Announcements

Congratulations to ISE’s new Faculty Fellows!


The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) is delighted to announce the first cohort of ISE Faculty Fellows. Congratulations to Celso Ferreira (VSE), John Qu (COS), and Cher Weixia Chen (CHSS)! They will join ISE’s team in January 2021 to serve as community-building catalysts and lead the development of transdisciplinary communities of research and practice around three of ISE’s research themes
Dr. Celso Ferreira - Sustainable and resilient communities and ecosystems
Dr. Ferreira is an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. He leads the Mason Flood Hazards Research Lab, which focuses on investigating and developing solutions that increase societal resilience to water-related natural hazards. He is also an affiliate of the Business for a Better World Center and the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities. As an ISE faculty fellow, Dr. Ferreira will lead efforts to develop the sustainable and resilient communities and ecosystems theme. Research in this area addresses urban and peri-urban sustainability challenges, supports development of resilient communities, and ensures the health of ecosystems.
Dr. John Qu – Clean energy, decarbonization, and climate action
Dr. Qu is a professor in the Department of Geography and Geoformation Science and the Director of the Global Environment and Natural Resource Institute. He is also the founding director of the Environmental Science and Technology Center. His current research focus is on the development of integrated early warning and decision-support systems for sustainable water-energy-food-health systems. As an ISE faculty fellow, Dr. Qu will lead efforts to develop the clean energy, decarbonization, and climate action theme. Research in this area aims to mitigate atmospheric carbon emissions and strengthen adaptive capacities to climate threats in both highly industrialized and developing countries. 
Dr. Cher Weixia Chen - Peace, justice, and strong institutions to support thriving economies
Dr. Chen is an associate professor in the School of Integrative Studies, the founder of the Human Rights and Global Justice Initiative, and a Senior Scholar in the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Her research focuses on the human rights of marginalized groups and on the well-being of social justice and human rights activists. As an ISE faculty fellow, Dr. Chen will lead efforts to develop the peace, justice, and strong institutions to support thriving economies theme. Research in this area focuses on fostering just and inclusive societies with strong economies and alleviating challenges – such as violence and crime, violations of civil rights and liberties, and human displacement and mass migration – precipitated on by the lack of strong institutions and justice. 

Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2021


The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2021 (SRI2021) is the world’s first transdisciplinary gathering in sustainability – it will be a space of fierce advocacy for sustainability scholarship, innovation, collaboration and action. The  annual event unites global sustainability leaders, experts, industry and innovators to inspire action and promote a sustainability transformation.

SRI2021 will be a hybrid event, with a diverse and innovative online program alongside onsite participation in Brisbane, Australia. SRI2021 will take place June 12-15, 2021 with activities, networking, training and more both prior and following the event. SRI is a joint initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum. Early-bird registration for SRI2021 is now open.

ISE Faculty Profiles


The ISE faculty directory is a tool for you to find others with complementing expertise and for external and internal audiences to find you! If you haven’t yet submitted your research profile information for the directory, please complete this brief survey.
Upcoming Mason Events

Women Seeking Refuge: Displacement and Protection in 2021


What is the future of US immigration policy in a Biden Administration? And how will it impact displaced women? Join the Schar School's Gender and Policy Center for a discussing on the future of immigration policy and its implications for refugee women.
  • Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020
  • Time: 12:00pm ET
  • Location: Virtual
  • Registration

How data and technology can help address corruption in IUU fishing


The Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) in colloboration with Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) is organizing a virtual panel exploring how data and technology may assist in addressing natural resource corruption, particularly in IUU fishing, where challenges exist like open seas, lack of capacity for inspection, and lack of corporate supply chain enforcement. Experts will examine current technologies that exist and discuss their potential effectiveness in aiding the detection of IUU fishing and its associated corruption.
  • Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020
  • Time: 9:00am - 10:30am ET
  • Location: Virtual
  • Registration

Freedom and Learning Forum


The Schar School's Power Lunch Event series gathers some of the world's top political leaders, journalists, and experts to discuss the prospects for the next four years of US public policy.Black Memorabilia asks the provocative questions: When are objects immoral, and when is it right or wrong to possess them? Does historic value supersede offensiveness?

Each week, influential thinkers address some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and the world. This week's discussion will focus on "immigration policy" featuring Caitlin Dickerson, New York Times; Jeff Flake, former US Senator (R-AZ); Krishanti Vignarajah, LIRS. The event will be moderated by Justin Gest.
  • Date: Friday, December 4, 2020
  • Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm ET
  • Location: Virtual
  • Registration
Funding Opportunities

Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation: Distributed Chemical Manufacturing and Engineering the Elimination of End-of-Life Plastics


This program provides a funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in one of the following two research areas:
  • Distributed Chemical Manufacturing (DCheM
  • Engineering the Elimination of End-of-Life Plastics (E3P)
EFRI seeks proposals with potentially transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge.
  • Funding source: National Science Foundation
  • Anticipated funding amount: $30,000,000
  • Anticipated number of awards: 15
  • DeadlineLetter of intent: December 9, 2020; Preliminary deadline: January 5, 2021; Full proposal: April 19, 2021
  • ContactSohi Rastegar

NEW: Applied Research and Evaluation Innovation Fund: Round 1


The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the U.S. State Depatment announces a Request for Statements of Interest from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest for applied research and evaluation projects that support the following goal to build a portfolio of evidence to further identify democracy and human rights program strategies that are effective in order to improve program relevance and impact.
  • Funding source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
  • Deadline: December 21, 2020
  • Anticipated funding amount: Up tp $450,000
  • ContactSharon D. Beard

NEW: Promoting Health, Safety, and Recovery Training for COVID-19 Essential Workers and their Communities


The purpose of this NIEHS Worker Training Program is to provide support for successful applicants to develop partnerships with local worker centers and community organizations specifically targeting under served and disadvantaged communities with higher than average COVID-19 transmission rates.
  • Funding source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
  • Deadline: December 30, 2020
  • ContactSharon D. Beard

Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks


The goal of this program is to fund convergent research and education that will advance sustainable regional systems science, engineering, and education to facilitate the transformation of current regional systems to enhance sustainability. To further the advancement of sustainable regional Systems science, engineering, and education, NSF will support full scale proposals and planning grant proposals for Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs).
  • Funding source: National Science Foundation
  • Anticipated funding amount: SRS RNs Full Scale Awards (Track 1): $15,000,000; SRS RNs Planning Grants (Track 2): $150,000. 
  • Deadline: January 11, 2021
  • ContactBruce Hamilton

Biology Integration Institutes


The aim of the Biology Integration Institutes program solicitation is to bring researchers together around the common goal of understanding how the processes that sustain life and enable biological innovation operate and interact within and across different scales of organization, from molecules to cells, tissues to organisms, species, ecosystems, biomes and the entire Earth. The Biology Integration Institutes program supports collaborative teams of researchers investigating questions that span multiple disciplines within and beyond biology.
  • Funding source: National Science Foundation
  • Anticipated funding amount: $15,000,000
  • Deadline: January 13, 2021
  • ContactReed Beaman

Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning


The purpose of the program is to fund exploratory and synergistic research in emerging technologies (to include, but not limited to, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and immersive or augmenting technologies) for teaching and learning in the future. The program accepts proposals that focus on learning, teaching, or a combination of both. The scope of the program is broad, with special interest in diverse learner/educator populations, contexts, and content, including teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in foundational areas that enable STEM (e.g., self-regulation, literacy, communication, collaboration, creativity, and socio-emotional skills).
  • Funding source: National Science Foundation
  • Anticipated funding amount: $19,000,000
  • Anticipated number of awards: 20
  • Deadline: January 25, 2021
  • ContactAmy Baylor

NEW: Environmental Convergence Opportunities in Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems


The Environmental Convergence Opportunities in Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems program will support fundamental research activities that confront vexing environmental engineering and sustainability problems by developing foundational knowledge underlying processes and mechanisms such that the design of innovative new materials, processes, and systems is possible. Projects should be compelling and reflect sustained, coordinated efforts from highly interdisciplinary research teams.
  • Funding source: National Science Foundation
  • Estimated Number of Awards: 5 to 6
  • Anticipated funding amount:  $8,500,000
  • DeadlinePreliminary proposal due: February 11, 2021; Full proposal due: May 07, 2021 
  • Contact: Christina Payne

Connected Communities


Connected Community (CC) is a group of grid-interactive efficient buildings GEB with diverse, flexible end use equipment and other distributed energy resources (DERs) that collectively work to maximize building, community, and grid efficiency. Under this FOA, DOE will select a portfolio of “Connected Community” projects totaling up to $65 million in varying climates, geographies, building types, building vintages, DERs utility/grid/regulatory structures and resource bases. Through funding these projects, DOE hopes to find and share technical and market solutions that will increase demand flexibility and energy efficiency.
  • Funding source: Department of Energy
  • Anticipated funding amount: $19,000,000
  • Deadline: Full application is due March 3, 2021
  • Contact

Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences


This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement (NRA), Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) – 2020, solicits basic and applied research in support of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). ROSES is an omnibus NRA, with many individual program elements, each with its own due dates and topics. All together these cover the wide range of basic and applied research and technology in space and Earth sciences supported by SMD.
  • Funding source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Anticipated funding amount: Program will fund ~1250 proposals totalling ~$600 million over the lifetime of the awards
  • Deadline: April 14, 2021
  • ContactMax Bernstein
Congratulations!
Funding Announcements, Awards & Accomplishments
Global Population Trends Project
PI: Jack Goldstone, Schar School of Policy & Government
Funding source: George Mason Univ Foundation
Interactive Monitoring of IoT Devices, Phase II
PI: Robert Simon, Volgenau School of Engineering
Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense
Genes, physiology, and reproductive fitness in high altitude environments Managing Division
PI
: Jiayang Sun, Volgenau School of Engineering
Funding source: National Science Foundation
Genes, physiology, and reproductive fitness in high altitude environments Managing Division
PI
: Jiayang Sun, Volgenau School of Engineering
Funding source: National Science Foundation
COVID-19 Training Modules
PI
: Rebecca Sutter, College of Health & Human Services
Co-PI: Pamela Fine, College of Health and Human Services
Funding source: Virginia Department of Education
Creating a Roadmap for Reskilling Displaced Leisure, Hospitality and Gig Workers for Technology Employment in a Post-COVID-19 Economy
PI
: Terry Clower, Schar School of Policy & Government
Funding source: Virginia Department of Education

Student Opportunities

NEW: People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition


EPA's P3 - People, Prosperity and the Planet – Program is a unique competition that is open to teams of university students working to design solutions for a sustainable future. P3 offers students hands-on experience that brings their classroom learning to life, while also allowing them to create tangible changes in their communities.
This annual, two-phased research grants program challenges students to research, develop, and design innovative projects that address real world challenges involving all areas of environmental protection and public health. Phase I serves as a “proof of concept,” where teams are awarded a one-year grant of up to $25,000 to develop their idea and showcase their research in the spring at EPA's National Student Design Expo. These teams are then eligible to compete for a Phase II grant of up to $100,000 to implement their design in a real world setting.

Other Upcoming Events

Generation Chemical: How Environmental Exposures are Affecting Reproductive Health and Development


The Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) presents a discussion with top scientists and experts on the impact of environmental exposures and toxics on reproductive health, pregnancy, and development. This seven-part webinar series will run from October 29, 2020- Spring 2021.
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 provides up-to-date information on conferences, funding opportunities, and research pertaining to environmental science and sustainability. The biweekly newsletter aims to facilitate information sharing among researchers, practitioners, and relevant local, national, and international organization.
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