Eswatini/Mauritius
Sustainable Northwest
Demystifying Data for Forest Communities
As a program associate at Sustainable Northwest, an Oregon-based nonprofit, Jeremy Kwok Choon assists with research, policy, and stakeholder engagement on issues from regenerative ranching to clean energy.
His work, he said, taught him that the best model is not the most complex — it is most clear, reproducible, and accessible. That desire to “demystify data” led him to enroll in the certificate program in Environmental Data Science where he sharpened his technical skills and learned valuable lessons alongside a global cohort.
“I realized that being effective with data is much like being a good writer: Your job is to take a multifaceted problem and break it down for a wider audience,” Kwok Choon said. “My biggest takeaway from the program was the vital importance of collaboration and communication, specifically creating work that others can access, understand, and build upon.”
Last year, Kwok Choon helped organize a field tour for The Forests Dialogue on bioenergy with Sustainable Northwest and the Yakama Nation, which inspired his capstone project on the economic potential of forest biomass harvesting on Tribal lands. Those experiences, he said, showed him that successfully growing this emerging industry requires strong partnerships to turn technical data analyses into useful and usable tools that center communities’ priorities.
“In the environmental sector, we are dealing with massive, interconnected problems that no one can solve in a vacuum,” he said. “The program reinforced that data science is not just about analysis; it is about building shared tools and shared understanding.”
Environmental Data Certificate Spotlight
Applying City-Level Data for Sustainable Urban Planning
For Stacy Mwangi, some of the most interesting environmental challenges play out at the scale of individual cities. As a GIS analyst working on urban mobility for UN-Habitat, the United Nations Agency tasked with promoting sustainable urban development, she sees firsthand how urban planning intersects with growing climate risks.
“I often find myself thinking beyond technical tasks,” she said. “I’m interested in how data can be used to better understand complex urban and environmental challenges, particularly in rapidly growing cities where resources are limited.”
Other Certificate Programs Spotlights
Breaking Down Silos to Increase Climate Resilience in Central Asia
Urban Climate Leadership Certificate
Advancing Green Chemistry Through Education
Green Chemistry for Climate and Sustainability Certificate
Cultivating Chemistry for a Cleaner Harvest
Green Chemistry for Climate and Sustainability Certificate