Bina Venkataraman @ Acoustic Ecology Lab, ASU

We face a crisis of planetary proportions  — a direct result of our cumulative, everyday decisions. How do we bridge an understanding of broad trends on planet Earth with the information we need in our lives and communities to prepare for and prevent climate disaster?  Vast data resources and science of all stripes need to be marshaled to help us act on climate change. Policy and technological innovation from the granular to the grandiose are also mission critical. What’s the most promising progress — and what do we need to do next?

Bina Venkataraman leads efforts that draw on science and technology to improve public policy and sustain the health of people and the planet. Currently, she is a Fellow at the New America Foundation and teaches in MIT”s department of science, technology, and society. Bina previously served as Senior Advisor for Climate Change Innovation in the Obama White House, where she developed policies and stood up coalitions with a particular focus on private sector and community resilience to climate change.  She is a former journalist for The New York Times and The Boston Globe.  Bina is an alumna of Brown University and Harvard’s Kennedy School, and the recipient of Fulbright, a Princeton in Asia fellowship, a Metcalf fellowship, and a James Reston fellowship. She serves on the Brown University President’s Leadership Council, the advisory council of the Institute at Brown for the Environment and Society, and the Board of Directors of Earthwatch. She was named a 2015 Global Young Leader by the French-American Foundation.