Message from the Director

Many faculty were not trained in graduate school to communicate their research to the general public, and a decade ago most were cautioned to save that kind of activity for post-tenure, if ever. As Nancy Baron detailed in a recent Nature Comment, attitudes have shifted tremendously. She has been training academic scientists to communicate with the public for 15 years, and has witnessed this change first-hand. Not only are more academics choosing to engage with the public and policymakers on issues in which their expertise can help solve societal problems, but their universities also are increasingly recognizing and supporting these efforts as important indicators of research impact. Since inception, the CEREO community has put engagement in a central role, integrating communication and outreach with the strong research and education programs undertaken by faculty, staff, and students. Recognizing that communication with the general public can be tough for researchers, CEREO continues to create opportunities for learning these skills and creating a peer network who can provide additional support. Last year CEREO hosted a communication workshop with professional journalists and trainers, led by Nancy Baron, and saw a large proportion of those faculty using these newly gained skills with international, national and regional media within the year. In fact, one of those trainees, Dr. Allison Coffin – already an accomplished science communicator – is co-organizing a (sold-out!) conference on science communication in Portland this week! In addition to the workshops described below for this spring, CEREO also is planning several new workshops on communication to take place this year – stay tuned!

– Stephanie

Research News

WSU-UI-OSU Food,Energy and Water Summit at Coeur d’Alene Resort

CEREO is helping organize a tri-state workshop to catalyze new collaborations between Washington State University (WSU), University of Idaho (UI) and Oregon State University (OSU) faculty around food-energy-water (FEW) nexus issues. Initiated by the Vice Presidents for Research (VPRs), this 1.5 day workshop will bring together a cohort of 3-5 multi-institutional research teams. Workshop time will be devoted to helping teams hone their research ideas, plan strategies for funding, and interact with the broader cohort to develop a wider collaborative, potentially complementary, network.

Researchers interested in this workshop opportunity are invited to submit 1-page proposals for convening a multi-institutional team to gather at the Tri-State FEW Workshop. Successful proposals will present: 1) a compelling vision for interdisciplinary FEW research; 2) specific funding targets (e.g. National Science Foundation INFEWS program, DOE Energy-Water, USDA NIFA Water for Agriculture, or others); 3) a multi-institutional team with confirmed participation by key individuals, and; 4) a tractable timeline for achieving research goals, including the manner in which the workshop will further the goals. The Lead Principal Investigator(s) should append a 2-page CV that includes his/her most relevant publications or other products in the past 5 years, and his/her most relevant funding in the past 5 years. Research teams must involve confirmed participants from more than one institution, and are encouraged to be as inclusive as possible. Participants from other institutions also may be named.

Travel and lodging costs will be covered by university VPRs, and limited additional funds will be available to support travel and activities that bring together teams outside of the workshop timeframe.

Proposals should be submitted to res.dev@wsu.edu by 15 February 2017.

For more information, contact:
WSU Stephanie Hampton s.hampton@wsu.edu

Dr. Jim Elser, renowned ecosystem ecologist, coming to WSU and UI

CEREO is teaming up with the MtnSEON to bring Dr. James Elser to WSU and UI in February. Dr. Elser, a Bierman Professor and Director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station at the University of Montana, will be giving a guest lecture at WSU on 8 Feb 2017, at 3:10pm in PACCAR 305. Dr. Elser’s research focuses on the impact of key chemical elements such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) using the integrative theory of biological stoichiometry, the study of balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in living systems. While this work is primarily ecological in focus and includes studies of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and biota, the approach uses an evolutionary perspective to integrate levels of organization from the molecule and cell to the ecosystem.

Currently, Dr Elser’s research focuses most intensively on Flathead Lake as well as mountain lakes of western Montana and western China. Previous field sites have included the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario, Canada; lakes of the Arctic and of Patagonia; lakes, forests, and grasslands of the upper Midwest; and desert springs in Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert.

Dr. Elser retains a research faculty appointment at Arizona State University where he is the Director of the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance and co-PI on the NSF project Living with Locusts. He currently serves as the Past-President of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), the world’s largest and most important aquatic sciences professional association.

Please contact cereo@wsu.edu if you would like some time to connect with Dr. Elser during his visit.

CEREO Seminar 2017

Other News

Learn to research more efficiently

CEREO is teaming up with WSU’s Graduate and Professional Student Association to host two workshops aimed at teaching researchers and students the fundamental skills needed to help them be more productive in the data-oriented and computational aspects of their research. Each workshop is a two-day, hands-on event that covers the core skills needed to be productive in a research team. Short tutorials alternate with practical exercises, and all instruction is done via live coding. No prior experience with R or programming is necessary; however, participants will be required to bring a laptop.

The Data Carpentry workshop is geared towards those interested in developing core skills for working with data effectively and reproducibly. This workshop covers the fundamental, computational skills needed for data management and analysis, including how to create, clean and import data, and write statistical and plotting scripts in R that are readable, reusable and reliable. This workshop will be held in 20-21 March, 2017. Registration, limited to 30 participants, will open in February 2017.

The Software Carpentry workshop is aimed at those who are interested in learning how to automate tasks using the Unix shell, how to track and share work using version control, and how to write software in R that is readable, reusable and reliable. This workshop will be held 6-7 April, 2017. Registration, limited to 30 participants, will open in March 2017.

Last year’s workshops filled up quickly – attended by faculty, staff, and students – and led to sustained interactions, including the ongoing CEREO-sponsored R working group. Once again, CEREO will sponsor travel for a limited number of non-Pullman WSU researchers. So look out for the announcement of registration opening soon!

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

GENERAL OPPORTUNITIES

WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition Issues Call for Abstracts
October 4-6, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV.
The deadline for receipt of abstracts is Friday, February 10, 2017.
Professionals, scientists, government employees, organizations, public and private institutions, policy makers, students, and all others working in an industry related to water efficiency are invited to submit abstracts for the 10th annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition.
For additional information or to submit abstracts, click here.

WRRC 2017 Conference
Tuesday, March 28, 2017, University of Arizona Student Union Tucson, Arizona
Arizona is facing the challenge of future water demands outstripping supplies. Join us as we discuss and debate our options, including water conservation, changing crop mixes, and alternative water sources. Outside-of-the-box collaborative thinking is essential to pave the way for Arizonans to move into our future water reality.
Agenda and Registration

3rd National Adaptation Forum Travel Support Applications are now open!
Travel support to attend the National Adaptation Forum is available in limited quantities due to a handful of generous sponsors and will be awarded through a competitive review process. Eligible applicants include staff from state, county and municipal government, tribal, non-profit organizations, community leaders, and university students working on or studying climate change adaptation. There are five tiers of Travel Support available depending on you travel needs. For detailed application instructions please click here.
Travel Support Applications CLOSE: February 17, 2017

2017 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program
Due on Friday, February 3, 2017
The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program recognizes and rewards the contributions women make in STEM fields and identifies exceptional women researchers committed to serving as role models for younger generations. More than 2,250 women scientists in over 110 countries have been recognized since the program began in 1998.
For application and more information

Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program: Water Resources Research National Competitive Grants Program: Announcement No. G17AS00027 under 104(g)
Deadline: Feb 15, 2017
Proposals are sought on the topic of improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and
availability, and promoting the exploration of new ideas that address or expand our
understanding of water problems.
For more information and to apply.

Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS)
Due date is March 6, 2017.
Maximum award is $2.5 million with a total estimated funds of $40 million.
It is imperative that we determine how society can best integrate across the natural and built environments to provide for a growing demand for food, water and energy while maintaining appropriate ecosystem services. To meet these grand challenges, we are looking for research that enables new means of adapting to future challenges.
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=290502

Anticipating the Environmental Impacts and Behavioral Drivers of Deep Decarbonization Request for Applications
Closing Feb 10, 2017
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications proposing research that will contribute to an improved ability to understand and anticipate the public health and environmental impacts and behavioral drivers of significant changes in energy production and consumption in the United States, particularly those changes associated with advancing toward the deep decarbonization necessary to achieve national and international climate change mitigation objectives and avoid the most significant economic and health impacts of climate change.
URL: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/anticipating-environmental-impacts-and-behavioral-drivers-deep-decarbonization

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

The 2017 Bullitt Environmental Fellowship
Due date is April 1, 2017.
Each year, one graduate student attending a university physically located in British Columbia, Washington State, or Oregon is selected for this prestigious award of $100,000, distributed over two years.
For more information on the Bullitt Environmental Fellowship
To Apply

14th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet
Close Date: 02/03/2017
This college student design competition highlights the use of scientific and engineering principles in creating innovative projects to research and develop sustainable solutions to real world challenges.
For general information on how to apply, visit https://www.epa.gov/P3/how-apply-p3-grant.

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