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SUMMARY:Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program - Meeting 7
DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, March 5\, 2024\, the NSF Center for Smart StreetScapes (CS3) held its seventh Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program workshop. The session was convened and led by Barbara Askins\, president & CEO\, 125th Street BID and Senior Advisor to CS3. The focus of this week’s workshop was on using AI-enabled systems to monitor and warn residents of environmental issues such as urban flooding. In a change of format\, the latter half of the workshop was dedicated to presenting the needs of a CPR-associated organization\, the 125th Street BID. \nAfter opening remarks by Barbara Askins\, Marco Tedesco\, Professor of Columbia University\, Climate Impact LLC\, and CS3 Researcher\, presented on flooding response using cameras and AI with a focus on developing a community-based approach. Prof. Tedesco began the presentation by establishing the importance of flood preparedness within the United States and globally\, flooding is the most costly climate-related disaster by human lives claimed and economic damage. He emphasized the dangers posed by flooding in an urban setting\, making a point to mention that mud and debris can mix into the water to make a flood more hazardous. However\, he pointed out the fact that those most slowly evacuated\, tend to be the most socially vulnerable due to a lack of resources and organizational incentive. While satellites and computer models are not optimal for capturing urban flooding at the scales needed for early warning and post-disaster management\, clouds can blind satellites\, models require a lot of data to construct. After explaining about these backgrounds\, he raised a question: why is it important to collect data on urban flooding? He posited that it aids in the development of early warning systems\, enables more accurate post-damage estimates (e.g.\, by helping inform parametric insurance policies\,) helps delegate resources via more effective policy making. Also\, data collection helps track the emergence of certain health-related issues and document the resilience of individual communities. In particular\, the ubiquity of cameras\, whose numbers are increasingly used on the streetscape with approximately 70M in use as of 2018\, can be leveraged to collect data and monitor flooding. Marco introduced an AI-based flood monitoring system which detects flooding and measures water levels using camera feeds so this can be used to monitor which areas and MTA stations suffer from flooding most often\, and to which degree of severity. He concluded his presentation by highlighting the importance of educating communities on the dangers of flooding. \nFollowing Professor Marco’s presentation\, CPRs engaged in a discussion about the potential for this technology and its applications within the Harlem streetscape. Topics included coping with rising sea levels\, interior drainage projects\, and the increasing resilience of certain communities post-Hurricane Sandy. The CPRs also touched on the urgent need to improve public education surrounding flood preparedness and the environmental dangers of storm water runoff. \nCPRs proceeded to breakout sessions and discussed the contents of Prof. Tedesco’s presentation. Many participants commented on their newfound awareness of the frequency and severity of flooding\, particularly within the New York City area. Several seemed excited regarding AI systems for tracking flooding\, and there was common agreement that people\, particularly those in vulnerable communities\, should be prepared or made aware about the dangers that flooding poses. Some suggested issues that could be solved using the technology presented – enhancing awareness of flooding\, determining where greenspaces should be built to hold and clean water runoff\, and marking out the best locations to designate as evacuation centers in the event of a major flood. There was a pervasive sentiment that more funding and expertise should generally be dedicated to an issue as pressing as flooding. \nFinal remarks delivered by Prof. Tedesco made note of issues with using commercial cubesats for urban flood detection\, as well as the development of auditory notification systems to assist people with vision impairments become aware of ongoing flood events. He concluded with a friendly offer to lend his support for events to educate the public on the dangers of flooding. \nThe next presentation was delivered by Barbara Askins\, President and CEO of the 125th Street BID. Ms. Askins presented on the specific needs of the 125th Street BID and what the organization hopes to gain from the application of novel streetscape technology. Ideally\, the technology would “activate the streetscape\,” providing expanded opportunities for pedestrians and shoppers along the street’s business district to express themselves and become immersed in the area’s heritage. Now would be an especially appropriate time\, given the recent expansions of several retail drivers–namely Whole Foods and AMC Theaters–into the region. Efforts already underway include interactive “smart” trees\, adorned in lights and speakers\, which try to bring people out onto the streets at night as a deterrent to criminal activity. \nHowever\, several issues still plague the area and make drawing customers–in particular visiting customers–to the street difficult\, such as drug use and dealing\, unregulated street vending\, and vandalism. This leads into Ms. Askin’s main point: is there any technology that can help alleviate these problems or engage pedestrians and expand 125th Street’s entertainment and cultural impact? Digital signage could provide locations dedicated to pedestrian engagement\, and the aforementioned smart trees are undergoing modification to integrate internet-based interaction\, as well as methods to deter people from vandalizing them. \nA brief discussion amongst the CPRs followed the presentation. Suggestions to improve the situation on 125th Street included exploring ideas similar to a “window-swap” or “golden shipping container.” The former refers to a system of cameras connecting locations through the internet which allow visitors to see the alternate location’s streetscape\, while the latter is in reference to a program which sets up golden shipping containers with a screen and camera inside to show the view from a twinned container in another city elsewhere in the world and vice versa. \nThe workshop concluded with the selection of two new community presenters for the next meeting\, as well as a brief discussion on distribution of materials of the Accelerator program. \nCPR workshops are invite-only. If you are interested in attending a workshop or learning more about CS3’s community engagement process\, please contact our team at streetscapes@columbia.edu.
URL:https://cs3-erc.org/event/community-partners-in-residence-cpr-program-meeting-7/
LOCATION:Harlem\, NY\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T200000
DTSTAMP:20260515T082809
CREATED:20241210T220104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241210T225820Z
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SUMMARY:Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program - Meeting 8
DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, March 19\, 2024\, the NSF Center for Smart StreetScapes (CS3) held its eighth Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program workshop. The session was moderated by Ester Fuchs. The focus of this workshop was to “flip the script” of session flow by having CPRs begin to present the focus areas of the work they do in the Harlem community as well as their perspectives on where there may be opportunities for improvements through tech. The session’s presentations highlighted the work of Curtis Archer\, the President of the Harlem Community Development Corporation (HCDC) as well as Janet Rodriguez\, Founder and CEO of SoHarlem after opening remarks by Ester Fuchs. \nCurtis Archer\, President of HCDC opened with a description of the mission\, vision\, and overarching goals of HCDC. He emphasized the scope of HCDC being an agency that is tasked with strengthening the Upper Manhattan communities through effective and accessible community revitalization programs and initiatives focusing on small business services\, community development\, and weatherization. A subsidiary of New York State’s Empire State Development\, HCDC is responsible for the areas including East Harlem\, Central Harlem\, West Harlem\, and Washington Heights and has a broad influence across the community. Curtis highlighted the work of the agency in helping to support small businesses through webinars\, certification assistance as well as financial and technical trainings. Further\, economic development initiatives include the Community and Economic Revitalization Support Program (CERSP) which provides grant funding in support of projects and programs including tourism\, direct community services and economic development\, and minority & women-owned business support . The grants range from twenty-five to forty thousand dollars and beyond depending on the size of the recipient organization and were in part established as give-backs through contributions from Columbia University during their expansion into Manhattanville. In 2023\, the CERSP program received numerous applications and approved over $707\,747 in grant funding. \nCurtis also detailed the influence of the corporation\, both historically and currently\, in real estate development such as the recent renovation and grand opening of the Victoria Theater on 125th Street\, which is owned by HCDC. Of late\, HCDC has been focused on providing heating and cooling conversion help for low to moderate income families through new appliances\, insulation\, lighting\, heaters\, etc. Beyond weatherization there are also efforts\, building on the previous history of real estate development by the corporation\, to convert more properties into affordable housing or new office space. It was noted that HCDC’s recent focus has shifted heavily towards supporting small businesses and developing the local economy. When asked about the future and impact of technology in this space\, he was quick to note that the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one that is of particular interest to HCDC and local small businesses. He’s excited about the possibilities that AI can provide to small businesses and looks forward to further connections between the research community and all the businesses in which HCDC holds interest\, such as the new Victoria Theater. \nFollowing Curtis Archer’s presentation was a discussion by Janet Rodriguez\, the Founder and CEO of SoHarlem\, which is a 501c3 organization she founded in 2011 with a focus on creating equitable opportunities for community members working at the intersection of the arts and economic development inits surrounding communities of Central Harlem\, West Harlem\, Washington Heights\, and the South Bronx\, . The organization serves as an incubator for creative entrepreneurs by providing affordable spaces and access to the necessary equipment for artists particularly those in the fashion industry. Beyond helping to develop the next generation of fashion brands\, SoHarlem offers apprenticeships\, skill-based workshops for underemployed community members\, and external community engagement through pop-up events and local shopping opportunities. Janet’s hope is that the CS3 program and technology in general can help to increase visibility and awareness of SoHarlem in the community. In particular\, an ability to generate greater awareness of SoHarlem’s program outside of its building\, where it is not at the street level but on the third floor\, will encourage more community members – especially those with disabilities- to find their way in and participate in all the available programming. \nCore programs of SoHarlem include the aforementioned entrepreneurial incubation program\, which provides local designers with space to practice and develop their craft; and the Designer Apprenticeship Program\, which gives individuals the resources they need to break into the fashion industry and build careers. SoHarlem also offers a Creative Economy Training Institute\, which seeks to teach unemployed and underemployed Harlem residents new\, marketable sewing skills and place them in jobs locally. Aside from these core programs\, SoHarlem also participates in public art programs\, including a joint mural project which involved a local church and artist Manu Vega\, a “Street Park Rangers” program which seeks to educate children on the importance of environmental health and caring for street tree installations\, and some art programs such as a cultural tourism program with expert guidance and a partner curriculum\, as well as programs for previously incarcerated women. SoHarlem has also experimented with entering the retail space\, conducting a 4-month-long experimental showroom in the Malt House building next door. It was noted that spreading awareness for the program on the street level has been challenging due to the obscured nature of being housed on an upper floor. Currently\, SoHarlem also operates a small retail shop for individual shoppers within its incubation space called Shop SoHarlem. Janet emphasized that all of these programs aim to more deeply connect SoHarlem as an integrated resource for a variety of the many needs within its service area which is vital to its mission\, as opposed to allowing the organization to simply become an arts organization which is somewhat insulated in its purpose. SoHarlem’s successes are demonstrated by the roster of successful artists affiliated with the incubator\, including Gladys Perez\, Blue Olive\, Valerie Deas\, and Milan. Results from regular SoHarlem impact surveys also suggest that the organization is perceived to have helped the community greatly with its opportunities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is despite SoHarlem’s relatively constrained budget of <$1M per year. \nUpon conclusion of both Curtis and Janet’s presentations\, the CPRs dispersed into break-out sessions with CS3 researchers and staff in the room all participating in this session. Many CPRs agreed with Janet’s assessment that visibility and awareness for businesses suffer if they are not located directly at the street level. Which calls for a need for all buildings that house businesses above street-level and that provide accessibility features\, to increase their promotional efforts to any pedestrians who may want to enter if only they were aware of all that was inside. To this end\, some suggested the implementation of more digital signage and informative mobile applications. In addition\, some suggested that they would all benefit from sharing information about their individual organizations and companies between each other. \nThe next presentation was delivered by Cristian Capotescu\, Associate Director of The Trust Collaboratory at Columbia University and CS3 affiliate. He presented on the MyStreetScapes Summer Research Institute for High School Seniors\, a summer program launched by CS3’s public interest technology thrust. Students who participate are trained in the social sciences and work hand-in-hand with CS3 engineers in new technologies. They also participate in the development of a neighborhood survey and report on interactions between technology and the citizens of West Harlem. As of the time of this presentation\, the program was recruiting for its second summer cohort seeking a maximum of 15 students. Local high school students\, with a preference for those in Harlem schools\, were encouraged to apply. The CPRs were immediately receptive to the idea\, suggesting improvements such as having the students visit places further out in Harlem’s footprint and having them encounter some of the more pressing community issues beyond West Harlem\, as long as logistics could permit. CPRs also suggested that the students should also join community board meetings as part of their education\, to which Cristian responded enthusiastically. CPRs agreed to assist in sharing the information with their networks. \nFernanda Martinez\, Workforce Development Manager at CS3\, delivered the final presentation of the session. The CS3 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) is a paid summer research experience for K-12 STEM teachers who work in NYC. The goal is to help these teachers learn the fundamentals of technology with a streetscape focus\, learn more about culturally inclusive pedagogy\, and to allow teachers to bring new knowledge back to their students\, often in the form of a lesson plan. Eligibility extends to math- or science-certified US citizens or permanent residents teaching at public middle or high schools in NYC\, with a particular preference for teachers in the Harlem area. Again\, CPRs were immediately receptive to the idea\, and agreed to share this information with their networks. Two new CPR presenters were selected to present at the next meeting\, and the session adjourned. \nCPR workshops are invite-only. If you are interested in attending a workshop or learning more about CS3’s community engagement process\, please contact our team at streetscapes@columbia.edu.
URL:https://cs3-erc.org/event/community-partners-in-residence-cpr-program-meeting-8/
LOCATION:Harlem\, NY\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cs3-erc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PXL_20240124_004437512-scaled.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240322T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240322T130000
DTSTAMP:20260515T082809
CREATED:20241211T162520Z
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SUMMARY:CS3 Monthly Research Exchange
DESCRIPTION:At each CS3 Monthly Research Exchange\, faculty and student researchers in the field of smart urban planning will take the stage to share their latest findings\, breakthroughs\, and urban projects. \nGaurav Jain\, Ph.D. Student at Columbia University \n\nGaurav Jain is a Ph.D. candidate in the computer science department at Columbia University\, advised by Prof. Brian A. Smith in the Computer-Enabled Abilities Lab (CEAL). His research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction\, Computer Vision\, and Accessibility. Gaurav’s work focuses on developing AI-driven interactive systems that augment blind and low-vision people’s access to visual experiences. He has developed systems that embed AI within street intersections for independent and safe outdoor navigation for blind pedestrians. Gaurav’s work also introduces new approaches for navigation assistance\, studying how technology can enable blind people to explore unfamiliar environments. Additionally\, he has contributed to digital media accessibility\, developing systems that generate audio representations for sports broadcasts\, enabling blind viewers to visualize the action by themselves.\nPresentation Abstract: Leveraging street cameras to support precise outdoor navigation for blind pedestrians.\n\nAlon S. Levin\, Ph.D. Student at Columbia University \n\nAlon S. Levin received a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering (magna cum laude) in 2020 and a M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering in 2021\, both from The Cooper Union. His research interests are in full-duplex wireless\, compressed sensing\, PHY layer algorithms\, and cognitive radio.\nPresentation Abstract: We present a set of experiments utilizing wideband real-time adaptive full-duplex (FD) radios\, demonstrating simultaneous transmission and reception on the same frequency channel. Each FD radio consists of a paired antenna interface\, a switched-capacitor delay-line-based configurable Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) that implements Self-Interference Cancellation (SIC)\, an FPGA that optimizes the RFIC configuration in under 1.1 seconds and can adapt to environmental changes in under 0.3 seconds\, and a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) transmitting OFDM-like packets. We demonstrate a real-time adaptive FD radio that achieves the SIC necessary to reach the noise floor across a wide bandwidth of 100 MHz\, enabling a FD wireless communication link.\n\nThe CS3 Monthly Research Exchanges are internal and open only to CS3 affiliated students\, faculty\, and staff. If you are interested in learning more about the research happening at CS3\, please contact our team at streetscapes@columbia.edu.
URL:https://cs3-erc.org/event/cs3-monthly-research-exchange-6/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:SLC
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