For 13 weeks during the summer of 2026, students at Bronx Community College’s Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute (BGCCCI) will be able to look into the factors that cause climate change in urban areas. That’s because the center was recently awarded a $300,000 NASA-funded research grant, allowing students to focus on climate change and its relationship to land-use and land-cover changes.
The project will have students spending two and a half months analyzing Earth monitoring data from Landsat Sentinel satellites, a combination of NASA’s Landsat program and the European Union’s Sentinel program, and noting any changes.
“We believe this grant will be transformative,” said BCC President Dr. Larry Johnson. “It moves our state-of-the-art Geospatial Computing Center one step closer to becoming a global hub for climate change research — right here in the Bronx. We are committed to charting clear career pathways in geospatial science, promoting equity and access, and shaping the next generation of professionals tackling global challenges.”
BGCCCI students will learn new ways of analyzing geographical data. They will be taught how to combine environmental science studies with analysis of the physical characteristics and economic diversity of ten different global cities: some in developed countries, some in underdeveloped countries, and some cities in fast-growing countries.
“If you were to look down on the Earth from a helicopter or an airplane, you’d see that the land is fragmented into different parts,” explains Dr. Sunil Bhaskaran, founder of the Center and author of the grant. Bhaskaran plans to lead seven students in the research grant: “Some parts of the land are parks, and some are water bodies. Other areas are occupied by buildings. We generally refer to this as land use and land cover.
“Over time, changes in land use and land cover occur. We all know this, and many factors drive these changes. One of the main factors is climate change. Climate change can influence the changes in land cover and land use, and vice versa: it’s a two-way process. If there is a change in land cover and land use, it can also affect the climate in that area. Similarly, if there’s a change in climate, it can impact land use and land cover. This creates a two-way process that causes changes in land use, land cover, or climate.
“Our goal is to understand the key drivers behind these interactions. Think of these as two main nodes: one end is land cover and land use change, and the other is climate change. We want to understand how these two influence each other and bring about changes in how we live on Earth. To do this, we study different types of drivers — biophysical, social, and anthropogenic. We need to understand what these drivers are, how they exist on Earth, how to decode each one, and how to address what causes what.”
Although the grant was initially designed for 20 students to participate in the research, funding delays mean that only seven students will now be selected for the work. Though those seven students will be highly selected, Dr. Bhaskaran expects to do a lot of mentoring to help them understand the work they will be performing.
Bronx Community College students typically lack a background in geographical and spatial analysis, so many will need training to understand the research. But Bhaskaran says he looks forward to this kind of teaching, where he has to work hard to inspire his students.
“It’s quite challenging, because most of the students don’t have those skills; they’ve never had an opportunity to know what [this kind of research] is. My job is to make sure that it is exciting when you listen to me. That’s the first step. Then the second step would be to lead them on from that point onwards, by giving them some hands-on exercises, getting them to feel the data, getting them to open up satellite data sets, getting them to see what the different types of bands are. How can they perform basic analysis? There is a steep process of handholding, orienting them, and…training them very rigorously.”
Since founding the center in 2014, Dr. Bhaskaran has trained and introduced science research to over 500 students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the center uploaded its workshops to the cloud and expanded its outreach, training a significantly larger number of students.
On Aug. 21, Bhaskaran and colleagues plan to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the center with a free, all-day symposium open for anyone to attend. Themed around discussions on climate change, geospatial-AI, and related topics, many former center students will participate in the day’s events.
“We completed 10 years from 2014 to 2024 on October 3,” said Bhaskaran. “So it’s, for me, it’s like a legacy…a lifetime.”
To contact Bronx Community College’s Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute, see their website at https://www.geospatialcentercunycrestinstitute.com/. To take part in the Aug. 21 symposium, register at https://bcc-cuny.digication.com/geospatial-showcase-25/register-to-attend.