Text taken from: https://crest.cuny.edu/dr-tarendra-lakhankar-receives-the-prestigious-2022-ccny-presidents-s-t-a-r-award/
Dr. Lakhankar has contributed to the CUNY Remote Sensing of Earth Science and Technology Institute (CREST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CREST (2011-2016), and NOAA Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies (CESSRST) (2016-present) in various capacities including scientific research, education and training, teaching/pedagogy and administration. Currently, across NOAA CESSRST Centers, Dr. Lakhankar leads the Water Prediction and Ecosystem Services theme’s team of faculty and researchers. Also, he has been instrumental in developing collaborative projects with CESSRST partner institutions. He contributes towards generating extramural funding and training opportunities for students across multiple departments by creating interdisciplinary projects that are made available to all deserving students at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Lakhankar is a passionate and committed mentor to the CESSRST and CCNY students, particularly those who are underserved, underrepresented, and first-generation college students in the STEM fields. Some of the doctoral students whom Dr. Lakhankar co-advised have now joined the STEM workforce as faculty and federal employees/affiliates.
Over the years at CCNY, Dr. Lakhankar has designed and led three major field campaign sites and helped several graduate students conduct their research. These sites include- Snow-SAFE, Caribou, ME, and the Soil moisture field campaign (CUNY-SMART at Millbrook, NY, and PR-SMART at Puerto Rico). In 2017, Dr. Lakhankar designed, executed, and made operational New York City (NYC) wide field campaigns by leading the installation of twenty weather stations across NYC public schools, NYCHA properties, and botanical gardens, library, and community colleges called NYC-urban HydroMet Testbed. These weather station sites assist in finding solutions to urban climate crises like floods and heatwaves.
As part of the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative, Dr. Lakhankar teaches skills like Excel, GIS, Google Earth Mapping, and StoryMap to historically underserved communities in order to provide them with in-demand digital and operational skills. Additionally, since 2008, each summer, Dr. Lakhankar has engaged in organizing NYC-wide workshops/courses to teach Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to a wide variety of students through summer programs.
Dr. Lakhankar has taught various courses at City College, including GIS for Water Resources Engineering (CE-G0800), Introduction to Satellite Remote Sensing and Imaging (ENGR 30100), Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (ENGR 59910), Environmental Systems Science (SCIE 4104E), and GIS in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering (CE G0800). He has also delivered several seminars and lectures related to weather and climate issues.
Dr. Lakhankar has constantly created new opportunities and initiatives with the goal of helping students succeed and achieve their professional and career goals before they graduate from college. Dr. Lakhankar is a co-PI on various international projects funded by federal agencies like USAID and NASA to provide training and workshops for international participants from Southeast Asian Countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh in the field of Remote Sensing and GIS.
Dr. Lakhankar has proven to be a deserving candidate to receive the CCNY President’s S.T.A.R award this year, owing to his untiring contributions towards his students and the CCNY’s academic community at large.
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