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Need Help Developing Climate & Health Research?
The Research and Engagement for Action on Climate and Health (REACH) Center, offers tailored support across its four cores — from NIH funding coordination and collaborator matchmaking to community partnership facilitation and expert guidance on novel geospatial environmental data and advanced analyses — helping you design, analyze, and advance impactful, health-protective research.
The REACH Center is a multi-institutional partnership that leverages world-class strengths of The George Washington University, George Mason University, Howard University, and the Environmental Defense Fund to cultivate a diverse, multi-disciplinary, collaborative research enterprise that generates new knowledge and accelerates research translation into health-protective actions. The ISE is supporting the REACH Center and our faculty affiliates in faciliating broader engagement of the GMU community in transdisciplinary climate and health research and practice.
Interested in engaging with Climate and Health activities at GMU (through the REACH Center and beyond)? Contact faculty member Dr. Daniel Tong (qtong@gmu.edu) and/or ISE Associate Director Dr. Julianna Gwiszcz (jgwiszcz@gmu.edu).
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ICYMI: The Institute for a Sustainable Earth Joins the Planetary Health Alliance
The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) is thrilled to announce we have joined as an official member of the Planetary Health Alliance, a consortium of over 500 universities, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and government entities from around the world committed to understanding and addressing global environmental change and its health impacts. Being a member of the PHA represents our commitment to collaboration on some of the most urgent challenges of our time, and will further enhance our capacity to advance a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world for all.
Learn more about Planetary Health science, solutions, and opportunities here.
Check out the new Planetary Health North American Hub here.
Want to get involved? Contact ISE's Associate Director and PHA representative, Dr. Julianna Gwiszcz, at jgwiszcz@gmu.edu. Find out how you can work with ISE and the PHA to advance planetary health and wellbeing through your research, education, and practice.
To stay updated about key Planetary Health research and opportunities, subscribe to the PHA monthly newsletter.
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Free Trees Delivered to Your Door in Fairfax County
Fairfax County residents can now sign up to receive up to two free trees shipped directly to their home, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Choose from a selection of carefully chosen species suitable for our local environment, and we’ll provide tree shelters and stakes in the box to help your new trees get off to a strong start. Supplies are limited and available on a first‑come, first‑served basis, so claim your free trees and help grow Fairfax County’s urban forest.
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Pollution and Health: From Data to Evidence
March 12, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET | Online
This interdisciplinary seminar from CAFE’s Data Management team will unpack how scientists turn air-quality data into health policy by focusing on the exposure–response curve (ERC), which links pollution levels to health outcomes. Drawing on recent work, the session will show how different modeling choices, from standard regression to causal inference, can lead to different conclusions about what pollution levels are deemed “safe.” The seminar will emphasize an intuitive approach to understanding how statistical methods address bias and uncertainty when using environmental data to inform smarter, evidence-based policy.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts Lobby
$50 per ticket
Time is running out! Mason Empty Bowls is quickly approaching—a special evening dedicated to raising awareness and funds for student food insecurity initiatives.
Join us for a heartfelt night featuring:
🍲 A warm meal of soup, bread, an open bar, and dessert
🎶 Live music by Green and Gold Soul and the Incognito Band
🎨 A handmade bowl to take home as a symbol of students facing hunger
🎟️ A silent auction with incredible items to bid on
Every ticket purchased supports George Mason’s Student Food and Housing Insecurity Fund, making a direct impact on students in need.
Join us and be part of the solution—because no student should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.
This event is being co-chaired by Lauren Long and Maggie Daniels. Many thanks to the amazing campus and community partners, including Chartwells; the Center for the Arts; the Student Support and Advocacy Center; University Life; Student Involvement; the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management; Green and Gold Soul; the Incognito Band; and Manassas Clay.
Questions? Please contact Anna MacNiven at 703-993-6391 or via email at amacnive@gmu.edu.
If you are unable to attend the event but would like to support this important cause, please consider making a gift.
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March 27, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Charlottesville, VA and Online
Hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in collaboration with UVA Engineering and the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Join us on March 27, 2026 for a day-long program to bring together scientists, decision-makers, and community partners to discuss opportunities and challenges for flood resilience. Learn from local experts and practitioners and strengthen your network to support science-informed policy and planning in Virginia’s changing climate.
The program will feature panels on urban flooding, rural flooding, and innovations across the Commonwealth. The event will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET (in-person and webcast) followed by a reception (in-person only). See attached agenda for more details.
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March 31, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET | Online
Join us for a focused exploration of a critical but often under-quantified and under-addressed challenge in public health. This half-day event, part of CAFE’s extreme weather series, examines the intersection between extreme weather events and infectious disease risk and vulnerability. This event will investigate how floods, hurricanes, droughts, heavy precipitation, and wildfires create conditions that may heighten infectious disease risk, and carves out a unique niche by concentrating specifically on how environmental extremes interact with and amplify disease threats.
Disclaimer: Spots for lightning talks are limited, CAFE reserves the right to exclude listings we do not deem appropriate or within scope.
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From March to June 2026, the Future Earth Africa Hub, hosted by the National Research Foundation of South Africa, will deliver a four-part pre-conference webinar series ahead of SRI2026 in Cape Town.
These dynamic sessions will spotlight the conference themes, connect research, policy, and practice, and showcase solutions advancing sustainability across Africa. Join leading experts and changemakers for engaging dialogue and practical insights, setting the stage for impactful conversations in June.
Future Earth is a strategic partner of the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE). Want to learn more about Future Earth? Contact ISE Research and Innovation Officer and Future Earth Co-Lead of Research and Innovation, Dr. Judit Ungvari, at jungvari@gmu.edu.
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April 8, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET | Washington, D.C. and Online
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will host its third annual Climate and Health Summit on April 8, 2026 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC, and virtually. This full-day hybrid event will bring together leaders across the health sector to explore the latest insights, innovations, and opportunities at the intersection of climate and health. We hope that this summit will continue to signal the importance of climate and health to the nation and beyond, while equipping participants with practical perspectives and pathways for collective action.
Serving on the 2026 Climate & Health Summit Planning Committee is GMU's own Dr. Edward Maibach, NAM Member and Distinguished University Professor (Emeritus) and Founding Director (Emeritus) of GMU's Center for Climate Change Communication.
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Additional Funding Opportunities
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DC Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) Call for Proposals
DC Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) is seeking research proposals that identify key DC water issues and has potential to contribute to their solutions. Please review the RFP via link below. Reach out to DC WRRI with any questions, including requirements of matching funds and eligibility of research topics and researchers from universities based outside of DC (hint, consider collaborating with a DC university research colleague!!)
Contact the Director of DC Water Resources Research Institute and Environmental Quality Testing Lab, Dr. Tolessa Deksissa, at tdeksissa@udc.edu with questions.
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Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems
Pre-applications due March 27, 2026
This call for proposals will result in the appointment of up to six Materials Synthesis Investigators and up to two Moore Synthesis Fellows. The awards will provide six years of unconstrained funding, offering recipients full autonomy to define their research directions and allocate their budgets. The anticipated award amounts are $1,800,000–$1,900,000 for Materials Synthesis Investigators and $1,300,000–$1,400,000 for Moore Synthesis Fellows.
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Mid-career Researcher Awards (Wellcome Trust)
As a mid-career researcher, you will be in the early stages of your independent research career. You will usually have completed one or two substantial periods of research after your PhD (or equivalent research training).
- You may have directed, or closely guided, the work of others.
- You may recently have been appointed to your first independent academic position.
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Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE)
National Science Foundation
The NSF Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program seeks convergent, multidisciplinary, and multisector research and education efforts that transform how wildland fire is understood, modeled, and managed in a rapidly changing world.
Upcoming proposal submission window: April 1 - 7, 2026. Due by 5pm submitting organization's local time.
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Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
The NIH R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant is designed to support innovative, high-risk, and exploratory research that has the potential to substantially advance biomedical, behavioral, or clinical science. R21 projects are intended to introduce new scientific ideas, experimental systems, tools, agents, targets, or methodologies, or to apply existing approaches in novel ways. These projects may not require substantial preliminary data and are specifically meant to break new ground rather than extend well-established research programs.
Learn more about this grant here.
Note: This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.
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Resilient Communities Fellowship
The University of Washington’s Center for Disaster Resilient Communities is offering a weeklong in-person training program in environmental and public health disaster research methods and skills for advanced graduate students and early career hazards and disaster researchers from across the United States.
The program’s fellowship consists of prerequisite readings and online training, an in-person, highly interactive weeklong intensive set of five modules and an applied research experience. The weeklong in-person component of this research-training program is held at the University of Washington campus in Seattle. This year, the short course will be held from July 27 to 31, 2026 with monthly online workshops in the year following.
Read full details of the fellowship opportunity here. Apply by March 27 via link below.
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NFWF National Coastal Resilience Fund 2026 Request For Proposals
National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) is a national program focused on reducing risks to coastal communities. Projects must be located within the coastal areas of U.S. coastal states, including the Great Lakes states, and U.S. territories and Tribal lands. Habitats such as coastal marshes and forests, floodplains, rivers and lakes, dune and beach systems, and oyster and coral reefs can provide communities with enhanced protection and buffering from the growing impacts of coastal hazards, including coastal inundation, changing flood patterns, increased frequency and intensity of storms, and other environmental stressors.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will make investments in planning, design, and implementation of nature-based solutions to enhance protection for coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural hazards while improving habitats for fish and wildlife.
All projects under this program must demonstrate benefits to both coastal communities and habitats.
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Student Opportunities
(Faculty, please share with your students!)
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Summer Undergrad Internship Opportunity with World Wildlife Fund
BRIDGE is WWF’s summer internship program. Launched in 2021, it is a paid internship opportunity aimed at a pool of talented undergraduate and graduate students who could bring fresh thinking and innovation to the environmental sector. In particular, WWF aims to employ interns who have not previously had a breadth of professional experience and have not previously considered conservation as a career pathway.
Position Summary:
WWF seeks a BRIDGE Climate Communications Undergraduate Intern. This intern will learn how to be an effective, strategic climate communicator. They will gain experience across the marketing and communications landscape including, earned media, social media, creative support, thought leadership, and event planning. Through supporting the Senior Director of Climate Communications, this person will help position WWF within national and international climate dialogues, advance climate action through persuasive communications, and build bridges with other climate leaders and organizations.
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Calling All Creatives: Youth Podcast Project Coordinator Opening
Looking for a part-time job? Climate Junction is looking for a Project Coordinator to manage and nurture its new youth-led podcast on climate change, health, and pathways to action. Episodes are designed and produced entirely by youth.
The Project Coordinator will organize and lead meetings, review episodes, and will work closely with the project team and youth leaders to develop a social media strategy and document the project's structure. Candidates passionate about storytelling as a tool for change are encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
Please send a CV/resume and short cover letter to hello@climatejunction.org indicating why you are interested by and suited to this position. The project team will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine the next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Final Call for Abstracts:
7th Earth System Observations & Modeling Graduate Symposium
Present your research at the Earth System Observation and Modeling Symposium (ESOM). GMU's COLA and AOES Department invite graduate students to submit abstracts for our annual one-day, in-person symposium on April 10, 2026. This year's theme: Integrating Traditional and Novel Approaches to Earth System Science. Present via poster or oral format and attend keynote lectures and a career panel with professionals from universities and federal labs.
Abstract deadline: March 6, 2026. Submit your abstracts here.
Registeration deadline: April 3, 2026. Register to attend here.
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2026 VFMA Annual Conference:
Discounted Student Rates & Volunteer Opportunities
April 23-24, 2026 | Richmond, Virginia
The Virginia Floodplain Management Association (VFMA) is hosting its Annual Conference this year, and we’d love to have students attend and get involved. It’s a great chance to connect with professionals working in floodplain management, emergency management, planning, and related fields. The conference program includes sessions on topics like flood risk communication, climate resilience, hazard mitigation, and emerging tools and data—plus plenty of built-in networking time with practitioners from across Virginia and the region.
We’re offering a discounted student registration rate, and we’re also looking for student volunteers who might be interested in helping introduce sessions, assist attendees, or support logistics. Volunteers receive an additional discount and get a great behind-the-scenes experience. You can find more details, including the program and registration info here.
Early-Bird rates available through March 23, 2026. Learn more about conference here.
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The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) aims to connect members of the Mason community with others across the Mason community–and with other communities, policy-makers, businesses and organizations–so that, together, we can more effectively address the world’s pressing sustainability and resilience challenges.
The ISE Newsletter aims to facilitate engagement and information sharing among sustainability-related researchers, practitioners, and relevant local, national, and international organizations.
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