May

Oceans and Human Health: Anthropogenic Impacts on Coastal Communities and Ecosystems

Gordon Research Conference June 1-6, 2014 (applications due May 4, 2014: Details here)

Gordon Research Seminar May 31-June 1, 2014 (applications due May 3, 2104: Details here)

The seminar enables graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience to come together in a highly-stimulating and non-intimidating environment to discuss their current research and build informal networks with their peers. The seminars are organized by young investigators with the support of leading scientists from the associated GRC.

Application for the ACS Publications Graduate Student & Postdoc Summer Institute 2014

The application period is open for the 2014 ACS Publications Graduate Student & Postdoc Summer Institute, which will be held from July 28 to August 1, 2014 at the ACS Headquarters in Washington, DC. For more information on the Summer Institute, please see the ACS website.

Deadline to apply is May 15th

News in May 2014

May, 2014. New Report: Response to Extreme Weather Impacts on Transportation Systems

A May 2014 report from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program examines eight recent cases of extreme weather in the United States from the perspectives of transportation operations, maintenance, design, construction, planning, communications, interagency coordination, and data and knowledge management.

The National Climate Assessment Released May 6, 2014


The third 
National Climate Assessment was released May 6, 2014. RCI Affiliate, Professor David Robinson served as a review editor of the assessment which addresses the impacts of climate change in various regions of the United States. It addresses the impacts of climate change in various regions of the United States. Alaska’s glaciers will continue to melt due to rising temperatures, while a small portion of southern Alabama will experience cooler temperatures. Large, powerful storms like Sandy will increase flood risk in the Northeast, while the Southwest will face continued water shortages. You can also read more about it in this NY Times article.
Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change

May 2014
. Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change, is a joint venture between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Global Crop Diversity Trust to preserve seeds from wild undomesticated relatives of food crops such as wheat , barley and maize to provide genetic diversity necessary for important food crops to adapt to climate change . As the global food supply becomes more homogenous and faces threats from climate change, as well as diseases, pests, and population growth, researchers around the world continue to carefully collect and store seeds from underutilized fruits and vegetables. Scientists are also germinating the collected seeds to better understand the conditions under which they are viable. Click on the link for the full article.
Antarctic Ice Sheet Thinning and Sea Level Rise May Be Inevitable

Antarctic Ice Sheet Thinning Revealed in Two Recent Studies Recent research by two groups of scientists concluded separately that portions of the Western Antarctica ice sheet have retreated irreversibly and that they that could signal early stage collapse. Although the timing of the collapse is uncertain, the scientists suggest it could be centuries rather than millennia, and that this instability will significantly contribute to sea level rise. University of Washington researchers published their findings in Science. The team from University of California, Irvine and California Institute of Technology published their research in Geophysical Research Letters. For a quick overview of the findings, read the New York Times' article.

Graduate Online Course

Climate Change & Sustainability Communication Campaigns

Join us this summer for a unique online learning opportunity with communication expert Ed Maibach, Director of George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication.

This course is designed for graduate students and professionals in the fields of climate change and sustainability who seek to use communication strategically in helping organizations, communities, states, and nations pursue their climate and sustainability goals.

WHEN: Summer 2014 - June 2 through July 16

WHERE: This course will use a distance-learning format to meet virtually on Blackboard

More information available here

 

Northeast SARE Graduate Student Awards

This grant is for students in an accredited graduate program in the Northeast region who want to conduct research in sustainable agriculture under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Awards are capped at $15,000.

The application deadline is May 13, 2014. Please note that a completed signoff sheet from the applicant, the faculty advisor, and the institution must be uploaded with the proposal by the May 13 due date. If you plan to apply, be sure to work with your institution's grants office well ahead of time. More information available here.