​​The Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP) at NYU Tandon is excited to celebrate the recent expansion of the CUSP Urban Observatory (CUSP-UO). During this event, Dr. Gregory Dobler, Associate Professor at the University of Delaware, and Dr. Debra Laefer, Professor in the Department of Civil an Urban Engineering and at CUSP at NYU Tandon, will deliver talks about the CUSP-UO.

The CUSP-OU provides persistent, synoptic imaging and sensing of New York City, enabling researchers to examine interactions among physical infrastructure, the natural environment, and human activity. Researchers have used the CUSP-UO to examine energy usage and stresses on the power grid, assess air quality, and examine how cities shape daily life and public health.

​​Schedule

​2–2:10 PM
Welcome & Opening Remarks

2:10–2:50 PM
Dr. Gregory Dobler — Historical Overview of the CUSP-UO

2:50–3:00 PM
Audience Q&A

3–3:10 PM
Break

3:10-3:50 PM
Dr. Debra Laefer — Overview of CUSP-UO research on building materials

3:50-4 PM
Audience Q&A

​​Speakers

​Dr. Gregory Dobler is an Associate Professor at the University of Delaware's Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, and an urban data scientist whose research focuses on studying cities as complex systems.  As the Director of the Urban Observatory (UO) facility at UD and NYU he applies data analysis techniques from astronomy, computer vision, data science, AI, and machine learning to images of city skylines to study air quality, energy consumption, lighting technology, public health, and sustainability.  In addition to his work with the UO, Dr. Dobler also leads data analysis projects in collaboration with local government agencies on the equitable distribution of green spaces, surrogate measures for traffic safety, and models of infectious disease spread.

Dr. Debra Laefer is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering and at the Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP) at NYU Tandon. With degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (MS, Ph.D.), NYU (MEng), and Columbia University (BS, BA), Prof. Debra Laefer has a wide-ranging background spanning from geotechnical and structural engineering to art history and historic preservation. Not surprisingly, Prof. Laefer’s work often stands at the cross-roads of technology creation and community values such as devising technical solutions for protecting architecturally significant buildings from sub-surface construction. As the density of her aerial remote sensing datasets continues to grow exponentially with time, Prof. Laefer and her Urban Modeling Group must help pioneer computationally efficient storage, querying, and visualization strategies that both harness distributed computing-based solutions and bridge the gap between data availability and its usability for the engineering community.

​Visitor Information

​​​This event will take place in Room 1201, located on the 12th Floor of 370 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please visit the NYU Tandon website for directions and a campus map. Advance registration through Luma is required for campus access at NYU for external guests. Attendees who are not current students, faculty, or staff at NYU, including alumni, are asked to register using a personal email address.

​About CUSP at NYU Tandon

​​The Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP) at NYU Tandon is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to applying science, technology, engineering, math, and social sciences to serve urban communities worldwide.

​​Founded as a partnership between NYU and the City of New York, CUSP leads research, educational, and entrepreneurial initiatives that advance the science of cities. By applying novel insights to urban issues, we develop data- and technology-driven approaches that drive positive impact. With an additional focus on training future leaders, CUSP offers interdisciplinary academic programs in applied urban science and informatics for graduate students and professionals.

​​CUSP also engages with stakeholders across city agencies, start-ups, industry players, community-based organizations, and nonprofits to address urgent socioeconomic, environmental, and infrastructural challenges. The center’s ultimate objective is to improve the quality of life in cities by using data to innovate and refine inclusive, equitable, and sustainable practices for cities everywhere.

​About the Urban Observatory Network

​More information will be added soon.