IU Joins Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana University has joined a consortium of universities and natural resource agencies in the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. IU says the center, which is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, is “dedicated to advancing science in response to the climate crisis in the Midwest.”
IU says its participation in the center will be led by the Environmental Resilience Institute, which was launched in 2017 as part of the university’s Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge. The consortium aims to support management and protection of land, water and national resources through what the university calls actionable climate science, innovation, and decision support tools.
As part of the effort, the CASC will fund individual research projects with a focus on climate adaptation. There will also be a special focus on tribal concerns, which will include a fellowship program for graduate students and a summer research experience for undergraduates to enhance tribal participation.
“It’s not enough to measure the impacts of climate change. We also need to enact just solutions that work across sectors, communities, and ecosystems,” said Gabriel Filippelli, executive director of the ERI and IU’s representative on the Midwest CASC leadership team. “That’s where ERI really shines, and that’s one of the big things we bring to this new center. We look forward to sharing with our consortium partners our expertise in helping Midwestern communities understand their vulnerabilities to climate change and make plans to become more resilient.”
The Midwest CASC is being hosted by the University of Minnesota and also includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the College of Menominee Nation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois, and The Nature Conservancy.