UEDLAB | Urban Ecology and Design Laboratory

UEDLAB studies and reshapes human settlements through research and design with the goal of advancing urban sustainability. | Facebook | Twitter |

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Participated in a panel at Columbia on the Hudson Valley regional extractions and dependencies

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Participating in “Envisioning Future Resilience for Boston Harbor Islands” integrating modeling with multifaceted creative design solutions. 

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A group of practitioners, government officials were Interviewed as part of a larger discussion about flooding and climate change concerns. The group included:

Ryan Hanrahan - Chief Meteorologist at NBC Connecticut; his blog is called On Ryan’s Radar (@ryanhanrahan)

Erik Ofgang - Senior Writer at Connecticut Magazine (@erikofgang)

Dr. Alexander Felson - Ecologist, landscape architect, and associate professor at the Yale School of Architecture(@alex_felson)

George Kral - Town Planner for the Town of Guilford, Connecticut

Sharai Lewis-Gruss - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist at First Street Foundation (@LoveRaiRai)

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A view of West Haven’s coastline. During storm events, coastal areas like these are inundated with sea water posing risks to nearby communities. Given the expected rate of sea level rise, these coastlines will soon be permanently flooded if no action is taken.

Taken for the UED Lab’s SCRCOG East Haven and West Haven Coastal Resilience Project.

Photo Credit: Paurush Singhal

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Freshkills Park Inherent Possibilities Panel Discussion

Professor Alex Felson of the UEDLab served as a panelist at the recent Freshkills Park Reclaimed Land Conference. Focused on urban ecological design, his current research fueled the discussion of what is truly needed in modern landscape design and how to design for the future rather than just to restore the past. The Inherent Possibilities panel was at 3:30pm on Saturday, June 30th. http://freshkillspark.org/reclaimed-lands-conference/reclaimed-lands-conference-schedule/inherent-possibilities-panel-discussion

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A view of coastal houses along Cosey Beach Ave in East Haven, CT. 

The UEDLab has been working with CIRCA and SCRCOG to develop a coastal resilience plan for East Haven and West Haven, CT. The plan focuses on defending houses that are vulnerable to flood damage due to sea level rise and storm surge while protecting local wetlands. 

Photo Credit to Paurush Singhal

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On June 8th, the Environmental Business Council of New England and the UMass-Boston Sustainable Solutions Lab are hosting a Climate Adaptation forum. Professor Alex Felson of the UEDLab will be presenting on the importance of working at unconventional scales for coastal adaptation. More information and registration at https://climateadaptationforum.org/next-forum-june-8-2018/

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A model of proposed greenspace development around Lake Lagunita in Stanford, CA. The design is focused on preserving the habitat of the endangered California Tiger Salamander. To be presented as part of NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study’s exhibition: Collapse: Climate, Cities and Culture. On display June 12th-June 29th.

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The 2018 Ecological Urban Design course is being taught in the Yale Center for Engineering and Innovative Design and focuses on coastal engineering and adaptation.

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Conference event in Boston on January 19th and 20th with Tufts University in Boston focusing on the Alewife and flood management and adaptation. 

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Connecticut Mirror article focusing on the impact of storm events and recovery. 

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Interview on WNPR regarding climate change impacts and flood risk for municipalities. 

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Yale Alumni Magazine discusses UEDLAB and AFLA coastal adaptation projects in Connecticut. The plan depicts Designed Experiment living shorelines for East Shore Park (link)

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Humans of tGW: Connor Duwan

This summer the UED Lab has several undergraduate research assistants working on the thermoGreenwall (tGW) project. Here is a little bit more about the tGWsters.

Name: Connor “Chlorophyll” Duwan

Year: Class of 2020

Major: Undeclared

Preference of bagel, given a limited variety: Everything bagel

Preference of bagel, given unlimited variety: Sesame seed with cream cheese and bacon

About Connor: Connor is a rising sophomore from New Jersey, but recently moved to Connecticut. Originally joining the UED Lab to work on coastal adaptation projects, Connor is outsourced by the tGW team twice a week to measure chlorophyll and anthocyanin levels for plant measurements and gives the tGW team members rides at the 5 AM in the morning. Thanks, Connor!

Fun fact: Connor is on Sabrosura, Yale’s Latin dance team. His agility and grace make him a perfect candidate for collecting leaf data!

(Above) Connor collecting measurement data-- what a pro! 

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Humans of tGW: Mitchell Weldon

This summer the UED Lab has several undergraduate research assistants working on the thermoGreenwall (tGW) project. Here is a little bit more about the tGWsters.

Name: Mitchell “Microclimate” Weldon

Year: Class of 2017

Major: Environmental Engineering

Preference of bagel, given a limited variety: N/A, probably a latte

About Mitchell: Mitchell recently graduated from Yale College summa cum laude and has been working with the UED Lab for several years now, which means he’s definitely the smartest student on the tGW team. He occasionally uses the term “y’all,” which reveals the fact that he’s from Texas. He runs microclimate studies for the tGW and collects spectral reflectance data for plant measurements.

Fun fact: Mitchell has a colorful collection of socks.

(Above) Mitchell enjoying an early morning measurement. 

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Humans of tGW: Kevin Koste

This summer the UED Lab has several undergraduate research assistants working on the thermoGreenwall (tGW) project. Here is a little bit more about the tGWsters. 

Name: Kevin “Retriever Boy” Koste (pronounced “KAWS-tuh”)

Year: Class of 2019

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Preference of bagel, given a limited variety: Poppy seed

About Kevin: Kevin is a rising junior from New York. On the plant measurement side, he is responsible for retrieving plants from the wall for photosynthesis and pigment measurements, and then returning the plants to their rightful place on the wall. He also dabbles in hydroponics and has a penchant for making conference calls. 

Fun fact: Kevin is a varsity athlete on the lightweight rowing team. His athleticism really comes in handy for plant retrieval!

(Above) Kevin in action. 

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Happy July 4th from the UED Lab! Yesterday several members on the thermoGreenwall team saw fireworks in West Haven, and today we set out for another full day of plant measurements. (From top to bottom) Fireworks in West Haven; undergraduate researchers up early for pre-dawn plant measurements; research assistants Connor Duwan ‘20, Kevin Koste ‘19, and Mitchell Weldon ‘17 taking a donut break; plant physiologist PhD Acheampong Atta-Boateng helping students with spectral reflectance and photosynthesis measurement instruments.