Contributors: Bamidele Osamika

Green Umbrella’s Climate Research Incubator is an annual cohort providing training to regional researchers related to climate and engagement. The program serves as a platform for fostering collaboration among scholars and researchers, community members, and government representatives across Greater Cincinnati. Learn more about the program at our website here and meet this year’s cohort scholars below.

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Dr. Kristy Hopfensperger
Co-leader, Climate Research Incubator

Dr. Hopfensperger is an ecosystem ecologist, and currently a Professor at Northern Kentucky University and serves as the Environmental Science Program Director. Her research is centered on relationships between community dynamics and ecosystem processes in response to human disturbances. Hopfensperger works with undergraduate students and community partners to conduct research on topics including water quality, green infrastructure, greenhouse gas flux and invasive species. At NKU, she works to guide students through the wonderful world of science by leading interactive classes, mentoring ecological research experiences, and demonstrating active community engagement. Kristy received her Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Maryland.

Akeem A Bakare
Doctoral Candidate, University of Cincinnati
Akeem specializes in infectious disease epidemiology and antimicrobial research, with a focus on climate change impacts on infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Akeem is interested in collaborations and community engagement.

Amanda Kporwofa
PhD Student, University of Cincinnati
Amanda focuses on gaming, environmental communication, and technology, with research exploring faith-based climate communication in Cincinnati churches and the role of environmental board games in promoting pro-environmental behavior. Amanda aims to develop a board game, such as one on air pollution, to test its effectiveness in influencing behavior and enhancing climate resilience. Through the Climate Research Incubator, Amanda aims to advance this research into a published paper while collaborating with community organizations to strengthen engagement and practical impact.

Anas Malik
Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, Xavier University
Anas studies institutions and collective action interreligious contexts, particularly among Muslim and Catholic communities. His interests include community land trusts for environmental stewardship and affordable housing, civic strategies for accommodating climate refugees, and faith-based engagement in climate action, including certification and alternative finance mechanisms. Through the Climate Research incubator, Anas aims to connect with local residents, researchers, and practitioners to advance climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives and engage communities in these projects.

Fuseini Tia Iddrisu
PhD Student, University of Cincinnati
Fuseini focuses on science and environmental communication and natural resources management, with interests in flooding and water management, climate impacts on agriculture, extreme weather, climate literacy, Indigenous knowledge, and sustainable development. Fuseini aims to explore how Indigenous knowledge can be integrated into climate-health communication strategies to enhance community engagement and behavioral change. Through the Climate Research Incubator, Fuseini hopes to strengthen his skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, research, and networking while developing actionable strategies for climate solutions.

Hem Sharma
Graduate Research Assistant, Indiana University
Hem focuses on soil science and climate resilience, with an emphasis on extension, outreach, and networking to connect research with communities and stakeholders.

John Reichard
Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati
John’s background is in toxicology and pharmacology with expertise in geospatial analysis and remote sensing. John is faculty at the University of Cincinnati where he is engaged in AI-driven research focused on chemical risk of environmental contaminants, wildland fire susceptibility, and chemical plant fenceline communities. John is active with the Federation of American Scientists and seeking collaborators, idea workshops, and research connections.

Kaitlin Vollet Martin
Assistant Professor, Public Health Program Director, Thomas More University
Kaitlin’s research integrates environmental health, health equity, and child development, focusing on how environmental exposures – such as heavy metals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microplastics – affect vulnerable populations, including maternal, child, and elderly health. Kaitlin is particularly interested in climate change-driven events like flooding, air pollution, and the spread of vector-borne diseases, exploring their impacts on public health outcomes in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region and developing community-engaged interventions. As an epidemiologist with expertise in study design and data analysis, Kaitlin aims to collaborate with diverse partners to advance local climate resilience and health equity initiatives through the Climate Research Incubator.

Lei Wang
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Cincinnati
Lei focuses on risk and resilience related to flooding, climate change, and geo-hazards such as landslides and land subsidence, with expertise in flood protection infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Lei works includes risk assessment of levees along the Ohio River, rainfall-induced landslides in Kentucky, and projects on nature-based solutions for Lake Erie, including collaboration with the Kentucky Geological Survey. Lei aims to connect with collaborators and local communities through the Climate Research Incubator and to develop research projects addressing shared climate change challenges and resilient infrastructure solutions.

Michael Roman
Academic Advisor, University of Cincinnati
Michael’s research bridges public health and cultural anthropology, focusing on how climate change affects health, place, and mobility, particularly among Indigenous Pacific communities like Kiribati, and how these lessons can inform climate-induced migration planning. Michael aims to connect global insights with local action in Cincinnati, preparing the region to equitably welcome and support climate migrants through policies, public health strategies, and community engagement initiatives. He states, “Through long-standing relationships with Kiribati, U.S. Congressional offices, and Cincinnati city leadership, I seek to develop frameworks that integrate frontline experiences into proactive, inclusive, and resilient climate planning through the Climate Research Incubator.”

Omosolape Olakitan Owoseni
Professor, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria/New immigrant
Omosolape Olakitan Owoseni is a Professor at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria, and a recent immigrant to the United States. Her research spans environmental psychology, the mental health impacts of environmental stressors, and the effects of noise pollution in communities. Through CRI, she is eager to collaborate with partners and community members to advance research and co-create solutions that support healthier, more resilient neighborhoods.

Oluwaseun Olubodun
Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Miami University
Oluwaseun focuses on water quality, environmental science, sustainability, and molecular biology, with interests in climate change and its health impacts. She is skilled in science communication, storytelling, data interpretation, and project management. Through CRI, she is interested in collaborating effectively to deliver sustainable, life-impacting projects.

Sharon Karunakaran
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Sharon is a pediatric infectious diseases physician focused on infection prevention and control and its intersection with environmental sustainability. She is currently launching projects to reduce hospital waste, including reusable isolation gowns, disinfection of unused medical supplies, and reevaluating contact precautions for MRSA. She is interested in collaborating with partners knowledgeable in waste management and learning more about the fate of medical waste in Cincinnati.

Shobha Pai
Masters Student, University of Cincinnati
Shobha is a graduate student specializing in community resilience and its central role in climate engagement and research. Her interests span climate communication, public perception, eco-anxiety, behavioral change, climate justice, and climate migration. Through her work with Green Umbrella, she has built and sustained connections with more than 75 community partners and contributed to projects on equity and resilience in climate planning, community climate storytelling, and energy efficiency awareness. By participating in the Climate Research Incubator, Shobha seeks to collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers and local stakeholders to co-create actionable, community-centered interventions, educational tools, and storytelling platforms that advance both climate resilience and equity.

Stephanie Lam
Doctoral Candidate, Psychology Department and Center for Public Engagement with Science, University of Cincinnati
Stephanie specializes in arts-based, qualitative, and community-engaged research, with experience in program evaluation, emphasizing people-centered approaches to climate solutions. Stephanie focuses on supporting local communities – especially those often marginalized – in shaping climate futures and crafting practical, inclusive strategies for harm reduction and resilience. Stephanie aims to pursue a career in local environmental and climate initiatives that intentionally collaborate with community members to make the region safer and more climate-resilient through the Climate Research Incubator.

Todd Lu
Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Cincinnati
Todd draws on prior research on labor unions’ environmental engagement and OSHA federal rulemaking on heat stress. He plans to connect with regional partners and attend the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health conference to build collaborations. New to UC and the tri-state area, Todd seeks interdisciplinary perspectives through the Climate Research Incubator. Presently, Todd is examining how state and civil society actors – including labor unions, worker centers, environmental organizations, and local communities – shape governance and policy implementation around heat stress protections affecting workers and residents. Through the Climate Research Incubator, Todd is interested in developing a community-engaged project on adaptation capacities to elevated temperatures and extreme heat, with attention to social inequalities and political processes.

Zeel Maheshwari
Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University
Zeel researches sustainable energy solutions for rural communities, with expertise in renewable energy, power systems, AI, water conservation, and zero-energy systems. Through the Climate Research Incubator, Zeel hopes to collaborate with others to develop ideas that advance regional sustainable development.

Contributors: Nobi Kennedy, Dr. Kristy Hopfensperger, Anna Parnigoni

The severity of issues caused by the climate crisis requires collaborative and often complex solutions. Research also typically happens across institutions in silos, causing gaps in knowledge and creating challenges related to cross-disciplinary initiatives. This is particularly true across the climate space, where research is happening at a rapid speed to address our rapidly changing environment. To address this issue locally, Green Umbrella partnered with Northern Kentucky University to launch the Climate Research Incubator in 2024, the first cross-disciplinary climate research initiative in our region. 

The Climate Research Incubator is a forum where academics and climate scientists can expand their work through equitable collaboration with community partners. The Incubator builds on the intersection of research and community to reimagine the role of research systems in collective action by connecting local and grassroots expertise to research and scholarly knowledge. The inaugural 2024 Incubator cohort included 12 researchers across 5 institutions, including the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Community partners included Groundwork Ohio River Valley, The Center for Closing the Health Gap, Avondale Community Council, the City of Covington, and more. 

Green Umbrella and NKU plan to offer Incubator programming annually to a select group of researchers and community partners. Continue reading to learn more about this program, our 2024 Cohort model, and how to get involved. 

The Incubator Program Plan

The Climate Research Incubator’s mission is straightforward yet ambitious: to bring together community partners, scholars, and local governments to co-create research projects, incubate those projects, and enhance climate resilience within our region. 

The primary objectives of the program include:

1. Provide training necessary in science communication and public engagement 
2. Foster opportunities for relationship-building among participants 
3. Support actionable seed projects developed through the Incubator 

Cohorts meet multiple times between fall and summer. Trainings for participants are broken down into four main categories: a Fall Scholar Training Workshop Series, A Winter Symposium, Spring Ideas Cafe Sessions, and Summer Collaboration Workshops. 

Led by NKU Professor Kristy Hopfensperger, the Incubator trainings and workshops ask researchers to consider how their research and science can advance specific priorities related to climate justice. Together, participants explore how their research can better address climate concerns and how their research process can center underserved communities and avoid extractive and transactional relationship dynamics with those communities. This collaborative approach aims to ensure solutions are rooted in practical needs and deliver tangible benefits to communities. 

Our Impact: Success Stories from the 2024 Climate Research Incubator

The inaugural research cohort made significant strides through their work with the Incubator. The program engaged 12 scholars, 6 local governments, and 26 community partners throughout its duration. Major seed ideas emerged and project teams have continued moving this work forward since wrapping Incubator programming. Projects are at various stages of development and include: 

• Food Systems: Food system modeling to mitigate supply chain disruptions due to climate change and educate on local and cultural foodways. 
• Greenspace: Greenspace and flooding adaptations; food gardens in urban revitalization
• Waste Reduction: Data collection and analysis on litter; building community incentives to manage waste and recycling 
• Health & Community: Race-based trauma and the impact of climate change on mental health outcomes; solutions on greenspace access and neighborhood activation

Where Science Meets Community

A key factor of the Climate Research Incubator is connecting communities to research specialists and governments. The Incubator Symposium, which is held annually after scholar trainings in science communication and public engagement, brings cohort participants – scholars, community partners, and local governments – together to learn about community needs and interests. This type of cooperation is critical – when communities engage with researchers and local governments, they have the opportunity to study or solve problems with a specialist or policy-maker collaborating on the process. Researchers and government representatives can become champions of community ideas, and provide insight from a scientific or policy perspective. The Symposium creates this forum for collaboration and fosters these types of connections. 

Additional community benefits include accessing data and technical expertise, building relationships with scientific and technical experts, and informing/participating in scientific research. Researchers can incorporate local and traditional knowledge, improve research questions and understanding of research findings, design more equitable engagement and project management approaches, and support the participation of underrepresented groups in science and other disciplines. 

Moving Forward

Although the 2023-24 Incubator workshop activities have concluded, the momentum continues! Current 2023-2024 project teams maintain regular meetings, progressing toward their intended goals and advancing their seed projects. 

Recruitment for the 2024-25 scholar cohort has also begun (apply now – the deadline is Sept. 4!), with an annual meeting planned for early 2025. Readers are invited to share this opportunity with their networks, get involved in upcoming events, and be part of the solution. For more information and to stay updated, visit our webpage. 

If you are a scholar, community partner, or government representative and would like to be involved in the 2024-2025 Climate Research Incubator, contact Kristy Hopfensperger at hopfenspek1@nku.edu. 

About Our 2024-2025 Climate Fellow 

Dr. Kristy Hopfensperger helped design and lead the inaugural Incubator cohort and will continue to serve as Green Umbrella’s climate fellow for the 2024-2025 program. Dr. Hopfensperger is an environmental scientist, researcher, and professor. She is the Director of the Environmental Science Program at Northern Kentucky University; her research topics include the efficiency of green infrastructure, invasive species and their ecosystems, and ecosystem restoration and mitigation. Her work is truly collaborative – she is often involved in projects with community partners including the Green Umbrella and Groundwork Ohio River Valley’s Climate Safe Neighborhoods program and others with RISE, ReNewport, Databloom, and more.

Green Umbrella is the lead investigator of a cohort of research institutions recently awarded a US Environmental Protection Agency grant to study how electrification and weatherization of homes affect energy consumption and indoor air quality for residents of affordable housing. 

The project will include the installation of energy-saving technologies, such as insulation, heat pumps and electric stoves, in approximately 50 affordable housing units in Over-the-Rhine. These technologies are expected to improve energy reliability, affordability, comfort and air quality for Over-the-Rhine Community Housing residents and help researchers and policymakers outline efficient ways to facilitate future energy transitions for high-energy burden communities. 

“The general goal of the project is to quantify the benefits of electrification and weatherization efforts in multifamily homes, both with respect to energy security and air quality,” David Konisky of Indiana University, a partnering research institution, said. “There is a big gap in energy efficiency work in rental units, especially affordable units. This project can help us understand the practical benefits of making energy efficiency improvements and identify potential challenges that need to be addressed.”

In addition to implementing technology improvements, the project is designed to be co-led by community members and involve residents in data collection and education opportunities. Residents will be compensated to engage in pre- and post-study analysis over the three-year grant period and will provide direct feedback to researchers and City staff. 

“The challenge of providing affordable housing has always been about more than providing affordable rents,” reflected Mary Burke Rivers, Executive Director of Over the Rhine Community Housing. “Access to truly affordable housing includes low energy costs and healthy and safe homes, and this project will provide us the opportunity to make meaningful energy upgrades, as well as understand the value of those improvements to our community members. We are grateful for this opportunity and for community members who will engage in and benefit from the process.”

This project was developed in partnership with Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability, Indiana University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. University partners will track and analyze data related to energy affordability and air quality benefits to influence future policy recommendations. 

“The high cost of energy overburdens one in four Cincinnati households making it even more difficult to make ends meet,” according to Oliver Kroner, Director of the City’s Office of Environment and Sustainability. “As we tackle this reality, the City is grateful to be able to scale this part of our efforts with this generous infusion of funding and partners. Special thanks to Duke Energy Ohio, the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation, and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation for seed funding this effort. This work will deliver real benefits to the people of Cincinnati and will shape strategy and policy development in coming years.”

The grant program funding the research project is a part of the EPA’s focus on ensuring just transitions in the energy economy and investing in communities that have been historically marginalized or suffered environmental injustices. 

“This project is a huge opportunity for Cincinnati and residents of Over-the-Rhine to lead energy efficiency transitions to support energy-burdened communities,” said Ryan Mooney-Bullock, Executive Director of Green Umbrella, “We’re excited to work with this talented team of researchers and policymakers to make a real difference for people living in these 75 units, and even more excited for what this means for the future of critical energy transformations in our city and region.”