New Course on
Digital Earth & AI for Sustainability
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R-SIRUS will launch a new professional development course titled Digital Earth & AI for Sustainability, taking place from January 12-16, 2026.
This intensive course will explore key topics at the intersection of technology and environmental sustainability, including: Satellite Remote Sensing for real-time climate monitoring, Python, Machine Learning, and AI for environmental data analysis, and Open Science Platforms for collaboration and data sharing.
Stay tuned, full course details will be available soon on the R-SIRUS’s website.
| | UNU-Hub at CCNY (R-SIRUS) | | | | |
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About the CUNY CREST Institute
The CUNY CREST institute was officially approved in June 2010 and inaugurated on November 29, 2010. It is a collation of interdisciplinary researchers across CUNY system who are passionate about addressing grand societal challenges through advanced earth system sensing technologies, raising awareness, engaging secondary & postsecondary students & community outreach. The institute is designed to provide a collaborative environment for faculty and scientists from various CUNY campuses to engage in the field of Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing. This environment helps create opportunities to attract external funding and bring in new resources for the faculty, students, and CUNY as a whole. For additional information, visit crest.cuny.edu.
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