Tell us about your research!
There are two parts to my research — one is through an internship in which I visualize satellite imagery by coding in Javascript. In my research, I analyze remote sensing data, or data where satellites have been used to collect information from all parts of the world, ranging from vegetation indices to surface temperatures. Using what I’ve learned through this internship, I have created environmental science kits featuring information on satellite imagery for younger students, especially in the Baltimore City area.
What inspired you to delve into this research topic?
One afternoon, after learning about what makes a healthy stream, I was on my way to evaluate the health of the closest waterway near me: the Inner Harbor. With my clipboard, CBF (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) print-outs, and a mask, I left my air-conditioned house and stepped into the hot, humid summer afternoon. Instead of going straight to the harbor, I made a detour, going deeper into the city so that I could pick up my best friend. In the early afternoon, the sun beat down from straight above at an angle that prevented even the tallest of row houses from providing shade and protection from the sun’s rays. Each block, with each occasional, scrawny, and bare tree I passed, I wished it could have been of more use, with fuller branches and leaves, especially during these scorching summers when I just wanted to walk to a friend’s house. By the time I came back home after my two-mile quest around Federal Hill and to the Harbor, I was sunburnt and covered in sweat. How could Baltimoreans stay happy, healthy, and active when the lack of trees intensifies the already significant urban heat-island effect? The urban heat island effect drastically decreases the quality of life in urban environments like Baltimore City, so I knew that I wanted to change this. Through my science kits and Cloud to Classroom, the NASA-Google-National Geographic environmental education initiative I intern for, I hope to not only bring awareness to important environmental issues like the urban heat island effect but also inspire students to make change as well.
What was your role in this research project?
I created the curriculums for Cloud to Classroom. Cloud to Classroom is a collaborative program created by Google, NASA, and National Geographic aiming to use satellite technology to discover local and global environmental trends and use archives to follow human activities patterns. Right now, I’m learning how to code, and in the future, I hope to code a new urban heat island effect app for our website. For the environmental science kits, I started and currently lead the initiative.
How did you become introduced to your field of research?
Remote sensing was brand new to me and I was introduced to it through my internship. However, through school and my position as a representative for the Environmental Coalition, I learned about sustainability and specific environmental issues. As for the urban heat island effect, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership introduced me to this specific environmental issue through their summer master class.
What influenced your research–whether it be cultural, social, etc?
Over the past few years, there’s been a huge emphasis on making change through legislation, which makes a lot of sense. I was very involved with activism, especially with sustainability, but after attending many climate strikes and rallies and watching many crucial bills get dismissed in our local governments, I realized that I wanted to focus my fight for sustainability elsewhere. Through direct outreach to students with my environmental science kits to coding for Cloud to Classroom, I quickly found out that was entirely possible.
Did you run into any obstacles on the way? How did you overcome them?
With the environmental science kits, it was hard to make progress. I had been working on it individually, and my project seemed too ambitious. My biggest turning point was when I decided to make my project a collaborative effort through what I’ve learned about how important it is to have a team when creating change in your community.
Additionally, there were some roadblocks where I felt that I was too inexperienced and that I didn’t know enough. The biggest thing I’ve learned from this feeling is how to ask for help and how to cold call people in the field you’re interested in. Honestly, when all else fails: Reddit.
What are some implications of your findings (and how are they important on a larger scale)?
For my internship with Cloud to Classroom, I hope to aid in its mission of increasing global climate literacy through satellite imagery analysis. Like I mentioned, for many people, climate change can be hard to believe, especially if your neighborhood or region is seemingly unaffected by it. Additionally, climate change isn’t always obvious. In your area, the tide may be increasing year after year, or there may be more warnings than usual of drought, but these changes may be so small that they go unnoticed. Analyzing and visualizing satellite data in such a way that brings these worrisome trends to light is vital to helping communities understand their risks of climate change and develop sustainable solutions.
With my environmental science kits, I hope to supplement Cloud to Classroom’s goal by bringing hands-on environmental education to urban areas in Baltimore, where satellite imagery analysis isn’t always accessible.
Did this experience prompt you to continue pursuing research as a career goal?
Many of those around me are shocked when I admit that I have no desire to pursue environmental science as a major in college. To me, I’m more interested in having sustainability remain a core value as I pursue other fields of interest. My internship with Cloud to Classroom has really exposed me to the many different fields that work together to make sustainability and environmental education more accessible. Without computer science and engineering, Cloud to Classroom would probably not have been imaginable. I think it served as an important reminder that to solve environmental issues, we need to keep as open of a mindset as possible, and be open to a diverse multitude of solutions to one problem.
Was there something you would have done differently or earlier in your research?
I would’ve tried to make my initiative a collaborative effort much earlier on. Where I am now with the science kits would have not been possible without my team of high school students and the team of other adult organizations I’ve partnered with.
Kaitlyn Leitherer is a rising senior from Baltimore, Maryland. She is an advocate for environmental education and social justice, especially in Baltimore City. Play any song by Mk.gee and you’ll be fast friends. She collaborates with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) to further improve her projects. Read more about Kaitlyn’s efforts at the CBF here.
This article was written as part of STEMchats’ Blueprint program. Follow us on Instagram @stemchats and @blueprint.stemchats and visit our website
