NCA 2024 Urban Heat Island Research Fellows Present Findings

Broadway Stages is a proud partner of the Newtown Creek Alliance (NCA) and their work to restore community health, water quality, habitat, access, and vibrant commerce along Newtown Creek. It provides STEM-based, interactive environmental programs on various topics grounded in the history and ecology of Newtown Creek and its surrounding watershed.

From left to right: Saffronia Traore-Rogers, Audrey Binder, Anna Chen, Victoria Siebor, Jyorei Juanillo

One of those efforts is a research cohort studying the impacts of urban heat islands within the North Brooklyn Industrial Business Zone (IBZ). This is the third year the IBZ has hosted the fellows in a program made possible by a three-year New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Community Impact Grant. Their research will support NCA revitalization efforts and find new ways to assist industry and worker health in the IBZ.

The program is open to individuals 18-25 years old, who ideally have experience with increased urban heat, an interest in or relationship to Newtown Creek and the surrounding community, and have not completed a bachelor’s degree. This year, the participants focused their research project on urban heat islands around the creek and North Brooklyn. The research fellows and their projects are as follows:

●        Saffronia Traore-Rogers - Cooling Down: Assessing Green Spaces as a Refuge from Urban Heat

●        Jyorei Juanillo - Urban Heat Island on Trucking Routes

●        Victoria Siebor - Wind and Urban Geometry: Contributing Factors to UHI

●        Audrey Binder & Anna Chen - Tree Advocacy Project

Congratulations to this year’s fellows for playing a vital role in restoring, revealing, and revitalizing Newtown Creek. You can meet this year’s cohort here and view their presentations on YouTube here. You can also view the presentations from 2022 on Long Island City and Sunnyside and 2023 on the Maspeth IBZ.

Broadway Stages loves living and working on the banks of Newtown Creek. NCA shares our firm commitment to environmental initiatives and being a responsible neighbor. We are honored to partner with the organization and all its hard-working staff and volunteers.