Bard’s Community Sciences Lab and Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities Featured in Chronogram
Students participate in the Bard Water Lab, via the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities. Photo by Sarah Wallock
Two scientists and research programs at Bard were featured in a Chronogram article exploring the history and present state of study into the ecology of the Hudson Valley. The work of Eli Dueker, who directs Bard’s Community Sciences Lab, and Jordan Ayala, at Bard’s Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities, was highlighted as part of a larger feature about ongoing efforts to study the rich ecology of the Hudson Valley. These studies, author Brian K. Mahoney notes, also inform broader understanding of Earth’s ecosystems.
“[The Hudson Valley’s] mix of forest types, climate conditions and land-use patterns allows researchers to observe how ecological systems respond to both natural variation and human influence,” writes Mahoney. “This combination of local focus and global relevance is a defining feature of the region’s scientific landscape. Many researchers in the Hudson Valley are engaged in projects that connect site-specific observations to planetary-scale processes, from climate change to biodiversity loss.”
Dueker and the Community Sciences Lab were acknowledged for their work on water and air quality, including through the Hudson Valley Community Air Network, which uses air quality sensors distributed across the region to fill gaps in monitoring data, and provide residents with up-to-date information about local air quality. These efforts include studying the movement of pollutants across environmental boundaries, underscoring the interconnectedness of all ecological systems. “What’s in the air is in the water, and what’s in the water is also in the air,” Dueker told Chronogram.
The piece also highlighted the relationship between the global and community-level science. Ayala’s work through the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities provides the example, which as the author notes, combines geographic information systems (GIS), demographic data and participatory mapping. “By combining technical data with local knowledge, Ayala aims to better understand how environmental systems intersect with social and economic factors.” “When he looks at a map of the Hudson Valley, Ayala says, he sees not a single unified region but a patchwork of distinct conditions and experiences. ‘I see a bit of the housing crisis,” he says. “I see opportunities and challenges with respect to accessibility, connectivity and these microcosms that exist throughout the Hudson Valley.’”
The Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities puts Bard’s dedication to the environment, science, and social change into practice to support the fair management of our shared natural resources. The center conducts quantitative research in the natural and social sciences, crafts communication, participates in policy making, and bridges academic inquiry with community needs. The data and insights collected through CESH related projects are applied directly back to communities, with the end goal of addressing and solving environmental problems in real time.
Post Date: 09-29-2026
“[The Hudson Valley’s] mix of forest types, climate conditions and land-use patterns allows researchers to observe how ecological systems respond to both natural variation and human influence,” writes Mahoney. “This combination of local focus and global relevance is a defining feature of the region’s scientific landscape. Many researchers in the Hudson Valley are engaged in projects that connect site-specific observations to planetary-scale processes, from climate change to biodiversity loss.”
Dueker and the Community Sciences Lab were acknowledged for their work on water and air quality, including through the Hudson Valley Community Air Network, which uses air quality sensors distributed across the region to fill gaps in monitoring data, and provide residents with up-to-date information about local air quality. These efforts include studying the movement of pollutants across environmental boundaries, underscoring the interconnectedness of all ecological systems. “What’s in the air is in the water, and what’s in the water is also in the air,” Dueker told Chronogram.
The piece also highlighted the relationship between the global and community-level science. Ayala’s work through the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities provides the example, which as the author notes, combines geographic information systems (GIS), demographic data and participatory mapping. “By combining technical data with local knowledge, Ayala aims to better understand how environmental systems intersect with social and economic factors.” “When he looks at a map of the Hudson Valley, Ayala says, he sees not a single unified region but a patchwork of distinct conditions and experiences. ‘I see a bit of the housing crisis,” he says. “I see opportunities and challenges with respect to accessibility, connectivity and these microcosms that exist throughout the Hudson Valley.’”
The Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities puts Bard’s dedication to the environment, science, and social change into practice to support the fair management of our shared natural resources. The center conducts quantitative research in the natural and social sciences, crafts communication, participates in policy making, and bridges academic inquiry with community needs. The data and insights collected through CESH related projects are applied directly back to communities, with the end goal of addressing and solving environmental problems in real time.
Post Date: 09-29-2026