Founded to bring a new model of collaboration to critical environmental challenges, the Science and Resilience Institute brings together community members, researchers, scientists, policy experts and others in the interest of building resilience and sustainability within the Jamaica Bay watershed and beyond.
The Institute is a partnership among the National Park Service, the City of New York, and the City University of New York (CUNY), and coordinates with New York Sea Grant and other institutions and organizations.
Our mission is to produce integrated knowledge that increases biodiversity, well-being, and adaptive capacity in coastal communities and waters surrounding Jamaica Bay and New York City. The Institute is hosted and supported by Brooklyn College and Kingsborough Community College working closely with other CUNY colleges, centers and institutes.
INSTITUTE PILLARS
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
We build local capacity by sharing tools, supporting collaboration, and grounding knowledge in lived experience.
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
Encourage natural infrastructure to reduce climate risks and support ecological and community health.
FLOODING
We study and monitor coastal and urban flooding to inform community-led responses, planning, and policy action.
URBAN ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
We study urban ecosystems to understand environmental change and support healthier, more resilient communities.
WHAT WE DO
RESEARCH
We collaborate with scientists, agencies, and communities to investigate and address real-world environmental challenges.
ENGAGEMENT
From university seminars to workshops in the field, the institute builds awareness and shares tools for resilience.
EDUCATION
Our student programs connect emerging scholars to climate and environmental justice work through mentorship and research.