Nancy Degnan, a Columbia professor who designs and manages programs relating to water sustainability, security and resilience, is coordinating The Bridge Golf Foundation’s Water Fair, which will be held June 3. She recently fielded some questions from Executive Director and Co-Founder Farrell Evans.
FE: What drew you to work at The Bridge Golf Foundation?
ND: The first thing that drew me to work at the Foundation was the idea that golf can be used to teach the young men physics and mathematics. I especially liked that these important and challenging subjects “came alive” through the game. I also appreciated the weaving-in of character education and career development as integral parts of the after-school programming.
The Foundation has been deliberate about how they interconnect these in holistic, meaningful and fun ways for their students.
But I have to say that when I started speaking with you and the STEM staff and discovered that the Foundation is also focused on water and its sustainability — because the golf sector is focused on sustainable water management — everything fell into place for me. Physics, math, golf, water sustainability, giving back, making a difference … I remember thinking, wow, this is really cutting-edge. I was thrilled when you asked me to work with the Foundation and your team.
FE: Tell us about your educational background and work experience at Columbia University?
ND: I completed my graduate work at Columbia and have an MPA degree in advanced management, and my Ph.D. is in urban planning. My doctoral research focus was on microenterprise development in New York City as a mechanism to alleviate poverty. I did my fieldwork in Cali, Colombia, with NGOs that used similar approaches and then looked at programs in the New York City Housing Authority. What I discovered is that it’s a challenge to take development models from one place and apply them to another place. Context, community and building trust are very important, and anything that you do has to consider these first.
At Columbia I’ve designed and managed programs for graduate and executive education, and for more than a decade these programs have been about sustainability — first in environmental conservation and now in water sustainability, security, and resilience. I work with scientists and engineers to “translate” their research into education and outreach programs. A lot of this entails how we can engage with our fellow educators at the K-12 level to contribute to STEM learning — especially in the “pivotal” years of 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Interestingly, the same things I encountered for doctoral studies also apply — context, community and building trust. These are essential to working across secondary and higher education, at least in my view. I also teach a graduate seminar for the Environmental Science and Policy Program at the School of International and Public Affairs.
FE: What happens at the Columbia Water Center?
ND: Amazing things! The Center is headed by Dr. Upmanu Lall, who is a world-renowned scientist/engineer and is focused on tackling the water challenges of a rapidly changing world where water and climate interact with food, energy, ecosystems, and urbanization. As Professor Lall says, in one place in the world, floods destroy communities, while in another, people trek miles every day just to get enough water to survive. We have to figure out how we can address these impacts and solve these problems.
The Center has five research themes: 1. America’s Water, 2. Data Science and Prediction, 3. Floods, 4. Risks and Financial Instruments, and 5. the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy. The research team addresses these issues across the globe. And, the Center is also dedicated to sharing its knowledge with people, professionals, teachers and students. That’s why the Center is working with the Foundation on the upcoming Water Fair and is excited to be part of the event.
FE: You are coordinating the Foundation’s Water Fair. What makes the Water Fair so special and fundamental for the organization and our strong emphasis in STEM?
ND: First, the Foundation has made the Water Fair a signature, annual event. This in itself is special because it ensures that the young men deeply understand the role of water in their lives and do so through the touchstones of STEM and golf. The STEM and character education staff, the Eagle Academy teachers, the golf pros and the Learning Center directors are all fully engaged in making this happen.
Second, the Water Fair is being designed and managed as a tool of STEM and character education. The Fair involves 40 middle and high-school students sharing their knowledge of critical water issues in our water-stressed world, at home and abroad. The Fair celebrates nearly three months of the students’ in-depth research and study into water, using science, math, technology and engineering. Students have also looked at the environmental justice side of issues and can explain why they are fundraising for Golf Fore Africa, which seeks to end the global water crisis in our lifetime.
Third, the students will be presenting their STEM findings through “exhibits” featuring “real world” scientific posters, actually appropriate for presentation at a scientific conference, along with videos and technology-based activities, as well as hands-on experiences designed to support active learning and dynamic exchanges with fair participants – other students, family, friends and community members.
Fourth, and finally, the Foundation has been very deliberate about engaging the boys and young men in the kinds of careers they could have in water sustainability – lawyers, scientists, hydrologists, golf superintendents, water resource recovery technologists, investors – all of which have a direct and indirect impact on water. This is so very important because we really need a workforce that understands the issues of water, at least, and that can actually find and implement solutions, at best. The young men are the future.
FE: Before coming to the Foundation, you were deeply involved in water issues, but you hadn’t previously considered how the game of golf fit into the equation around sustainability and conservation. What has this experience been like to learn about golf and its power to impact all kinds of things?
ND: The experience has been eye-opening and heartening, to say the least. I read a series of reports on the USGA’s approach to sustainability and innovations in water. The sector is well advanced in sustainable water management and continually seeks out technology improvements. But what I also really appreciate is the social/economic side of golf’s commitment to sustainability. The Foundation embodies this very commitment – teaching golf, teaching STEM, supporting good choices about life and education and careers – and then also teaching what it means to make a difference in water. It is powerful stuff. I am honored to be a part of it.
FE: Why should people come to the Water Fair on June 3 and support our young leaders?
ND: Because it will be fun, it will be educational, it will be meaningful, just like the Foundation’s motto says: “Play Golf. Connect. Give Back.”