During the Winter Intersession, four CUNY Climate Scholars were among thirteen CUNY students from 6 campuses to accompany CUNY Climate Scholars program mentors, Professor Neal Phillip, Chairperson of the Bronx Community College (BCC)/City University of New York (CUNY) Department of Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Environmental Science and Professor Paramita Sen of the same department, on a $300,000 National Science Foundation air pollution research project in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and New Delhi, India for one month. The four CCS were Farzad Mousavi and Ishrat Jahan both of Hunter College, Alexandra Acevedo of Baruch College and Carolina Perez of Bronx Community College. 

Mumbai and New Delhi are two of the most polluted megacities in the world and the CCS students used  LoraWAN sensors and other sensors mounted as backpack units to map the air pollution on a micro-scale in both cities. These GPS enabled sensors could literally tell the pollution block by block as the CCS moved by foot through Dharavi slum, Asia’s largest slum, and other underserved communities in the two cities. The sensor package was designed jointly by Professors Phillip and Sen along with their co-PI Dr Brian vant-Hull of City College of New York. India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi were the official collaborators on the NSF grant and the CCS students had a chance to work alongside the students and faculty from both institutions and to also visit the schools. The CCS students also had a chance to work alongside students from SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai, India’s first and largest university for women.

As part of the research project to understand the correlation of air pollution and weather parameters (wind speed, wind direction, temperature etc.), the CCS students also helped to installed two weather stations in Mumbai. One weather station was installed at the Governor of Maharashtra’s official residence in Mumbai, an Indian national heritage building. The other was installed at SNDT Women’s University, Juhu Beach campus. Plaques recognizing CUNY’s contribution to understanding weather and air pollution issues in Mumbai, were installed in these two locations.

Professors Phillip and Sen also co-organized an International Climate Change Conference in Mumbai where Farzad, Carolina, Ishrat and Alexandra also presented about the air pollution research project in India and their work on the CUNY Climate Scholars project back in NYC.  The welcoming address was given by the governor of Maharashtra, Hon. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, and presenters came from other states in India, Australia and from Egypt. 

The trip also included a three day visit to the ISKCON Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV) in the rural Palghar district of Maharashtra. GEV is a completely sustainable enclave and Farzad, Carolina, Ishrat and Alexandra had a chance to visit and learn about their Pyrolysis plant to convert plastic into diesel fuel, their UN  award winning wastewater treatment facility, their organic farming program for rural farmers, their skills center to develop rural youth, and to upgrade the weather station installed by CUNY students led by Professors Phillip and Sen back in 2019. Farazad, Carolina, Ishrat and Alexandra all brought educational supplies and other gifts for students in the Gurukul Orphanage at GEV and participated in a special dinner with the kids. They all also engaged in an impromptu soccer game with the Gurukul kids which delighted everyone except the ISKCON monks sleeping in a nearby quarters. Farzad, Alexandra, Carolina and Ishrat were also thrilled to also visit the famed Taj Mahal which was commissioned back in 1631. They were all awe struck by the majestic nature of the building and its durability after almost 600 years in existence.

According to CCS student Ishrat Jahan from Hunter College, “this opportunity was incredibly insightful and allowed me to deepen my knowledge and skills in data collection, understanding of public health risks associated with increasing air pollution, and possible solutions to mitigate the issue. I was also able to interact with researchers across the world and dedicated students from various backgrounds. Ultimately, the NSF trip to India greatly broadened my intellectual and cultural horizons!”

CCS student Alexandra Acevedo from Baruch College added “The NSF IRES was a special experience for me because I was able to participate in data collection, which I’ve never done before. There were also a lot of opportunities to learn about culture and the realities of living in a developing country which provided a more well-rounded experience that included information on air quality and its impacts in India.”

CCS student Farzad Mousavi from Hunter College added “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to partake in such an amazing program. Although the program was only for four weeks, it helped me grow and develop both my personal and technical skills. It is a program that encompasses a study abroad program, a research program, and a cultural program all in one and give the student a unique experience, and I am forever grateful to have been a part of it and I will always cherish it. Anyone who hears about my experience is thrilled to learn more about the program and apply. Thank you and I hope to see you soon!”

CCS student Carolina Perez from Bronx Community College added “…..”

Professors Phillip and Sen had also received a $43,109 public diplomacy grant from the US State Department/US Consulate Hyderabad, India for a weather station and climate change literacy project in the three states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India and had completed Phase I in September 2022. Phase II is scheduled for April 2023 during Spring Break. Just this past week they were awarded another US State Department Public Diplomacy through the US Consulate in Mumbai for a similar $39,160 project in five states in western India in late July/August of this year, and they hope to also involve CUNY Climate Scholars in this project.