Melissa Berke (CEEES) recently sailed with an international team of 117 scientists, engineers and crew members as part of the JOIDES Resolution's expedition to better understand and quantify the oceanographic and climate consequences of environmental change. Read more

Removing PFAS from public water systems is a long and costly process; however, in his article via The Conversation, Kyle Doudrick (CEEES) highlights several steps individuals can take to protect against these chemicals in water at home. Read more

In a new article published in Carbon Management, Emily Grubert (Keough) emphasizes the distortionary effects of unconstrained for-profit carbon dioxide removal and the need for early governance intervention. Read more

Ming Hu (Arch) blends her expertise in engineering and architecture by combining analytical and technological skills with hand drawing and spatial literacy, which has led her to solutions that are good for the planet and its people. Read more

As a VPR Fellow, Jennifer Tank (BIOS) will lead efforts in ecological and environmental research. She will foster continuity and coherence between ND-ECI, UNDERC, and related research happening at Notre Dame. She will also work to further enhance the University's strength in water-related research. Read more

The ND-GAIN Country Index now offers data on more small island nations, including Nauru, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. It also includes updated vulnerability indicators that reflect the core concerns of islands, such as how dependent the country is on imported energy. Read more

Nitesh Chawla (CSE) and Elizabeth Archie (BIOS) were recently inducted into the newest class of the American Association for Advancement of Science as a result of their expertise and accomplishments in their fields. Read more

Roy Scranton (ENG) was recently named a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow in recognition of his career achievements and exceptional research promise. Scranton's project will center around dealing with global political failures in order to better protect the survival of our planet. Read more

Jason Rohr (BIOS) was recently named one of 23 national champions from across six continents for his innovative research on planetary health intervention for disease, food, and water challenges in Africa. Read more

Thank you to everyone who joined us on World Water Day for ND-ECI's St. Mary’s Lake Clean-up! There were several interesting finds, including a road sign found near the shore (see bottom left photo). We hope you can join us to gather the trash around Saint Josephs Lake in the Fall. 

ND-ECI is excited to announce the recipients of our 2024 Postdoctoral Fellowships, which support postdoctoral research and scholarship to grow collaborative bridges through interdisciplinary training.

ND-ECI is pleased to support the exploration of collaborations that could advance new areas of interdisciplinary research. To catalyze potential collaborations, ND-ECI is offering funding to form Environmental Research Working Groups that facilitate idea generation and extend our research vision.

Deadline: Proposals are being accepted on a rolling basis. Review will begin on Monday, May 20th and continue until all funding is allocated. 

Building on previous eaglet diet research at ND-LEEF, we are currently collaborating with biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop machine learning algorithms to automate the process of identifying prey items within eagle nests using digital imagery. 

We are excited to once again welcome baby eagles to ND-LEEF! Since 2015, ND-LEEF has been home to a nesting pair of bald eagles, who have fledged 16 eaglets to date. Tune into the in-nest eagle cam for a birds-eye view of the day-to-day life of the eaglets. 

This semester several classes offered by ND-ECI affiliated faculty explored the environment through new and innovative experiences outside the classroom:

As part of the Practical Ecology Lab, Dominic Chaloner (BIOS) led a group of students on a field trip to Warren Woods State Park. The trip provided students with a firsthand experience to better understand forest structure by assessing the abundance of beech and maple trees on property. Read more

Ryan Sensenig (BIOS) led a Restoration Ecology course where students developed land restoration plans for two locations: a 20 acre site owned by the Congregation of Holy Cross and a pollinator prairie space at Jordan Hall of Science. The course gave students the unique experience of combining ecological theory with hands-on-experience, engaging students in real restoration projects. Read more

Congratulations Graham Peaslee (PHYS), Gary Lamberti (BIOS), and Daniele De Almeida Miranda (BIOS) for their new grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on "Occurrence of PFAS in Water and Sediment from the Indiana Costal Zone." 

The ND-ECI Community has been very productive with over 65 publications since our last newsletter. Below are some highlights, please click here to view the full list. 

Alifa, M., Castruccio, S., Bolster, D., Bravo, M. A., & Crippa, P. (2023). Uncertainty Reduction and Environmental Justice in Air Pollution Epidemiology: The Importance of Minority Representation. Geohealth, 7(10), 15. 

Amadu, F. O., & Miller, D. C. (2024). The impact of forest product collection and processing on household income in rural Liberia. Forest Policy and Economics, 158, 18. 

Chesler, A., Javeline, D., Peh, K., & Scogin, S. (2023). Is Democracy the Answer to Intractable Climate Change?. Global Environmental Politics, 23(4), 201-216. 

Field, S., & Glowacki, D. M. (2024). Climate and community in Central Mesa Verde. Journal of Quaternary Science, 17. 

Fischman, R. L., Ruhl, J. B., Forester, B. R., Lama, T. M., Kardos, M., Rojas, G. A., Lamberti G.A.,...Zhao, Y. (2023). A landmark environmental law looks ahead. Science, 382(6677), 1348-1355. 

Gu, S. M., Qi, T. Y., Rohr, J. R., & Liu, X. (2023). Meta-analysis reveals less sensitivity of non-native animals than natives to extreme weather worldwide. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7(12), 27. 

Hamlet, A. F., Ehsani, N., Tank, J. L., Silver, Z., Byun, K., Mahl, U. H., . . . Royer, T. V. (2024). Effects of climate and winter cover crops on nutrient loss in agricultural watersheds in the midwestern US. Climatic Change, 177(1), 21. 

Howerton, E., Contamin, L., Mullany, L. C., Qin, M., Reich, N. G., Bents, S., Moore S., Perkins A.,.. Lessler, J. (2023). Evaluation of the US COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub for informing pandemic response under uncertainty. Nature Communications, 14(1), 15. 

Jewell, H. K., Noguera, C. A., Hael, C. E., Torres-Dowdall, J., & Aguilera, G. (2024). Association of reproduction with seasonality in a subtropical viviparous fish Jenynsia tucumana (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 102(2), 146-154. 

Li, S. Y., Waring, B., Powers, J., & Medvigy, D. (2024). Tropical dry forest response to nutrient fertilization: a model validation and sensitivity analysis.  Biogeosciences, 21(2), 455-471.

Muller, M. F., Rusca, M., Bertassello, L., Adams, E., Allaire, M., Villarejo, V. C., . . . Pokhrel, Y. (2024). Mapping the landscape of water and society research: Promising combinations of compatible and complementary disciplines. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Water, 11(2), 18. 

Nwachukwu, O., Kniazev, K., Perez, A. A., Kuno, M., & Doudrick, K. (2024). Single-Particle Analysis of the Photodegradation of Submicron Polystyrene Particles Using Infrared Photothermal Heterodyne Imaging. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(2), 1312-1320. 

Riis, T., Tank, J. L., Holmboe, C. M. H., Gimenez-Grau, P., Mastepanov, M., Catalan, N., . . . Pastor, A. (2023). Links Between Stream Water Nitrogen and Terrestrial Vegetation in Northeast Greenland. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 128(12), 14. 

Shaffer, M., Fischer, R. J., Gallogly, S., Ginn, O., Munster, V., & Bibby, K. (2023). Environmental Persistence and Disinfection of Lassa Virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 29(11), 2285-2291. 

Zipple, M. N., Archie, E. A., Tung, J. Y., Mututua, R. S., Warutere, J. K., Siodi, I. L., . . . Alberts, S. C. (2023). Five Decades of Data Yield No Support for Adaptive Biasing of Offspring Sex Ratio in Wild Baboons (Papio cynocephalus). American Naturalist, 16. 

ND-ECI has fleece jackets, t-shirts, coffee cups, water bottles, journals, and stickers available for members of our community. If you are interested in any of these items, please fill out this Google Form.

At the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, over 60 faculty across several disciplines are pursuing research solutions for key environmental challenges of our time.

ND-ECI focuses on multidisciplinary research that can translate into solutions to help make the world a better place for humans and the environment upon which people depend.

We call it “Science Serving Society.”

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