2025 LEAP SUMMER REU PROGRAM
Overview
LEAP’s 2025 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program offers summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) on synergistic innovations in data science and climate science. This 10-week Program is in partnership with the NSF Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program at UCAR.
The REU Program hosts undergraduate researchers and offers a wide array of enrichment learning and networking opportunities. LEAP is committed to building a vibrant research community at the intersection of climate science, data science, and real-world impact.
All students will be supported by a team of researchers and graduate student mentors. We want our students to succeed and learn what it takes to make a larger impact on the world via STEM research. Upon completion of the Program, students may have the opportunity to continue their research or present their findings at academic conferences.
Program
The 2-week Momentum Bootcamp (May 27 – June 6) will be led by:
- Qingyuan Yang (Associate Research Scientist, Dept. of Earth + Environmental Engineering, Columbia University)
- Aya Lahlou (Graduate Research Assistant, Earth + Environmental Engineering (Columbia University)
- Linnia Hawkins (Associate Research Scientist, Earth + Environmental Engineering, Columbia University)
The 8-week Research Experience (June 9 – August 1) will be led by the following Project Leads/Mentors:
2025 REU Participants
ELLIOT CANTER
Project 1: Probabilistic Data Assimilation Enhances the Prediction of Observed Temperature Extremes (Li / Gentine)
Elliot is a rising junior at The Cooper Union, majoring in electrical engineering with a minor in computer science. His academic interests include signal processing, probabilistic modeling, and digital systems design. Although he is still weighing his future plans, Elliot is strongly considering graduate studies in electrical and computer engineering or a related field. In his spare time, Elliot enjoys reading novels, skiing, and getting lost on Wikipedia. Elliot is interested in using data science and machine learning to model real-world systems, and he is excited to apply data assimilation to develop climate models and improve temperature prediction.
Based on his summer research as a LEAP REU, Kaleb’s poster, “Detecting nonlinear causal relationships between El Niño and soil moisture in tropical forests,“ was presented at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
KALEB FLORENCE
Project 2: Tropical Forest Dynamics in a Changing Climate (Weng)
Kaleb is an undergraduate biology major at Temple University with an extreme interest in marine biology and climate science. As a future marine biologist, they are passionate about understanding how tropical climates and ocean systems interact, especially in the context of global climate change. They have hands-on experience working in laboratory settings and are eager to expand their research skills through collaborative, real-world projects. This summer, Kaleb looks forward to contributing to impactful climate research while learning from experienced scientists and peers. One of their proudest personal achievements is maintaining academic excellence and personal resilience after moving from New York to Maryland during the pandemic and attending three different high schools. That experience strengthened their adaptability, focus, and commitment to their goals. Outside of academics, he enjoys kickboxing, thrifting, and exploring nature. These activities ground and inspire their curiosity about the natural world.
Based on her summer research as a LEAP REU, Katherine presented her poster, “Determining thermodynamically relevant morphological features of cirrus ice crystals using a convolutional neural network,” at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
KATHERINE FRIELDS
Project 5: Using Generative AI to Improve Modeling of Cirrus Cloud Processes (Lamb)
Katherine is passionate about exploring the intersection of data science and climate modeling. Leveraging her background in both Data Science and Earth Science, she has conducted research on the development of hybrid physics-machine learning climate models with a focus on uncertainty quantification in cloud-resolving model emulators. She is further interested in delving deep into the mathematics and statistics underlying both machine learning and atmospheric dynamics and using this base of knowledge to drive future innovations. She plans to pursue a PhD in Atmospheric Science where she hopes to continue conducting research into the development hybrid physics-machine learning emulators for global climate models. Ultimately, she aims to join academia and combine her love for research, mentorship, and teaching, with her appreciation for data science, atmospheric science, and mathematics.
Based on her summer research as a LEAP REU, Isabella’s poster, “Investigating snowpack-shrub interactions in the Arctic tundra using machine learning and process models,” was presented at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
ISABELLA LU
Project 3: Developing Machine Learning Emulators to Constrain Parametric Uncertainty in Land Surface Modeling and Carbon Cycling (Hawkins)
Isabella is a freshman at Columbia University majoring in Computer Science and pursuing a minor in Sustainable Engineering. She is interested in the intersections of climate, physics, and computer science and is considering going into research in the future. In high school, she participated in an ocean sciences research program which prompted her to continue pursuing scientific research. Outside of science, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and learning random crafts off of Youtube.
Based on his summer research as a LEAP REU, Brycen presented his poster, “Forest dynamics in South America under a changing climate: An Analysis Using ModelE-BiomE with ERA5,” at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
BRYCEN LYNCH
Project 2: Tropical Forest Dynamics in a Changing Climate (Weng)
Brycen is a Meteorology and GIS student from Virginia Tech, interested in applying climate data to study impacts on vegetation. He looks forward to gaining more experience coding in Python to study mathematical models and to utilizing Artificial Intelligence to identify changing vegetation trends within large data sets under the mentorship of Dr. Ensheng Weng. He also looks forward to gaining critical communication skills through collaboration with professionals and peers, as well as through seminars. In the future, Brycen plans to pursue research in numerical modeling for applications in atmospheric science and physical geography to improve forecasting capabilities. One of his proudest moments in research was seeing his collected data and maps used to co-present a research poster at the Biocultural and Ecological Restoration Symposium. Outside of academics, he enjoys photography, music, hiking, camping, and forecasting. Brycen can’t wait to begin exploring and studying in New York City!
TONY MANRIQUEZ
Project 4: Understanding Cloud Microphysical Process in Climate Models (Fan)
Tony is an undergraduate student interested in bridging the gap between weather and climate with AI. He has previous summer research experience at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) as a Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) protégé. After completing his bachelor’s degree, Tony plans to attend graduate school for atmospheric science. In his spare time, he enjoys storm chasing after seeing twin tornadoes with his first storm chase! Tony has previously worked as a firefighter for his hometown after earning his Firefighter I certification. He plans to earn certifications in fire, water, earth, and air.
Based on her summer research as a LEAP REU, Sarah presented her poster, “Diagnosing parametric controls on CLM ecohydrology using machine learning emulators,” at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
SARAH RYU
Project 3: Developing Machine Learning Emulators to Constrain Parametric Uncertainty in Land Surface Modeling and Carbon Cycling (Hawkins)
Sarah is a rising senior at UC Berkeley studying Environmental Sciences (and Computer Science). She is interested in the intersections between climate science, hydrology, and data science, including climate modeling and remote sensing. In the future, she hopes to pursue graduate school in environmental science and advance research on the impacts of climate change using data-driven approaches. One of her proudest personal achievements is getting to smell a real corpse flower.
Based on his summer research as a LEAP REU, Troy presented his poster, “Inferring instantaneous depositional ice growth rates from ice crystal images,” at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
TROY STEPHENS
Project 5: Using Generative AI to Improve Modeling of Cirrus Cloud Processes (Lamb)
Troy is originally from Virginia and currently attends the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. His primary research interest is in the broad concept of emergence in physical systems. Emergence occurs in a complex system when the interactions of the constituents of a system result in nontrivial properties and behaviors that the constituents themselves do not possess. Some examples of emergence in physics include nonlinear waves in high energy, ionized gasses (called plasma) and cloud creation and precipitation from the condensation of water into droplets and ice crystals from saturated air. Troy’s professional goals include obtaining a PhD in physics and becoming a researcher in condensed matter physics. In particular he wishes to study quantum magnetism and geometric frustration, another example of emergence in which magnetic moments in a lattice interact in nontrivial ways leading to exotic phenomena such as quantum spin liquid and spin ice. One of Troy’s proudest achievements is playing piano and participating in several local concerts as a member of the Piano Forte club at Georgia Tech.
ELIJAH TAVARES
Project 1: Probabilistic Data Assimilation Enhances the Prediction of Observed Temperature Extremes (Li / Gentine)
Elijah is a Computer Science student at UC Irvine specializing in Intelligent Systems with broad research interests in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative models. Through various research roles, he has explored applications of computational models across different domains including climate modeling, structural engineering, and computer vision. He aims to pursue graduate studies to continue working on machine learning research. One of his most memorable experiences was participating in the NASA Student Launch Initiative, where he developed computer vision systems to identify the rocket’s landing position during descent. Elijah is passionate about conducting research that has a meaningful impact.
Based on her summer research as a LEAP REU, Subashree’s poster, “Disentangled contrastive representation learning for interpretable analysis of warm rain microphysics schemes,” was presented at the 2025 AGU Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA).
SUBASHREE VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Project 4: Understanding Cloud Microphysical Process in Climate Models (Fan)
Subashree is a Junior studying Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is very interested in computational mathematics and physical systems modeling with deep learning, and hopes to pursue a PhD after completing her undergrad in order to continue research in this field. In her spare time, Subashree loves going to the gym and exercising, and her proudest personal achievement is winning best female junior lifter at a recent powerlifting competition as a part of Columbia University’s Barbell Club.
2025 Summer @ SEAS Participant
ELEANOR SUET-YING KOO
Project 1: Probabilistic Data Assimilation Enhances the Prediction of Observed Temperature Extremes (Li / Gentine)
Eleanor is a rising junior at Columbia University majoring in Operations Research: Financial Engineering, with minors in East Asian Studies, Economics, and Music. With a background in nonprofit leadership focused on environmental awareness and shared social responsibility, she is passionate about using data and systems design to build a more hopeful and sustainable future. Her research interests center on interdisciplinary learning at the intersection of technological innovation and ethical impact. Eleanor’s envisioned future, whether in academia, corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, or community organizing, focuses on applying her engineering and design skills to serve communities meaningfully. Outside of research, she is a devoted clarinetist and enjoys sailing on the Hudson and spending time with her cats.
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Summer @ SEAS is a summer enrichment program for Columbia Engineering students who are spending their summer conducting research in labs on the Columbia Engineering campus. In addition to research in various labs, Summer@SEAS students are provided additional enrichment opportunities comprised of:
- Academic and professional seminars
- Professional development sessions on scientific writing, presentation skills, post-grad planning, etc.
- Social events
- Weekly social luncheon.
Projects
Click the image below to learn more about the Summer 2025 REU Research Projects and Project Mentors.
Important Dates
- February 28: Summer Programs Open House Info Session
- March 15: Application deadline
- March 31: Application decision notification
- May 26: Move in to campus housing
- May 27 – August 1: On-campus Research Experience
- August 2: Move out of campus housing