It's Getting Hot in Here: Mapping Urban Heat Islands in Atlanta

• This fully online event is a production of The Georgia Tech Global Change Program along with other collaborators in the UrbanHealthATL Team, including the Spelman Environmental and Health Sciences Program, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, the Partnership for Southern Equity, and the Georgia Tech Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain, as part of the 2021 Atlanta Science Festival.
• It is free and open to the public. To participate, please register at ths Eventbrite page: https://bit.ly/3pXCCDn

Here's your opportunity to meet the UrbanHeatATL team and learn the science behind urban heat islands and their relationship to climate change & environmental justice, discuss solutions with experts who are advancing climate justice through a lens of racial justice and equity, and discover how community scientists are mapping temperature extremes in Atlanta with high-tech sensors and to get involved in their work.

The Panel
Dr. Marshall Shepherd | Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, University of Georgia; Director, University of Georgia Atmospheric Sciences Program; Host, Weather Geeks, The Weather Channel

Dr. Jeremy Hoffman | Chief Scientist, Science Museum of Virginia; Affiliate Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome | CEO/Founder, Empowering a Green Environment and Economy, LLC; Adjunct Professor, George Washington University;

Dr. Mildred McClain | Executive Director, Harambee House/Citizens For Environmental Justice; Just Energy Community Organizer, Partnership for Southern Equity;

Chandra Farley (moderator) | Just Energy Director, Partnership for Southern Equity

What is UrbanHeatATL?
Our UrbanHeatATL team is lending DIY temperature sensors to 20 students each from Georgia Tech and Spelman College, who are collecting temperature data starting in March, as part of the 2021 Atlanta Science Festival. Why? Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, more than hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable community members, heat extremes are particularly deadly in densely populated urban centers such as Atlanta. In many other cities, maximum urban heating often occurs in locations that reflect the compound impacts of historic racism, including redlining.