About

Oren Pizmony-Levyis the Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures (formerly Working Group on Environmental and Sustainability Education). Pizmony-Levy is an Associate Professor in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. His scholarship explores the intersection of global social movements and education including environmental and sustainability education. Pizmony-Levy earned his Ph.D. in sociology and comparative and international education from Indiana University, Bloomington. Prior to graduate school in the US, Pizmony-Levy worked in the Education Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (NGO) and was involved in the development of new environmental education curriculum and professional development for K-12 schools.

Pamela Koch is an Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures (formerly Working Group on Environmental and Sustainability Education). She is also Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition Education. Koch’s research is at the intersection of food and nutrition education, sustainable food system, and school meals. She has been the lead curriculum writer for many school-based curricula on food and nutrition. She has also been the PI on numerous evaluation studies on the effectiveness of food and nutrition educational programming, (e.g., cooking and gardening), and initiatives to improve school meals. Koch received her EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ann E. Rivet is an Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures. She is also the Assistant Dean for Research at Teachers College Columbia University, and an associate professor of science education in the Mathematics, Science and Technology Department. Between 2016-2019 Dr. Rivet served as a program officer in the Division for Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Rivet’s research has a dual focus on student learning of core disciplinary concepts and practices, and the effective design of strategies, models and curricula that foster understandings for all learners, in particular those underrepresented in STEM. Currently, her work examines the interrelationships between students’ understandings of core scientific concepts and broader conceptions such as systems and scale, and the design of classroom instructional strategies that support students’ situated learning of full scale Earth systems. Dr. Rivet is actively involved with current efforts to support the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at both the policy and practitioner levels, including the development of open source high quality science curriculum materials. Her work has been published in leading journals including Science, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the American Education Research Journal, and she has presented her work in multiple national and international settings. She holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Brown University, and a doctoral degree in science education from the University of Michigan.

BrightFlame (she/they) is Strategist for Regenerative Earth Practices at the Center for Sustainable Futures, which features her nonfiction writing and workshops. She is known worldwide for her teaching and writing that blend spirituality, science and activism towards a just, regenerative world. Her key focus is helping people connect with the Earth and develop a de-centered relationship with Nature and all beings. Aligned with this theme, her short climate fiction appears in Solarpunk Magazine, Optopia, Bioluminescent (Android Press) and a forthcoming solarpunk anthology. She holds a masters in educational psychology and has helped colleagues develop and sustain programs. With her partner, she tends a native plant sanctuary of forest and meadow. Her musings and doodles: http://brightflame.com.

Christina Torres is a doctoral candidate in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a research associate and the center coordinator at the Center for Sustainable Futures, with a research interest in climate change education. Christina is also an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY), where she teaches an Ecology and Environmental Problems course to students pursuing sustainable fashion. She is dedicated to promoting sustainability within university campuses as the co-president of the Sustainability Task Force at Teachers College and the faculty advisor of the Ethics and Sustainability student initiative at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Carine Verschueren is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of education policy, the politics of education, and sustainability. Dr. Verschueren explores environmental and sustainability education policies in K-12 education systems worldwide. She is particularly interested in urban schools, and the implications of urban politics around sustainability for these schools. Her doctoral dissertation examined actors and factors in environmental and sustainability education policies at the school district level in the United States. She was also instrumental in 2018-2019 in launching, coordinating and moderating the sustainability webinar series: “Thinking Global, Educating Local” for the Center for Sustainable Futures. She holds a Ph.D. in International and Comparative Education from Columbia University and trained as an environmental educator at the Sheldrake Environmental Center in Larchmont, NY.

Darren Rabinowitz is interested studying the impacts of education and human well-being on climate change. Specifically, how is human behavior and activities, which are seen to be the main cause of climate change, influenced by education and an individual's well-being? I am interested in exploring how education can curtail human behaviors that contribute to climate change and, in turn, support countries' sustainable development efforts toward greener economies, political structures and societies.

Gareth Alexis Brinkworth is a Ph.D. student of Comparative and International Education (Sociology specialization) at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is on a career break from his role as an education policy adviser to the UK government and has previously taught and coordinated education programs in countries including Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and the UK.

Gareth’s research interests span social theory, education policy, and epistemology. He examines how schooling can best address global existential threats, such as the climate crisis, as well as emerging risks from technologies including AI and nanotechnology.

Shreya Sanjeev is a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Studies program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a marine biologist and conservation educator interested in exploring the integration of environmental education and sustainability within higher education in developing countries. Specifically, she's interested in looking at student perceptions and experiences in higher education and how this can inform sustainability practices adopted by institutions within their formal curriculum and pedagogy, business models, and operations.

Joy Yang is a second-year master's student in the Communication and Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a 2023-2024 Zankel Fellow for the Earth Justice through Gardening and Nutrition Program. She comes from a journalism background, laying the foundation for her passion for creating conducive learning environments. By bridging the realms of education, media, and technology, Joy aspires to foster meaningful change and drive positive impact.

Veronica Moralishvili is a first year master's student in the Science Education/Teaching Biology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a 2023-2024 Zankel Fellow in the Earth Justice through Gardening and Nutrition project. Her interests are centered on increasing access to science education opportunities in NYC public schools, including the use of hands-on project-based learning to empower students to have an active role in their education and support students in creating connections between the classroom and their own lives. 

Jooyoung Jeon is a third-year doctoral student in the Science Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a 2023-2024 Zankel Fellow for the Youth at the Center project. Her research interests intersect climate change and adaptation education and Geology, using decolonial lenses. 

Mac Mann-Wood is a second year masters' student in the Teaching of English program at Teachers College, Columbia University. They are a continuing Zankel Fellow working with Youth at the Center. Their research interests include abolitionist perspectives in education, storytelling, queer pedagogies, and sustainable community futures.

Brook Li is a second-year master's student in the Spirituality Mind Body program at Teachers College. She is a 2023-2024 Zankel Fellow for the Planting Seeds”: Embodied, Creative, and Social-Justice-Oriented Pedagogies for Sustainability Transformation project. In addition to her coursework on psychology, Brook is also studying to be an outdoor educator. She is currently working on her graduation project which explores the integration of nature-based mindfulness into social emotional learning and trauma-informed care.

Alejandro Espinoza is a first-year master's student in the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Alejandro is a 2022-2023 Zankel Fellow for the Earth justice through Gardening and Nutrition project. His interests include ensuring nutritional adequacy through culturally inclusive foods, gardening and engaging with students.