C4E Presents

This special episode of Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) examines how U.S. efforts to move away from fossil fuels collide with surging electricity demand from AI and data centers, prompting companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to pursue nuclear power.  Distributed by American Public Media from January through April 2026, C4E presents in its first national radio broadcast the history of nu...

Ben Novak is bringing back the extinct passenger pigeon. Host Heather Lynch and Novak, program manager for the Biotechnology for Bird Conservation Program for Revive & Restore , discuss de-extinction, restoring ecosystem function by using gene editing or selective breeding to give living relatives traits needed to fill extinct species’ ecological roles, and correcting Jurassic Park misconcepti...

Dana Golden studies energy markets and electricity transmission. Host Heather Lynch and Golden, graduate research assistant in the Graduate School at Stony Brook University, speak about why Suffolk County electricity averages much higher than the national average and how prices are set through generators, transmission constraints, and utilities. Golden explains how data-center-driven load growth r...

Health experts Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi and Nozomi Sasaki look at how climate change is increasing wildfire smoke exposure and related health risks. Host Heather Lynch, as well as Danesh Yazdi and Sasaki from Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University, discuss evidence linking airborne particles to increased mortality and cardiopulmonary impacts. They point to growing research, using large adm...

Marija Krstić , assistant professor of practice in the Department of Civil Engineering at Stony Brook University, is interested in cement production, which is a major source of global carbon emissions. Host Heather Lynch and Krstić explore the difference between cement and concrete, why steel reinforcements are essential for structural concrete, and how Portland cement – the binder, or glue in con...

Pascal Title delves into the evolutionary history and biodiversity of snakes, exploring their unique characteristics, diets and habitats. Host Heather Lynch and Title, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, define characteristics of snakes, and discuss speciation and diversity within the group, as well as the role of snakes in ecosystems. They...

Dilip Gersappe explores the engineering of climate resilience into nature's original building material: soil. Host Heather Lynch and Gersappe, a professor in the  Department of Material Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University, discussing innovative methods of soil fortification using biopolymers. Traditional soil improvement techniques, such as compaction and the addition of cem...

Meet How's That? , a podcast that dives deep into all sorts of things that make our world work — such as organisms that act like zombies, plants that talk to each other, light that pollutes our skies and academic change that brings climate topics to students. The podcast is reported and produced by graduate students in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. Tell...

Darcey Evans explores the cultural importance of salmon to Indigenous peoples. Host Heather Lynch and Evans, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, discuss how salmon are harvested in British Columbia, Canada, including the environmental impacts and power struggles involving multinational corporations, local communities, and Indigenous nations. There ar...

Meet The Climate Story Project , an initiative led by The New York Climate Exchange to record, archive and share real, personal stories about climate change to inspire action and connection. During 2025 Climate Week NYC, The Exchange invited the public to tell us their climate story at Pioneer Works and the American Museum of Natural History, and supported by Wellcome . In snapshots of life in the...

Stephen Baines is focused on the ecological reshaping of coastal wetlands. Host Heather Lynch and Baines, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution , discuss the impact of non-native species, nitrogen's role in marsh stability, the influence of iron fertilization on ocean ecosystems, and the complexities of coastal conservation. Baines is concerned about keeping coastal mar...

Pamela Ginex explores the impacts of disasters on emergency preparedness and patient care. Host Heather Lynch and Ginex, assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Stony Brook University, discusses how hospitals and clinics can be prepared for climate-related disasters like hurricanes and heat waves. Ginex highlights the need for proactive measures for those with known toxic exposures and the...

Rafael D’Andrea is focused on understanding what makes the queen bee different from her peers. Host Heather Lynch and D’Andrea, assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, to discuss mathematical models in understanding nature, and the importance of collaboration and data sharing in scientific research. D’Andrea explains his research on eusociality in...

Stony Brook University Hospital is on the front lines of sustainability. Host Heather Lynch speaks with CEO Carol Gomes , Director of Healthcare Safety Barbara Boyle , and Josephine Connolly-Schoonen , executive director of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine, to explore how the hospital is reducing waste and emissions. They say Stony Brook's commitment to reducing greenhouse gases and...

Jaymie Meliker ’s research seeks to inform policy and individual actions to mitigate environmental exposure to health risks. Host Heather Lynch and Meliker, a professor in the Program in Public Health and the Department of Family Population and Preventative Medicine at Stony Brook University, explore critical topics at the intersection of public health and environmental science, including the nuan...

Carrie Mongle examines fossilized teeth to understand how early humans grew, lived, and ate. Host Heather Lynch and Mongle, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Turkana Basin Institute at Stony Brook University, dive into the intricacies of human evolution, discussing the key players and distinctive features that separate modern humans from other hominins. Mongle also discusse...

Oliver Shipley tracks sharks in the New York Bight. Host Heather Lynch and Shipley, an assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, discuss the use of isotopes in marine food web studies, shark population trends, the reasons behind the recent rise in shark sightings off Long Island, and the implications of offshore wind farms on marine species. Sh...

Arek Zenel-Walasek, an environmental studies major, discusses his photo contribution "South of Montauk" . Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " ⁠Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment ⁠ " Hear more about how the project was organized in ⁠Nature State of Mind #1⁠ . Releas...

Sophia Camularie, a biology major, reads her poem "I can hear the birds and trees". Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " ⁠Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment ". Hear more about how the project was organized in ⁠Nature State of Mind #1⁠ . Released in March 2024, the c...

Minghao Qiu models for air pollution caused by wildfires and other climate impacts. Host Heather Lynch and Qiu, assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Program of Public Health , explore the impacts of unwinding the Clean Air Act and its exceptional events rule, and how wildfires complicate air quality management. Qiu shares insights on regulatory frameworks, the r...

Taeyoung (Paul) Kim, an environmental design, policy and planning student, shares his essay "Slow Aesthetics: Seeking Answers from Nature". Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " ⁠Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment ⁠ " Hear more about how the project was organized in...

Esther Poon, a sustainability studies major who focuses on coastal environmental, co-edited " ⁠⁠Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment ⁠⁠". Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project, which was released in March 2024. The collection is the cumulation of a collaborative effort s...

Harrison Bohrer, an environmental studies major, presents his photograph, "Ignition." Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " ⁠Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment ⁠ " Hear more about how the project was organized in ⁠Nature State of Mind #1⁠ . Released in March 2024, th...

Jada Blanche, a marine vertebrates biology major, presents her poem, "Fleeting Fall." Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment " Hear more about how the project was organized in Nature State of Mind #1 . Released in March 2024, the col...

Between seasons, C4E is spotlighting the creativity of Stony Brook University students who were featured in an ambitious student-led project " Nature State of Mind: SUNY Students Reflect on Our Environment " Alanna Earl, an environmental humanities major, introduces the book, which she co-edited. She says Nature State of Mind celebrates the intrinsic connection between humanity and the environment...