Message from the Director
Sustainability in natural resource use and stewardship is a key challenge for society, and one of the identified Grand Challenges for Washington State University. CEREO and our partners are proud to announce a new grant that arose from several Food-Energy-Water workshops we sponsored together at WSU over the past year. The momentum continues to build, and more opportunities are on the horizon. NSF will be offering INFEWS programs again in the upcoming year, and CEREO will be hosting discussions this fall to galvanize our community to address new ideas that are general to FEW challenges. In addition, recognizing that Stormwater is a topic that has been identified as a key opportunity at WSU, CEREO will host discussions about developing new proposals in this area. The first discussion will be based on developing a NSF National Research Traineeship program. More details on these and other upcoming CEREO activities are provided below!
– Stephanie
Research News
NSF Awards a WSU/UI collaborative $2.9M Food-Energy-Water Nexus Grant
The National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded WSU and collaborators an INFEWS grant. Utilizing a highly interdisciplinary team of experts, researchers will examine how innovations in storage across FEW sectors may increase resilience of the system overall, with an initial focus on the Columbia River Basin.
This Food-Energy-Water Center Collaborative (FEW2C) interdisciplinary project involves a number of centers and departments at WSU, University of Idaho, Utah State University and University of Utah including:
- Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach (CEREO)
- Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR)
- State of Washington Water Research Center (WRC)
In participation with:
- Biological Systems Engineering, WSU
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, WSU
- Mechanical and Materials Engineering, WSU
- School of Economic Sciences, WSU
- School of the Environment, WSU
- School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, WSU
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, UU
- College of Law, UI
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
- Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, USU
WSU Food-Energy-Water Discussion
PACCAR (PETB) 305 | Thursday, October 13, 2016 | 1:10 – 2:30 pm | AMS# 5709753
The National Science Foundation is planning on announcing another INFEWS solicitation in 2017. https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2017/pdf/37_fy2017.pdf
In preparation for this next round of RFPs, CEREO would like to invite you to join us for a brief, informal description of the recently awarded NSF INFEWS proposal, hear about others’ proposed INFEWS work, and share new ideas that might be appropriate for this next call for proposals.
For participants attending via AMS, if you are attending by phone, please call (509) 335-9445. When prompted, enter the meeting ID 09753. For technical assistance with your connection at the time of your event, call 509-335-6575.
WSU NRT Discussion
PACCAR (PETB) 305 | Thursday, October 20, 2016 | 1:00 – 2:30 pm | AMS# 5709798
CEREO will be hosting a brainstorming discussion around a stormwater-focused NSF NRT (grad student training program) that builds on existing WSU expertise and the Grand Challenges. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16503/nsf16503.htm
This brainstorming discussion is open to any interested party. Internal LOIs are due 31 October and it’s a competitive process. WSU can only put forward 2 Traineeship Track proposals. http://informer.or.wsu.edu/Opportunity.aspx?ID=13047
For participants attending via AMS, if you are attending by phone, please call (509) 335-9445. When prompted, enter the meeting ID 09798. For technical assistance with your connection at the time of your event, call 509-335-6575.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Crystal Kolden Lecture- 5 October 2016
Dr. Kolden will be visiting WSU to talk about the role of wildfires as a primary dynamic ecological process across much of the western US. In an era of anthropogenic global change, there is concern that wildfire impacts outside the historic range of variability are pushing ecosystems past critical thresholds, with cascading consequences that negatively impact the production of ecosystem goods and services. While much research has focused on characterizing and quantifying wildfire risk, there has been less research on landscape vulnerability to wildfire. Vulnerability is a more comprehensive and fluid concept that encompasses risk of occurrence, but also includes sensitivity and resilience to ecosystem stressors. Here she presents a framework for assessing landscape vulnerability to wildfire and research assessing the utility of remote sensing for monitoring landscape vulnerability, including methods for developing mechanistic linkages to key management metrics and analyses of sensitivity and resilience. It is critical for natural resource managers to monitor the vulnerability of landscapes to wildfire and its cascading consequences, and to identify management strategies for supporting priority ecosystem functions well before tipping points have been reached.
Title: Landscape vulnerability to wildfire in a changing climate
Location: PACCAR (PETB) 202
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Time: 3:10-4:10 pm
Dr. Kolden is an assistant professor at the University of Idaho with over a decade of employment with the US Forest Service and the US Geological Survey. Kolden’s research focuses on monitoring and measurement of landscape-scale ecological change through remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems-based pattern analysis. She specializes in large-scale abiotic and disturbance factors such as wildfire, invasive species, and climate change and on science applications and technology transfer for public policy makers and land use managers.
Other News
CEREO Welcomes New Staff Member
The Center is pleased to welcome Katrina Shelton as new Grants and Contracts manager. Katrina comes to CEREO from CAHNRS, and brings with her an in-depth knowledge of WSU and a high level of expertise in managing proposals and projects. We look forward to working with her!
Summit Details
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
4:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Schweitzer Event Center
1825 Schweitzer Drive
Pullman, WA
Register for the event here.
Palouse Water Summit- 5 October 2016
The annual Palouse Water Summit will be held at the Schweitzer Event Center on Thursday October 5th from 4:30-8:00pm and is free and open to the public (registration appreciated). The event will feature Maude Barlow as the keynote speaker. Ms. Barlow is author of the book “Blue Future: Protecting Water for People and the Planet Forever”.
Other events will include:
- Annual State of the Basin report
- Water Conservation Program updates
- Wisescape Ideas
- Palouse Basin Water Supply Alternatives Study Update
- and much more…
Plus:
- Appetizers & no host bar
- Raffle for low-flow toilet and individual wisescaping plan
R and Python Working Groups
Work in R or Python? DON’T work in R or Python but want to? Come to the R and Python Working Groups to learn tips and techniques for making your data processing and analysis more efficient and transparent.
Each working group meets once a week to troubleshoot coding issues, learn new packages, and play around with data.
R Working Group
Python Working Group
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
GENERAL OPPORTUNITIES
2017 Conference: Climate Impacts to Water
Water users, water managers, researchers, educators, and innovators are meeting January 25-26, 2017 to discuss the impact of climate to waters of the Pacific Northwest. The common theme of the conference will be creating a dialogue amongst the communities that use and value the region’s water supply within the context of a changing climate. To register, submit an abstract, for more information or to sponsor this event.
February 16-17, 2017, Gonzaga University Spokane, WA. Registration is open. Before January 5, 2017, early-bird registration fees are $160 for staff/faculty/community partners, and only $40 for students.
Integrated Earth Systems (IES)
The goal of the Integrated Earth Systems (IES) program is to investigate the interplay among the continental, terrestrial, and interior systems of the planet. Innovative projects that explore new research directions beyond those typically considered by core programs of the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) are encouraged.
Northwest Science Communication Conference- January 26-27, 2017 at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
Two exciting days of learning how to talk science to non-scientists or those outside your discipline. It will feature podium presentations, participant workshops, expert panels, and a science communication contest specifically for students and postdoctoral fellows.
Contact: Dr. Allison Coffin, allison.coffin@wsu.edu; Amelia Veneziano, aveneziano@wsu.edu
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
NSF Environmental Sustainability call for Proposals
DUE DATES: Full Proposal Window: October 1, 2016 – October 20, 2016
Presentation: How to Manage Effective Groups
When: Tuesday, October 4th from 11am-1pm | Where: CUB L60 (Butch’s Den) | Registration: https://orgsync.com/39017/forms/210633