Undergraduate Capstone Presentations

Please attend to view the high-level, applied projects that Environmental Studies students pursue as seniors.

This event is free and open to the public. Non-NYU guests must bring a vild photo ID to show security. 

Park Over Plastic

Park Over Plastic is an initiative of the Hudson River Park Trust among park staff, vendors and community members to reduce the plastic footprint and improve the health of the Hudson River. The primary way of doing this is through public education on the impacts of plastic in the Park’s Estuarine Sanctuary waters.

This project will assess the various ways plastic is contaminating Hudson River Park. From plastic bottles to microplastics, students will assist with data aggregation to understand where the park is being contaminated most, and with what types of plastic. Students will also do research into the policies around plastic production and distribution in New York City. In teams, students will then combine their research to develop materials for use in the park’s educational programming. These materials will be produced in the course of the project and take on media forms such as infographics/data visualizations, photography/video, or other visual means of communication for a public audience.

Clean Energy and Innovation

In this capstone seminar, students will explore the government’s role in accelerating technology development, assess how various policies could help meet climate and energy goals, and craft recommendations for how policymakers can help spur the advancement and adoption of promising energy technologies.

Students will research past government technology policies and programs and assess their relevance to clean energy development. The course will then explore various programs and policy tools that aim to spur energy innovation and help deploy promising technologies, including the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, the national labs, federal and state renewable energy policies, patent policies, and infrastructure plans. Students will assess how these tools could be used to achieve climate, energy, and economic goals.

Students will be exposed to a variety of important concepts related to energy technology, public policy, scientific innovation, and economics. They will synthesize these concepts and develop policy recommendations that account for the real-world constraints of policymaking. As part of this process, students will also hone their skills in policy analysis, writing, and oral presentation.

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