Meet the 2024 VoLo VISTA Award Winners

The VISTA Award is VoLo’s highest recognition for students who display exemplary leadership, along with Vision, Innovation, Sustainability, Technology, and Action in climate solutions.  

Each year, we gather proposals over the summer from June through October, from grad students who are enrolled full-time with a US-based University or College. This year’s winning team will be presenting their ideas at our 2024 Climate Correction™ conference in Orlando, Florida. 

Joining the show today is the winning team from Florida International University. They don’t actually know they are winners. The team believes they are coming on the podcast for a finalist interview. Tune in to hear the surprise and the moment when they learn they are the winners of the 2024 VISTA Award and a $25,000 prize!  The project is Evaluating Plant Varieties for Green Roofs in South Florida.  

Today’s guests are Ivan Oyege, Ph.D. Candidate, Earth Systems Science Jordan Prats, Ph.D. Candidate, Earth Systems Science Priyanka Belbase, Ph.D. Student, Earth Systems Science Moses Kiwanuka, Ph.D. Student, Earth Systems Science 

Ivan is a Fulbright-sponsored third-year Ph.D. candidate in Earth Systems Science at Florida International University. Moses is a seasoned Civil Engineering Professional specializing in water resources, environmental, hydrology, and drainage engineering, as well as watershed management. Jordan completed his Environmental Studies M.S. at FIU under the Agroecology Program. During graduate school, Jordan and his advisor developed FIU’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Project. Priyanka is a Ph.D. student in the Earth and Environment Dept at FIU.  

Green roofs are innovative roofing systems that support plant growth on buildings. They replace traditional roofing materials with a layer of soil for vegetation, offering various benefits such as mitigating the heat island effect, reducing stormwater runoff and sequestering carbon. However, implementing green roofs in the challenging climate of Miami and South Florida is a formidable task due to high humidity, extreme heat, desiccating winds, and hurricanes. The urgency is underscored by Miami's ranking as the third-worst Urban Heat Island Effect city in the US. The intensity of the problem is evident by the recent appointment of the world's first Chief Heat Officer for Miami-Dade County, underlining the severity of Miami's Urban Heat Island Effect. This problem affects residents, and addressing it through greening the city, including green roofs, is crucial. This project aims to recommend resilient plant species for South Florida green roofs, focusing on their carbon sequestration capabilities and reducing the urban heat island effect. This initiative's significance lies in mitigating climate change effects, fostering sustainable urban ecosystems, reducing carbon footprints, enhancing biodiversity, and improving urban well-being. Recognizing the urgent need for climate solutions, the project seeks to provide actionable insights for addressing South Florida's pressing climate issues. 

At the end of the episode, we reveal the following:  

“Your team is not the finalist team. Our trustees reviewed several submissions and believe your project has great potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and meets the VISTA criteria. That’s why I can tell you – you are actually our winners! You have won the $25,000 VISTA AWARD FOR 2024!.”