Second Annual Anthony J. Brazel Urban Climate Lecture with Dr. Dev Niyogi

How gaming and simulation can inform the design of future climate-resilient cities

Cities and urban-sprawl is a global phenomenon. Because cities have concentrated population, emissions, and infrastructure development, they tend to be warmer than the surrounding areas. In addition to the urban heating, cities also alter regional climate by changing rainfall patterns, and winds. Cities, in turn, are also increasingly vulnerable to climatic extremes such as heavy rains, floods, and heatwaves. Efforts are ongoing in the researcher and practitioner communities to improve prediction of high impact events over urban areas, and help cities become more resilient to climatic changes.

This presentation will discuss examples of integrating emerging technologies such as from video gaming and machine learning into weather and climate studies. These augmented technology tools within weather models can help improve urban-scale weather forecasting. They also promote better understanding of how cities impact climate. This information can be used to predict and mitigate some of the harmful effects of urbanization and changing climate, such as heatwaves and flooding. Examples of how urban climate science is being used to help develop tools and a network for resilient and livable cities will also be presented.

BIO: Dev Niyogi, Professor of Agronomy and Earth, Atmospheric, Planetary Sciences at Purdue University and Former State Climatologist, is the Chair of the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Board of Urban Environment and advisory board member of the International Association of Urban Climate. Niyogi was the co-convener of the 10th International Conference on Urban Climate, held in New York City, 2018. He is currently on the boards of several key journals in his field, including: Urban Climate, Climate Research, Journal of Applied Climatology and Meteorology, and Remote Sensing. In addition, Dr. Niyogi also serves as a volume editor for the Elsevier/Academic Press Major Reference Work on Climate Vulnerability. He has published over 190 international papers, and according to Google Scholar, his research has been cited over 11,000 times (h-index>50). His work has been highlighted in numerous media outlets, including such popular press as Wired, CNN, National Georgaphic, and Tedx Talks.

RECEPTION with light snacks: 5:00 - 5:30 pm

LECTURE with Q &A: 5:30 - 7 pm