By Yosif Zaki & Nancy Holt It’s summer in New York City, and the word on the street is heat — literally. Some of the hottest places are the pavement itself, including the city’s 6,300 miles of streets and highways. …

By Vaishali Talwar & Nancy Holt Scientific research very clearly demonstrates that solitary confinement is torture. It also shows that it is counterproductive in achieving its goals because it often increases an inmate’s violent behavior. …

By Nancy Holt & Calder Orr — Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget chops the city’s residential composting program. The reason he gave is that the effort is broken. While he’s correct that it has not lived up to its potential, advocates of the program are also right that New York City needs to divert organic materials from…

Nancy Holt As COVID continues to impact the Garden State, grocery pickup/delivery remains an important option for New Jerseyans that want to limit their time shopping indoors. The newly-enacted plastic bag ban has left customers of large grocery retailers with less-than desirable options. …

Originally appeared in the Columbia Daily Spectator on 4/13/22 By Grace Herod As we approach the end of a school year disrupted by a historic strike from the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers, students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are reaching an unsettling realization. Despite the…

Scientists have a lot of value to add to policymaking, but are not always highly effective in making that outcome a reality. One key reason is that they approach policy by attempting to recreate how the scientific enterprise operates. …

Nancy Holt, Ph.D As a scientist by training who entered the policy world over fifteen years ago, and now helps other do the same, I generally see a number of barriers to that transition. Many are centered on professional norms that vary notably between the two spaces. Reframing upfront how…

Currently, we often talk about how to make climate policy itself more equitable. Working to integrate climate change into other key policy issues that are central to achieving equity would be a lot more productive. New York City (NYC) offers insights into how this strategy might work in practice. Climate…

By Nancy Holt and Arthee Jahangir While the Biden presidency is a relief to many scientists, there is a long road ahead in building a country that actively utilizes science for decision-making. If you’re looking to transition out of academia and use your skills to “make a difference” in the…