News - Lydia Olander

Looking for a summer project? Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for summer 2025 Climate+ research projects.

The Climate+ projects are part of the broader Data+ program and offered by the Nicholas Institute in partnership with the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke. All Plus Programs run 10 weeks over the summer and are composed of small project teams working on real world solutions using data science, programming, coding, and analysis. 

The Nature Activation Hub brings together tools, guidance and resources to help decision-makers and practitioners integrate nature's benefits into decision-making. The hub builds on the Nicholas Institute’s two decades of actionable research and purposeful partnerships focused on nature-based solutions, ecosystem services and natural and working lands.

The Nicholas Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior, developed an interactive version of the DOI Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap with a new database of more than 400 case studies. One of the Nicholas Institute experts who led the project discusses some of the resource’s features and its applications for DOI staff and beyond.

NESP engages more than 2,000 public and private sector stakeholders to enhance collaboration within the ecosystem services community and strengthen coordination of policy, market implementation, and research at the national level. NESP’s research, products, and regular webinars help advance innovative, sustainable approaches to managing natural resources.

Today the United States Department of the Interior launched a digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap, developed in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Duke University. This free public resource will serve as a user-friendly and accessible guide for implementing nature-based solutions.

Nicholas Institute experts Martin Doyle, Lydia Olander and Tim Profeta recently served one- or two-year terms with federal entities. They discuss their temporary assignments—and what they brought back to Duke.

As director of nature-based resilience at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Lydia Olander worked for two years to connect efforts to protect U.S. lands and waters with emerging climate resilience priorities. Part of a series focusing on Nicholas Institute experts who have recently taken on temporary assignments within federal entities.

Nineteen individuals and teams were recognized Thursday with Climate Commitment Leadership Awards at the annual Duke Climate Commitment Celebration event. Award recipients included Nicholas Institute experts Kay Jowers, Lydia Olander, Ashley Ward and Katie Warnell.

Climate Week NYC 2024, held Sept. 22-29, gathered hundreds of business and political leaders across the globe to address the need for climate action. Among the distinguished voices included Duke University, whose lineup of climate experts shared their insights and research at several key events as part of Duke's Climate Commitment. A photo essay from Duke Today showcased the involvement of Duke scholars, including several from the Nicholas Institute.

At Climate Week NYC (September 22-29, 2024), influential leaders from multiple sectors will exchange ideas and collaborate on plans to accelerate climate action. A delegation of Duke University scholars will help drive dialogue at this annual convening, which drew more than 6,500 attendees last year. In addition to organizing three public events, Duke University experts will be facilitating closed-door conversations and networking with decision-makers and with current and potential external partners.