School of Arts and Sciences
Environmental Studies Program

Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures

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When: Thursdays from 12:00-1:00pm         
Where: Multi-purpose Room, Curtis Hall, Medford Campus (except for Keynote Lecture)

Every week during the academic year, the Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures feature speakers from government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations to give presentations on environmental topics. This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge beyond the curriculum, meet other faculty and students, and network with the speakers.

Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are welcome to attend.

The Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures are made possible thanks to the generosity of Daphne Hoch-Cunningham J82, A18P and Roland Hoch A85, A19P.

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We will continue with a hybrid format this year, so although speakers will speak on campus, viewers may tune into a livestream. Use the "Online Viewer Registration" link below each date to register via Zoom. You may also get the livestream registration by subscribing to our HoCu newsletter or sending an email to: environmentalstudies@tufts.edu.          
 

Spring 2025 Lecture Schedule

Spring 2025 Lecture Information

  A Systems Perspective to Build Infrastructure Resilience to Environmental Stressors

Speaker: Dr. Lauryn Spearing, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University

Thursday, January 16, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA) 
Lecture Recording – Jan. 16

Infrastructure systems exist within a complex operating environment, influenced by social, natural, and regulatory systems. For example, climate change and environmental crises can have cascading impacts on the level of infrastructure services received by communities. It is imperative to understand such impacts to build community resilience and create more sustainable infrastructure services. In this talk, multiple case studies will be explored to understand: How can we improve the level of infrastructure services in rural Alaska despite the extreme and changing climate? By capturing community perspectives after the East Palestine train derailment, how can environmental disaster response be improved? To answer these questions, this talk will explore how systems thinking can be used to abstract uncertain contexts and identify leverage points that can spark change. Such leverage points include practical policy recommendations, engineering solutions, and managerial adaptations.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program in collaboration with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. 

Lauryn Spearing

Dr. Lauryn Spearing is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tufts University. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Spearing uses a systems thinking approach, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods, to understand complex problems at the intersection of technical, social, and natural systems. Her research focuses on three broad areas: 1) infrastructure management during uncertain contexts; 2) understanding public perceptions towards the built environment; and 3) sustainable water technology adoption. She has worked on various complex engineering problems, collaborating closely with communities, water utilities in the US, and federal policymakers. Her research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Alliance for Water Innovation, and the National Academies Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship. Dr. Spearing is an actively involved member of the ASCE Construction Research Congress and her work has been recognized within the construction community—she has won a best paper award and served as a technical co-chair for multiple conferences.

  From New England’s Coast to Global Shores and Back: Evolving Environmental Science for a Changing World

Speaker: Dr. Jon Woodruff, Professor of Sediment & Coastal Dynamics, Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences, UMass Amherst

Thursday, January 23, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Jan. 23 

Our climate and environment are changing, and so is how academics are approaching environmental science. In this talk, Jon illustrates this shift by reflecting on his own academic journey: from growing up in rural Maine with a fascination for the New England coast and an interest in how science can address regional issues, to pursuing internationally oriented research for successful graduate studies and tenure, and ultimately returning his science to his New England roots. Along the way, he has witnessed, and participated in, the shifting priorities of Earth and environmental sciences: once favoring broad, globally oriented studies, they now increasingly recognize the urgent need for regional and community-engaged approaches. He will discuss how his current roles, such as serving as co-University Director of the USGS Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and participating in the NSF Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science leadership circle, embody the growing demand for localized, collaborative work. Like many earth and environmental scientists of his generation, he was never formally trained in community- and place-based methods, and he is by no means perfect at applying them. Still, he has already seen how centering local needs and partnerships not only strengthens the impact of his work for the communities he serves but also enriches his own growth as a researcher.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Jon woodruff

Dr. Jon Woodruff, A96, is a Professor of Sediment and Coastal Dynamics in the Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences at the University of Massachusetts. He specializes in predicting how coastlines respond to the dual pressures of climate change and human development, focusing on factors like sea-level rise, storm patterns, and sediment supply. He is particularly interested in research that not only advances scientific understanding but also tackles societal challenges through strategic mitigative approaches. Currently Jon serves as the University Co-Director of the USGS Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and is a member of the Leadership Circle for the NSF Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science. Jon received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program (MIT/WHOI) in Marine Geology and Geophysics, his MS in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (also in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program), and at Tufts was a co-major in Environmental Studies and Civil and Environmental Engineering.

  Beyond Community Engagement: Centering Frontline Voices in the Environmental Movement

Speaker: Rachel Marston, Research Project Manager at the Environmental Defense Fund

Thursday, January 30, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST 
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA) 
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Jan. 30 

Frontline communities are often characterized as those experiencing the “first and worst” impacts of climate change. However, these communities are not just passively experiencing environmental injustice; many frontline communities are actively fighting against the oppressive systems that create these environmental and health disparities. While organizing for the health and wellbeing of their communities, frontline community-based organizations can find themselves at odds with the priorities of mainstream environmental actors, causing historic marginalization of environmental justice activism within the environmental movement at large. This lecture will explore the importance of centering frontline voices within the U.S. environmental sector, discuss the possibilities for large environmental NGOs to support frontline communities as allies, and provide key takeaways for environmental professionals to incorporate principles of environmental justice into their work.

Rachel Marston

Rachel Marston, A21, is the Research Project Manager, Justice and Equity at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). At EDF, her work is focused on developing the Frontline Resource Institute (FRI), a project of EDF that seeks to support frontline community-based organizations working to advance environmental and climate justice. She oversees all research and strategy development activities for the Institute, focused on community-driven, equitable research methodologies and leveraging social science for systemic change. Previously, Rachel served as a Tom Graff Fellow at EDF, working across the Justice and Equity Team to develop program strategy and project management plans. In addition, she led FRI's day-to-day operations, including research, logistics, grants management, communications, and stakeholder coordination. Rachel holds a BA from Tufts University in Applied Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Environmental Communications, and Anthropology.

  From Climate Action to Regional Planning: Bringing Sustainability to Scale

Speaker: Adi Nochur, Senior Transportation Planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Thursday, February 6, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST 
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA) 
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Feb. 6 

How can we work with diverse stakeholders at different scales to advance sustainable and equitable solutions to the climate crisis? This question has animated Adi Nochur for the entirety of his academic and professional careers. From starting as an Environmental Studies major and a student activist on the Tufts campus, to advocating for federal climate policy in Washington, DC, to now advancing regional urban planning and transportation solutions in his native Greater Boston area, Adi will share lessons learned and insights gained from over 20 years of climate and sustainability work across multiple issues, scales, and sectors – from walkability to brownfields, from local to international, from non-profit to government. He will also speak to the power of arts and planning as tools to drive sustainable change, and he encourages lecture attendees to discover their inner urban planner as well.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Adi Nochur

Adi Nochur, A07, is a Senior Transportation Planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). In this role he works with municipalities, state agencies, and non-profits to research and manage parking initiatives, to improve public transit systems, and to advance local Complete Streets efforts, amongst other sustainable transportation policies and projects. Before joining MAPC, Adi worked as the Deputy Director of Capacity Building at Groundwork USA. In this role he managed and implemented technical assistance programs with environmental justice communities across the country to transform abandoned brownfields and neglected waterways into vibrant assets like transit-oriented development, multi-use trails, and parks and open space. Adi previously worked as a Project Manager with WalkBoston to improve pedestrian infrastructure and walkability in cities and towns all over Massachusetts. He began his urban planning career as an Eco-Innovation Associate with the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, where he supported local sustainability and equity initiatives in the Talbot-Norfolk Triangle Eco-Innovation District. Adi holds a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Biology from Tufts University. He currently serves on the Massachusetts Advisory Board for the Conservation Law Foundation. Before pursuing his graduate degree, Adi worked for the Massachusetts Legislature and then spent several years in Washington, DC with the 1Sky Campaign organizing for bold federal climate policy.

  Unstable Ground: Civic Engagement around Flooding and Plastic Pollution in Kampala, Uganda

Speaker: Professor Justin Hollander, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University

Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Feb. 13 

In this presentation, Tufts researchers will discuss their ongoing collaboration with environmental defenders working in Kampala, Uganda. This work has involved a risk analysis to understand which parts of the capital city are most vulnerable to flooding associated with plastic pollution, in partnership with the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Today, the team is leading efforts around a clean-up campaign in two informal settlements and a series of outreach and training initiatives to help communities manage waste and reduce flooding risks.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Justin Hollander

Justin B. Hollander, PhD, FAICP, is a professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. His research and teaching is in the areas of urban planning, design, and real estate development. He co-edited the book Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm and is the author of ten other books, including Buildings for People: Responsible Real Estate Development and Planning and Cognitive Architecture Designing for How We Respond to the Built Environment. He was inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and hosts the Apple podcast “Cognitive Urbanism”.

  Unsettling Colonial Ecologies, Removal, and Ruin

Speakers: Dr. Matt Hooley, Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College, and Dr. Mary Amanda McNeil, Mellon Assistant Professor at Tufts University

Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Feb. 27 

Join us for a conversation between Dr. Matt Hooley (Dartmouth College) and Dr. Mary Amanda McNeil (Tufts University) as they discuss critical ecologies that emerge from Indigenous lives and claims to land. Moving comparatively across sites including Minneapolis and St. Paul, New England, and Palestine, Hooley and McNeil will share how their respective works unsettle colonial ecologies, settler removal, and its forms of ruin. This conversation will be facilitated by Dr. AB Huber (Tufts University).

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Matt Hooley

Matt Hooley is Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College, where he writes and teaches about cultures of colonialism and anti-colonialism; literary and visual arts modernisms; and the environmental humanities. His book, Against Extraction: Indigenous Modernism in the Twin Cities, was published in 2023 by Duke University Press, and he is currently working on comparative cultural history of drought in Turtle Island and Palestine. 

Mary Amanda McNeil

Mary Amanda McNeil is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora. Her research and teaching interests sit at the intersections of Black studies, Native American and Indigenous studies, social history, environmental history, and geography. McNeil sits on the board of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, MA, and works with the Aquinnah Cultural Center in Aquinnah, MA. She was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and is an enrolled member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe with deep kinship ties to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah.

Dr. AB Huber is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora at Tufts, and they particularly interested in how critical theory offers resources for contemporary ethical, political and environmental thought. Their research and teaching is currently preoccupied with creative and collaborative ways of living in ruderal ecologies. They are the author of essays including “Nocturne,” “Unmanned: The Drone Papers,” and a book, A Natural History of Destruction: Air War and What Remains, 1945 forthcoming from Zone Books at Princeton University Press.  

  Responsible Offshore Wind Development in the U.S. – Implementing the Mitigation Hierarchy

Speaker: Kim Peters, Principal Avian & Bat Biologist at Orsted

Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Mar. 6 

Global climate change is a key driver of biodiversity loss, and the clean-energy transition is crucial to reducing carbon emissions and subsequent impacts on global biodiversity. Offshore wind energy has emerged as a pivotal player in the transition toward clean energy, and this is particularly true for dense urban coastal cities such as those found on the East Coast of the US where access to other sources of renewable energy are more constrained. As the American leader in offshore wind and recognizing that no large-scale energy project is without potential impacts to wildlife, Orsted is shaping an industry that can successfully coexist with marine wildlife. Orsted’s Principal Avian & Bat Biologist will discuss how Orsted and other developers are using the Mitigation Hierarchy approach to strive towards “No Net Loss” and in Orsted’s case, towards meeting our ambition to have a net-positive impact on biodiversity for all renewable energy projects commissioned by 2030 or later.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Kim Peters

Kim Peters is an avian and bat ecologist with over 25 years-experience in wildlife study design, analysis and risk assessment, and has worked in the renewable energy space in the U.S., Canada and globally for nearly two decades. She has conducted extensive research on shorebirds, seabirds, and grassland birds, with a focus on avian exposure and collision-risk modeling, and serves on various ocean spatial planning and renewable energy scientific advisory committees. Her career has included positions within the governmental agency, academic, environmental NGO, environmental consulting, and industry sectors. She currently serves as Principal Avian & Bat Biologist at Orsted, and is the Senior Manager of Orsted’s U.S. Biological Sciences Group. Kim received her MSc in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from NC State University, and PhD in Zoology from Clemson University.

  Transboundary Water Issues Globally: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration

Speaker: Melissa McCracken, Assistant Professor, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Thursday, March 13, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Mar. 13 

Globally, over 300 transboundary river basins provide around 60% of the world’s river flow to nearly half the world's population, supported by around 600 internationally shared groundwater bodies. These internationally shared resources have historically been framed as potential sources of conflict due to incompatible interests, particularly the argument that water scarcity leads to war. Over the past three decades, our understanding of transboundary water conflict and cooperation has significantly changed. Initially focused on 'water wars' in the 1980s and 1990s, we now recognize that cooperation is more likely than conflict in international waters. However, we are still missing critical pieces of the evolving puzzle. Is cooperation going to continue to be more prevalent? Are new challenges, such as impacts from climate change, able to be addressed adequately? Join the presentation to explore trends, challenges, and opportunities for transboundary water conflict and cooperation.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Melissa McCracken

Dr. Melissa McCracken (CPD Tufts University) is an Assistant Professor of International Environmental Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she directs the Shared Waters Lab and co-directs the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy. She is also an affiliate of the Center for International Law and Governance at the Fletcher School, the International Water Law Academy at Wuhan University, China, a courtesy faculty member at Oregon State University, and a research affiliate in the Water Governance Department at IHE Delft. Her research focuses on international water policy, management, cooperation, and conflict over shared surface and groundwaters, with a particular focus on monitoring hydro-political tension and identifying factors that contribute to potential conflict or cooperation. She has a PhD in Geography from Oregon State University, an MSc in Water Security and International Development from the University of East Anglia, and a BS in General Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

  Investing for Climate? How Financial Institutions Incorporate Climate Change into their Decision-making

Speaker: Mathew Lee, Senior Energy and Climate Researcher at MSCI Inc.

Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST   
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)   
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Mar. 27 

"ESG", "net-zero", "Paris-aligned", "impact investing", "intensity-based targets", and "financial materiality" are just a few of many terms that are often mentioned in investment strategies that take into account environmental impacts and potential risks from the effects of climate change. Parsing through the nuance of these words is key to unlocking the private sector's full potential in financing climate change solutions. A good grasp of these terms is also necessary to navigate the multitude of sustainability claims companies make on the extent of their sustainability practices. After building some intuition on how the financial sector's interests are driven in terms of climate investing, attendees will be able to apply this to their own areas of interest in terms of how public and private sectors can best complement each other's climate-related efforts.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Mathew Lee

Mathew Lee develops climate- and energy-related research for MSCI Research. His research focuses on topics such as energy transition investment opportunities, company emission disclosure trends, and how investors should approach physical climate risks and adaptation opportunities. Previously, Mathew was an environmental consultant on corporate sustainability and energy policy. He also worked on environmental issues at CDP, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Mathew holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Tufts University in international affairs and environmental studies.

  Food as Conversation with Nature: Indigenous Insights into Ecological Stewardship and Sustainability

Speaker: Dr. Udita Sanga, Assistant Professor, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University

Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST  
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)  
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Apr. 3 

Indigenous knowledge, accumulated over centuries, enables communities to govern social-ecological systems and adapt to changes through collective memory and adaptive practices. Central to Indigenous food systems is the oral and practical transmission of knowledge across generations, ensuring sustainability and cultural continuity. However, this knowledge is vulnerable to socio-economic and ecological disruptions. Adivasi (Indigenous) food systems in Eastern India exemplify this fragility, with climate change, market shifts, forest displacement, migration, and intergenerational disconnect contributing to the erosion of food culture, knowledge, and security.

This talk explores the evolution of Adivasi food systems as a response to political, environmental and economic changes. It centers on the voices of Adivasi people and their perspectives and reflections on food as culture, food as self-medication, food as sustenance, food as sustainability and importantly, food as conversation with nature. The talk advocates for recognizing and valuing Indigenous knowledge to decolonize food systems and promote sustainability, cultural identity, and resilience amidst global challenges.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Udita Sanga

Dr. Udita Sanga is an Assistant Professor of Climate, Food, and Sustainability in the Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) division at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. An interdisciplinary systems scientist, Dr. Sanga specializes in agricultural sustainability, climate adaptation, food security, and social-ecological resilience. Her research spans diverse regions, including West Africa and South Asia, with a focus on understanding the complex dynamics of social-ecological systems and their interplay with beliefs, motivations, and decisions of people governing and shaping the system. Her work emphasizes participatory systems modeling to explore pathways for climate resilience and sustainable development and has explored themes such as poverty traps, famine response, sustainable groundwater management and decision-making under climate uncertainty. Dr. Sanga combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, including surveys, interviews, storytelling, systems mapping, and scenario planning, integrated with advanced techniques like system dynamics and agent-based modeling. Her research informs actionable strategies for sustainability, bridging science and policy to address global food and agriculture challenges. Dr. Sanga’s current research project focuses on the convergence of indigenous food systems, systems science, and anthropology. Through collaboration with Indigenous communities and cultural anthropologists, she seeks to address knowledge and epistemological gaps, promoting sustainable and inclusive food futures.

  Manifestations of korima in the US-Mexico Borderlands

Speaker: Victoria Blanco, Writer and Researcher

Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST   
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)   
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Apr. 10 

This lecture examines how the Rarámuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico sustain their cultural identity and resist assimilation through korima, a principle of reciprocity that emphasizes mutual care and interconnectedness between people and the natural world. Traditionally practiced in the Sierra Madre mountains of western Mexico, korima has been adapted by urban-dwelling Rarámuri in border cities like Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez. Amid challenges like industrialization and marginalization, the Rarámuri manifest korima in urban spaces through practices such as dressmaking, running, resource sharing, and preserving traditional ecological knowledge. These efforts transform Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez into sites of cultural resistance and ecological stewardship. By exploring these adaptations, the lecture highlights the role of korima in addressing social and environmental injustices, offering insights into how indigenous frameworks of reciprocity can inform sustainability and resilience in urbanized contexts.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Victoria Blanco

Victoria Blanco’s first book, Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance, was published in 2024 by Coffee House Press. Research and writing for Out of the Sierra has been supported by a Fulbright Award, research fellowships from the University of Minnesota, among others. Her field research on Rarámuri resistance is ongoing with the support of the Community Development Action Fund (CDAF) from the U.S. Department of State. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, where she taught creative writing and composition courses. She is also the recipient of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, Ellen Meloy Desert Writers Award, the Digital Borderlands grant from the University of Arizona, and the Minnesota Regional Arts Council grant. Victoria’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Guernica, Literary Hub, and Catapult, among others.

  How Drones Are Revolutionizing Environmental Science

Speaker: Jon Caris, Senior Drone Data Scientist at Tufts University

Thursday, April 17th, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST   
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA)   
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Apr. 17 

Drone use in environmental research is a relatively new but rapidly growing field, offering transformative potential across the field sciences. This talk will explore the fundamental principles of drone technology, providing an overview of how these tools operate and their unique capabilities. The discussion will highlight key applications of drones in environmental science, demonstrating their ability to capture data in ways that were previously impossible or impractical. By leveraging their advantages in temporal and spatial analysis, drones enable scientists to address new research questions and deepen their understanding of complex ecological systems. Participants will gain insights into the innovative ways drones are being integrated into teaching and research at Tufts University, showcasing case studies and practical examples. The talk will underscore the potential of drones to revolutionize fieldwork, improve data accuracy, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. 

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Jon Caris

As part of the Research Technology team, Jon is the Senior Drone Data Scientist building teaching and research capacity with drone technology at Tufts. Previously, Jon developed the drone program at Smith College (Northampton, Massachusetts, USA) as the founding Director of the Spatial Analysis Lab. He led or collaborated on research trips to Popham Beach, Maine, USA; St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA; San Salvador Island, The Bahamas; and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. He is an FAA Certified Drone Pilot and a member of the FAAASTeam that helps educate the public about safe drone operations in the National Airspace. He currently teaches “Data, Mapping, and Analysis with Drones” in the school for Arts and Sciences (cross-listed with the Environmental Studies Department and the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning) and a similar course in the MCM program at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. He is co-developing a new drone course for the Fletcher school to be taught Fall 2025.

  Nature-Based Infrastructure in Post-Industrial Coastlines and Neighborhoods

Speaker: Gabriel Cira, Assistant Professor at MassArt

Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 12-1 pm EST 
Location: Curtis Hall Multipurpose Room (474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA) 
Online Viewer Livestream Registration – Apr. 24 

Gabriel Cira will present a series of recent investigations in the material, technical, and social dimensions of nature-based infrastructure for urban coastlines—growing marsh grass in biomass substrates. The work presented will focus on The Emerald Tutu research group and their network of allied community collaborators in East Boston, demonstrating how this approach of weaving together academic and community partnerships has helped fill missing gaps and bring projects beyond the pilot scale.

This lecture is sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program.

Gabriel Cira

Gabriel Cira is a licensed architect based in Massachusetts. He has lead the NSF-funded Emerald Tutu project since 2020, and is an active voice in the discourse on regional adaptation to climate change. He teaches in the History of Art and Architecture departments at MassArt, including the longstanding Architecture of Boston course, which connects cooperative infrastructure history with the future of climate resilience.