Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment Program (BUEE)

08/10/2026 – We’ve been renewed!

Tony Wilson — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:50:33 +0000

Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment’s REU has recently been renewed for a further three years (2027-2029) by the National Science Foundation! Our program renewal will include a consortium of CUNY researchers from Brooklyn College, Baruch, City Tech, Medgar Evers and Kingsborough Community College. Stay tuned for new developments with the program, which will continue to make community outreach and engagement a major focus.

CITI Completion

ehook — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:38:13 +0000

Ella Hook – Individual Development Plan

ehook — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:31:05 +0000

Hook-Ella-myIDP-2024-6-20

Species Interactions Poster & Presentation

arodriguez — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 21:03:32 +0000

BUEE Pres _ 2023 Summer Research BUEE Pres _ 2023 Summer Research

08/09/23 – BUEE Science Day!

Tony Wilson — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 23:01:20 +0000

BUEE’s 2023 season wrapped up on August 9, with BUEE Science Day. Ten students and their faculty mentors presented their summer research to more than 50 participants from CUNY, partner institutions, and the surrounding community. Students returned to their home campuses for a well-deserved rest before the start of the Fall semester – it was a great summer!

07/19/23 – Kayaking at Downtown Boathouse

Tony Wilson — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 23:08:12 +0000

An afternoon paddling the Hudson, courtesy of the volunteer team at Downtown Boathouse – many thanks!

06/07/23 – Wildfire smoke reaches NYC

Tony Wilson — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 23:10:15 +0000

We experienced the impact of Canadian wildfires during the first week of the BUEE program. Our excursion to Q Garden’s rooftop beehives was cut short due to smoke from these wildfires, which significantly impacted NYC’s air quality and blotted out the sun. New York briefly had the worst air quality on the planet, striking evidence of the connectivity of the global ecosystem.

Student Project: Assessing natural and nature-based shoreline features (Branco Lab)

bbranco — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 16:50:10 +0000

Natural and Nature Based Shoreline Features (NNBF) are being integrated into coastal resilience strategies due to the variety of services that they provide. These services may include ecological enhancement, flood risk reduction, and socio-economic benefits. A new statewide framework for monitoring the performance of NNBF relative to other shoreline types will help shape NY State policies and practices for shoreline management. This summer, we will be applying the framework at sites around Jamaica Bay including the newly completed living shoreline project at the West Pond in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. BUEE students will work with our partners to collect field data and interpret finding to better understand the value of NNBF for coastal climate adaptation.

Student Project: Trace metal contamination in bioswale soils: an indicator of urban air pollution? (Cheng Lab)

zcheng — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:16:13 +0000

Thousands of bioswales had been built in New York City. Each of them helps infiltrate thousands of
gallons of stormwater runoff from streets, alleviating the pressure on wastewater treatment plants and
reduce the combined sewer overflow – the leading cause of water quality problem for major cities.
These bioswales also accumulate pollutants in the runoff, thus could serve as an indicator of air quality
around the bioswale. Topsoil samples have been collected from dozens of bioswales in New York City.
We are looking for a student to perform lab and data analysis, to investigate the potential relationships
between soil metal contents, land use, traffic density, and other variables.

Student Project: Quantifying soil quality improvements of leaf mulch incorporation (Cheng Lab)

zcheng — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:12:35 +0000

Leaf mulching and subsequent incorporation into soils in situ have been piloted in New York City, as a
means to reduce the labor and cost of leaf collection and offsite transportation, as well as to promote
beneficial use of organic waste to improve soil quality for vegetation and stormwater infiltration. This is
an excellent example of efforts to reduce carbon footprint and to achieve carbon neutral by 2050.
However, such improvements have not been quantified or even validated in the field. We are looking for
a student to perform field and lab measurements, to work alongside with NYC agency staff as well a
graduate student at Brooklyn College.