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by Stony Brook University
Welcome to C4E Presents, a podcast from Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth. From climate attribution to marine plastics, we confront the difficult questions about climate change head-on. Join us for exciting conversations with Stony Brook University’s environmental scholars and researchers to explore these issues together. Hosted by Heather Lynch, director of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/c4e/
Latest Episodes
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- Apr 21, 202655 min
America’s Nuclear Future | C4E Presents: National Special #001
This special episode of Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) examines how U.S. efforts to move away from fossil fuels collide with surging electricity demand from AI and data centers, prompting companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to pursue nuclear power. Distributed by American Public Media from January through April 2026, C4E presents in its first national radio broadcast the history of nuclear energy in the United States, from Eisenhower’s 1953 “Atoms for Peace” through Three Mile Island, and changing public opinion under the Trump administration. Today, approximately 94 reactors supply just over 18% of U.S. utility-scale electricity. The narrative episode explores the restarting of shuttered plants, the promise and skepticism around small modular reactors, and shifts in energy policy as climate solutions that were discussed during an April 2025 Governor’s Island forum debate, in partnership with The New York Climate Exchange.Learn more with: SBU’s Collaborative for the Earth Debuts National Broadcast Special on Nuclear EnergySBU Hosts 2nd Annual Environmental Forum on Nuclear Energy’s Role in Climate SolutionsUnderstanding Nuclear Energy with C4E’s ‘Nuclear 101’ ConversationSkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:01:25 Three Mile Island Shock04:05 Nuclear Numbers Shift05:54 Why This Podcast07:21 AI Power Hunger11:13 Restarting Old Reactors13:47 Debating Nuclear Role20:47 Safety After Fukushima25:34 Regulation Lessons Learned27:01 Nuclear Waste Dilemma31:31 Do We Need Nuclear32:50 Long Island Case Study35:28 Build Times and Costs37:23 Safety Versus Speed41:10 Geopolitics and Supply Chains45:43 Four Paths to Expand47:43 Small Modular Reactor Hype51:55 Financing the Nuclear BetTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Special thanks to The New York Climate Exchange and Stony Brook’s Office of the Provost, Office of Marketing and Communications and the MS in Journalism program for their support.Host: Heather LynchWriter: J.D. AllenEditors: Terry Sheridan, Lori KieProducers: Jordan Vallone, Melanie FormosaPost Production: Denis Murray Program Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Apr 7, 202650 min
Passenger Pigeon Comeback | C4E Presents #044
Ben Novak is bringing back the extinct passenger pigeon. Host Heather Lynch and Novak, program manager for the Biotechnology for Bird Conservation Program for Revive & Restore, discuss de-extinction, restoring ecosystem function by using gene editing or selective breeding to give living relatives traits needed to fill extinct species’ ecological roles, and correcting Jurassic Park misconceptions about using ancient DNA directly. Novak explains how museum specimens provide fragmented DNA for sequencing and the limits of mapping genomes, emphasizing goal-oriented trait recovery over perfect genetic identity. Learn more with: “Could Extinct Species Save Today’s Forests? Scientist Makes the Case for Darwin Day”“De-Extinction” by Ben Novak“Towards Practical Conservation Cloning: Understanding the Dichotomy Between the Histories of Commercial and Conservation Cloning” by Ben J. Novak, Stewart Brand, Ryan Phelan, Sasha Plichta, Oliver A. Ryder and Robert J. Wiese“First endangered black-footed ferrets, Mustela nigripes, cloned for genetic rescue” by Ben Novak, et al.“Natural Selection Shaped the Rise and Fall of Passenger Pigeon Genomic Diversity” by Ben Novak, et al.Skip ahead to the chapter that interests you:01:40 Defining De-Extinction02:44 Jurassic Park Myths05:32 Where The DNA Comes From08:41 Sample Quality And Tissues11:44 Mapping Ancient Genomes14:16 How Close Is Close Enough23:04 Naming De-Extinct Species25:30 Tiny Mutations Big Traits28:12 Building Diversity In30:56 Passenger Pigeon Progress31:33 Ferret Genetic Rescue33:55 Why Birds Are Hard35:52 Germ Cell Workaround37:55 Mitochondria Purity Myth44:16 Policy And Release46:46 Stem Cells Future ToolsTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Mar 24, 202643 min
Energy Economics | C4E Presents #043
Dana Golden studies energy markets and electricity transmission. Host Heather Lynch and Golden, graduate research assistant in the Graduate School at Stony Brook University, speak about why Suffolk County electricity averages much higher than the national average and how prices are set through generators, transmission constraints, and utilities. Golden explains how data-center-driven load growth raises prices and strains reliability, and supports an “all of the above” mix including nuclear and emerging geothermal.Learn more with: "Offshore Horizons: HVDC Wind Farms-Exploring Techno-Economic Dimensions" by D. Singh, D. Golden, et al.“Investment and the Transfer of Power: Dynamic Effects of Transmission in Electricity Markets.” by Dana GoldenHear Dana’s lecture on environmental and natural resources economicsBreakneck by Dan WangSkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:00:32 Why Does Suffolk Power Cost More01:49 What Is HVDC05:20 Where HVDC Is Used07:45 Renewables Drive HVDC12:44 Preventing Cascade Failures15:50 ISOs and Market Design20:54 Renewables Forecasting Risk27:07 Do Data Centers Raise Prices28:52 Nuclear and Energy Crisis37:56 China vs US Building42:48 Transmission Costs and PermittingTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Mar 10, 202647 min
Fires From Afar | C4E Presents #042
Health experts Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi and Nozomi Sasaki look at how climate change is increasing wildfire smoke exposure and related health risks. Host Heather Lynch, as well as Danesh Yazdi and Sasaki from Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University, discuss evidence linking airborne particles to increased mortality and cardiopulmonary impacts. They point to growing research, using large administrative datasets and local hospital data to assess impacts, that suggests wildfire smoke is more harmful than other pollution sources.Learn more with: “Long-term Effect of Exposure to Lower Concentrations of Air Pollution on Mortality among Medicare Participants and Vulnerable Subgroups,” by Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Yan Wang, Qian Di, Weeber J. Requia, Yaguang Wei, and Liuhua Shi“Associations between air pollution and psychiatric symptoms in the normative aging study,” by Xinye Qiu, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Marc Weisskopf, Anna Kosheleva, Avron Spiro, Cuicui Wang, Brent A. Coull, Petros Koutrakis and Joel D. Schwartz“Emulating causal doseresponse relations between air pollutants and mortality in the Medicare population,” by Yaguang Wei, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Qian Di, Weeberb J. Requia, Francesca Dominici, Antonella Zanobetti and Joel Schwartz“Fish consumption and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from diet are positively associated with cognitive function in older adults even in the presence of exposure to lead, cadmium, selenium, and methylmercury: a cross-sectional study using NHANES 2011–2014 data,” by Nozomi Sasaki, Laura E. Jones and David O. CarpenterSkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:01:34 Air Pollution and Mortality10:56 Environmental Justice and Work22:01 Who Is Most Vulnerable28:57 Short vs Long Effects30:12 Heavy Metals in Smoke35:56 Fish Mercury Tradeoffs41:28 Practical Air Tips44:33 EVs and Hidden CostsTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProducer: Jordan ValloneProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Feb 24, 202629 min
Concrete Facts | C4E Presents #041
Marija Krstić, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Civil Engineering at Stony Brook University, is interested in cement production, which is a major source of global carbon emissions. Host Heather Lynch and Krstić explore the difference between cement and concrete, why steel reinforcements are essential for structural concrete, and how Portland cement – the binder, or glue in concrete production – requires high kiln temperatures, which releases CO2. Krstić explains why it is still unlikely that concrete is to be fully replaced with sustainable alternatives and changed methods in the near future. Learn more with:“Field-Application-of-Recycled-Glass-Pozzolan-for-Concrete,” by Marija Krstić and Julio F. Davalos“Macro - and Microstructure Evaluation and Field Applications of Concrete with Recycled Glass Pozzolan,” by Marija Krstić“Freeze–Thaw Resistance and Air-Void Analysis of Concrete with Recycled Glass–Pozzolan Using X-ray Micro-Tomography,” by Marija Krstić , Julio F. Davalos, Emanuele Rossi, Stefan C. Figueiredo, Oguzhan CopurogluSkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:00:39 Why Concrete Matters02:49 Krstić’s Path to Concrete 05:00 Concrete 10108:54 Steel and Concrete Are A Perfect Couple10:09 Why Cement Emits So Much CO215:20 Lower-Carbon Cement Paths22:10 Supply & Safety Challenges24:57 Recycling Concrete27:11 Can We Replace Concrete?Tell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProducer: Jordan ValloneProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Feb 10, 202638 min
Sensational Snakes | C4E Presents #040
Pascal Title delves into the evolutionary history and biodiversity of snakes, exploring their unique characteristics, diets and habitats. Host Heather Lynch and Title, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, define characteristics of snakes, and discuss speciation and diversity within the group, as well as the role of snakes in ecosystems. They touch upon the impacts of climate change on snakes and the importance of museum collections and scientific research in understanding historical and future biodiversity.Learn more with:“The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes”, by Pascal O. Title, Sonal Singhal, Michael C. Grunder, Gabriel C. Costa, R. Alexander Pyron, Timothy J. Colston, Maggie R. Grundler, Ivan Prates, Natasha Stepanova, Marc E.H. Jones, Lucas B.Q. Cavalcanti, Guarino R. Colli, Nicolas Di-Poï, Stephen C. Donnellan, Craig Moritz, Daniel O. Mesquita, Eric R. Pianka, Stephen A. Smith, Laurie J. Vitt, Daniel L. Rabosky.“Coral snakes predict the evolution of mimicry,” by Allison R, Davis Rabosky, Christian L Cox, Daniel L Rabosky, Pascal O Title, Iris A Holmes, Anat Feldman, Jimmy A Mcguire“Chasing the Niche: Escaping Climate Change Threats in Place, Time, and Space”, by Ranjan Muthukrishnan, Tara M. Smiley, Pascal O. Title, Adam M. Fudickar, Alex E. Jahn, Jennifer A. Lau“Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest,” by Rudolf von May, Emanuele Biggi, Heidy Cárdenas, M. Isabel Diaz, Consuelo Alarcón, Valia Herrera, Roy Santa-Cruz, Francesco Tomasinelli, Erin P. Westeen, Ciara M. Sánchez-Paredes, Joanna G. Larson, Pascal O. Title, Maggie R. Grundler, Michael C. Grundler, Alison R. Davis Rabosky, Daniel L. Rabosky“Rapid increase in snake dietary diversity and complexity following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction”, by Michael C. Grundler, Daniel L. RaboskySkip ahead to the chapter that interests you:00:34 The Fascinating World of Snakes01:13 Meet the Herpetologist: Pascal Title01:34 Understanding Snakes: Evolution and Characteristics06:13 Why Are People Afraid of Snakes? 07:46 Pascal's Journey into Herpetology11:48 Research on Snake Diversity and Evolution19:19 Climate Change and Snake Adaptability32:34 The Importance of Museum CollectionsTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProducer: Jordan ValloneProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Jan 27, 202634 min
Innovative Soil Solutions | C4E Presents #039
Dilip Gersappe explores the engineering of climate resilience into nature's original building material: soil. Host Heather Lynch and Gersappe, a professor in the Department of Material Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University, discussing innovative methods of soil fortification using biopolymers. Traditional soil improvement techniques, such as compaction and the addition of cement, are compared against the emerging method of biopolymer integration, which offers advantages such as biodegradation and enhanced plant root growth. Learn more with:“The Effect of Biopolymer Pore Fluids on Soil Properties Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations”, by Shoumik Saha shoumik, Dilip Gersappe, and Sherif L. Abdelaziz“Modeling frost heave in silty soils”, by Varghese Babu and Dilip Gersappe“Interplay of Surface Energy and Rheology in Biopolymer Soil Enhancement”, by Dilip Gersappe et al.Skip ahead to the chapter that interests you:00:24 Introduction to Soil 01:08 Challenges with Traditional Soil03:24 Innovative Solutions: Biopolymers in Soil05:43 Understanding Soil and Plant Interactions10:24 Applications and Future Research19:29 Understanding Soil Stability with Biopolymers20:26 Field Applications and Experimentation20:52 Potential Risks and Concerns22:20 Biopolymers in Civil Engineering22:52 Degradation and Environmental Impact25:42 Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Future Directions27:33 Modeling and Predicting Biopolymer Effects29:55 Commercial Applications and Practical StepsTell a friend and share a link to this episode.You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/c4e/newsletters.phpFor all things Stony Brook on social media: https://gosbu.co/m/socialC4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProgram Manager: Jennifer Gilday
- Jan 20, 202618 min
Feed Drop: How's That? | Changing Climate in the Classroom
Meet How's That?, a podcast that dives deep into all sorts of things that make our world work — such as organisms that act like zombies, plants that talk to each other, light that pollutes our skies and academic change that brings climate topics to students. The podcast is reported and produced by graduate students in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. Tell a friend and share a link to this episode.C4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.Host: Heather LynchEditor: J.D. AllenProgram manager: Jennifer Gilday
About C4E Presents
Welcome to C4E Presents, a podcast from Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth. From climate attribution to marine plastics, we confront the difficult questions about climate change head-on. Join us for exciting conversations with Stony Brook University’s environmental scholars and researchers to explore these issues together. Hosted by Heather Lynch, director of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/c4e/
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