Virginia Climate Center

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

lclarkg — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:27:20 +0000

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability lclarkg Tue, 09/22/2026 - 10:27

911�� has earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability, becoming one of the first 14 institutions to receive the new classification for integrating sustainability across the curriculum, research, operations, career preparation, and community engagement.

911�� is the only institution in Virginia and the only public R1 university on the East Coast to earn the classification. 911�� is also one of three Carnegie Opportunity Colleges in the inaugural group of 10 public and 4 four private universities, which represent 10 states and one U.S. territory.

“This certification is an acknowledgment of 911��’s leadership and thoughtful integration of sustainability across our academic, research, and operational enterprises,” said Julie Zobel, senior vice president and chief operating officer. “Our holistic approach supports the scholarship, research, and career pathways that prepare our students to tackle the global challenges that will shape tomorrow.”

911�� participated in the 2025 pilot program, which brought together diverse higher education institutions in a national community of practice to test and shape the classification framework, application, and review criteria. Tom Wood, associate professor of integrative and interdisciplinary studies, led a small team of staff from University Sustainability in completing a rigorous self-study process. The team also helped Carnegie develop critical assessment tools and served as team leaders in the review of other pilot institutions’ applications.

Students and alumni collect on-the-water samples from Gunston Cove for the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability is now hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder, working alongside the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. The 911�� team continues to offer support to both entities in an advisory capacity and by reviewing new applications.

“Sustainability has long been an important interdisciplinary endeavor at 911��,” said Janette Muir, vice provost for academic affairs. “This recognition acknowledges the deep commitment of faculty and staff across the university as they contribute their expertise and diverse perspectives, creating opportunities for students to explore complex challenges and develop solutions. That breadth of engagement is one of the significant ways 911�� stands out as an institution.”

Presidents Park Greenhouse on the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The university hosts standout programs and research centers like the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE), Virginia Climate Center, Center for Climate Change Communication, and the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, among others.

“These centers and institutes drive research related to solving the grand challenge of creating a sustainable future, serving communities locally, nationally, and worldwide,” said Wood, who serves on the National Advisory Committee for the Carnegie Foundation Sustainability Classification.

911�� continues to improve operational performance through built environment exemplars like Fuse at Mason Square, the university’s first LEED Platinum-certified building. The university also sees its campuses as Living Labs, encouraging students to test sustainability solutions directly on site.

Student research projects have resulted in key sustainable campus improvements including solar installations, enhancements to the Greenhouse and Gardens, green roofs, stormwater restoration projects, and native plant forests and pollinator habitats. Many of these improvements were made possible by grant programs like the Patriot Green Fund and ISE’s Living Labs grants.

The Patriot Packout's free store redistributes items that might otherwise end up in a landfill after students move out from their residence halls. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

911�� prepares its students to apply sustainable concepts through 17 sustainability-related degree programs, as well as more than 100 sustainability-focused or sustainability-inclusive courses, known as Green Leaf courses within the Mason Core curriculum. More academic opportunities are available through sustainability-focused study abroad programs, Residential Learning Communities, and semester-away courses at SMSC.

“Students who want to learn more about sustainability and pursue careers in related fields have many options and pathways to do so at 911��, including at Mason Korea,” said Muir.

With support from campus stakeholders, student engagement drives the creation and continuation of sustainability initiatives on campus. Student volunteers support University Sustainability’s Greenhouse and Gardens and Patriot Packout programs and further influence sustainability on campus through capstone projects, internships, and fellowships.

Sustainability-focused student organizations like 911��’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network collaborate with Mason Dining staff to sort, package, and deliver food to local community and campus partners like the Patriot Pantry.

“One of the most inspiring aspects of sustainability at 911�� is our campus community’s willingness to work collaboratively to improve outcomes,” said Amber Saxton, sustainability program manager in University Sustainability. “Partnerships and working groups like the one we formed to achieve this classification continue to be the key to developing campus-wide systems to address critical needs, institutionalizing change, funding innovative projects, and making sustainability an essential part of campus life.”

Solar panels at the campus greenhouse. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

This year, one such collaborative working group applied for and received a grant of more than $1 million from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to support improved food waste prevention, food rescue, and composting programs on campus.

Through such efforts, 911�� has earned four consecutive Gold ratings in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) Assessment. STARS is a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their comprehensive sustainability performance and is offered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

As a pilot institution for the Carnegie Classification for Sustainability, 911�� is once again leading the way.

“The first group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “We’re proud to recognize their leadership and the many ways they are advancing sustainability across their campuses and communities.”

911�� will retain the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability for six years, through 2033.

Explore our work in climate resiliency through the Grand Challenge Initiative

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Janette Muir, PhD

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities

ckearney — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:32:10 +0000

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities ckearney Tue, 07/21/2026 - 16:32

What difference does a tree make? That’s what 911�� researcher Luis Ortiz wanted to find out—before it was planted. Cities increasingly experience extreme heat that poses danger to anyone outside. The urban environment, even on a very small scale, can either help alleviate the problem or make it vastly worse.

Professor Luis Ortiz with his Micrometeorological Modeling class. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We teach students the fundamentals of how the broader weather interacts with very, very local aspects of the built environment,” said Ortiz, who teaches in 911��’s J. Shukla Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences. “By very, very local, I mean, what happens if I put a certain tree in one location, or if I apply a coating to a building’s surface to reflect the sun.”

Ortiz’s course, CLIM 759 Micrometeorological Modeling for Local Climate Action, targets “hyperlocal” community needs. It’s a way of taking research out of the lab and into the real world where it can have immediate impact. Ortiz and other professors—in collaboration with 911��’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth—piloted a model to create classes that work almost like nonprofit start-ups with municipalities and neighborhood groups as clients.

“We are meeting communities where they are and figuring out what their needs are related to weather hazards on heat, flooding, and air pollution. This is all based on the extensive community engagement that we've been doing with the Virginia Climate Center,” said Ortiz, who is the codirector of the VCC.

This is the second year that Ortiz is offering the graduate-level class, which is open to every major. The students work individually with community groups to study their needs and model the outcomes of various interventions. Last year, students worked with South Side ReLeaf in Richmond to model extreme heat zones around schools and shopping centers. This year, they ran individual projects with the cities of Fairfax, Alexandria, and Arlington, as well as Groundwork USA. These stakeholders were all invited to a day of final presentations at the end of the semester.

“The students are learning urban microclimate physics, as well as the software and models needed to understand them and answer real-world questions,” said Ortiz.

The course is truly interdisciplinary, attracting students majoring in fields from across the university, including GIS, civil engineering, mathematics, and fluid dynamics. They use social science methods to determine the communities’ needs.

Ivy Stempkovski, a climate dynamics PhD student who helped develop the course and is now taking it, created models to evaluate how public water features, such as splash parks, help kids cool down.

“My peers are thinking of things that never would have crossed my radar,” said Stempkovski. “That’s important because the whole goal is to make sure that we're maximizing impact for our community partner and the community themselves. If it weren't for the different perspectives, I think we could risk falling short. For instance, the engineers take a more practical perspective, and the GIS students know more about zoning laws.”

Gavin Middleton, a PhD student in earth and geoinformation sciences, took the course in its first year. His models revealed startling facts about how a lack of green spaces increased citizens’ susceptibility to heat stroke.

“The area I was looking at was an elementary school,” said Middleton. “This school was right next to a six-lane road that had no trees. We found that if kids were walking down that road in the middle of the summer heat, there was about a 5 percent chance that you got a heat stroke on any one kid.”

Other projects showed high risks of heat stroke and asthma attacks around unshaded shopping complexes with large parking lots, as well as bus stops where people would have to wait for long periods with no relief.

“I would say that it was a very important experience to actually get to know the people that my science affected,” said Middleton. “It's definitely not something you see at every university.”

Ortiz built the course as part of his work at the VCC and based it on the lean start-up model for businesses.

"Our students are both learning state-of-the-art modeling techniques and using them to answer important questions for stakeholders in the commonwealth and beyond,” he said. “With this model, students work on real-world problems, and our partners get access to science-backed data and insights to help them build stronger, more resilient communities.”

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

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911�� authorized to host State Climate Office

ckearney — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:40:01 +0000

911�� authorized to host State Climate Office ckearney Wed, 07/08/2026 - 15:40

911�� is authorized to host the Virginia State Climate Office, thanks to a provision in the new state budget effective July 1, 2026. The office is charged with developing and delivering data, analyses, assessments, and expertise about Virginia’s weather- and climate-related impacts, risks, and risk management options to state and local government agencies, businesses, and communities across the commonwealth. The office will also represent Virginia in national meteorological, climatological, and hydrological associations, strengthening federal partnerships and interstate collaboration on real-time weather and environmental challenges.

James Kinter. Photo provided

911�� is home to one of the largest communities of faculty in the country who are dedicated to climate research. The new office will be anchored in the university’s Virginia Climate Center (VCC), based in the College of Science and directed by James Kinter, professor of climate dynamics, who also leads the university's Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies.

“Every Virginian deserves access to reliable, localized climate information, whether they’re a farmer on the Eastern Shore, an emergency manager in Southwest Virginia, or a family deciding where to buy a home. The State Climate Office makes that possible,” said Kinter. “911�� is the ideal home for this work. We’ve spent the past three years building the scientific capacity, the community partnerships, and the trust across the commonwealth that a state climate office needs from day one.”

VCC launched in 2023 with funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a congressionally directed project championed by the late U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly. Since then, the center has built exactly the kind of university-based, community-engaged model a state climate office requires with scientists, municipalities, and business leaders working together on practical solutions.

In November 2025, VCC delivered the inaugural Virginia Climate Assessment, the commonwealth's first comprehensive, peer-reviewed evaluation of how changing climate conditions affect Virginia and its people. The assessment, which organized findings across six climate divisions from Tidewater to the Southwestern Mountains, called directly for the creation of a state climate office. Less than a year later, the General Assembly answered.

“Virginia was one of only two states in the nation without an operational state climate office. That gap left localities, farmers, and businesses without a central, no-cost source of climate information that most other states take for granted,” said Delegate David Reid of Loudoun County, who sponsored the budget amendment in the House establishing the State Climate Office at 911��. “Hosting this office at 911�� puts proven scientists to work for every corner of the commonwealth, and we are committed to collaborating to ensure improved strategic planning, data collection and analysis, and avoided losses.”

Graduate students in CEIE 445/645 Flood Hazard Engineering and Adaptation course develop flood risk maps and conduct analyses to help real clients in local communities improve their flood resilience. Photo provided

The Virginia Climate Assessment identified three hazards of particular concern for the commonwealth this century: extreme heat and rising temperatures, which threaten public health, labor productivity, and agriculture; extreme precipitation and shifting seasons, with wetter falls and springs increasing flood risks while drier summers heighten drought and wildfire danger; and accelerated sea level rise, compounded by land subsidence, which puts Tidewater communities and coastal infrastructure at growing risk.

“The office will ensure that Virginia has a seat at the national table to collaborate with groups like American Association of State Climatologists and play a vital role working with localities to ensure a brighter future for the next generation of families across the commonwealth and the nation,” added Senator Stella Pekarsky, a 911�� alumna who shepherded the budget amendment.

VCC already partners with localities across the commonwealth, and the State Climate Office will extend that reach. Current projects include flood modeling for the City of Fairfax, urban flood resilience work in Arlington County, nature-based flood protection in Belle Haven on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, climate planning in the West Piedmont region, and a Northern Virginia heat data collection campaign launching this summer. 911�� student engineers are also supporting flood hazard mitigation projects, gaining hands-on experience while serving Virginia communities.

“Weather patterns impact key sectors of the Virginia economy,” said Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at 911��’s Schar School of Policy and Government. “Consistent, dependable, and localized weather data will give Virginia farmers, businesses, and government entities the ability to better compete and succeed.”

The university’s strength in climate resilience is part of 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative, which draws on expertise across the university, including the Institute for a Sustainable Earth; the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences; the Center for Climate Change Communication in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; and the Schar School's Center for Regional Analysis.

“Building a climate-resilient society is one of six research priorities in 911��’s Grand Challenge Initiative, and it’s one where our faculty are collaborating across colleges to deliver solutions communities can actually use,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “The State Climate Office turns that research strength into a public service for all Virginians. This is what a public R1 university is for.”

For more information, visit gmu.edu/grandchallenge or vaclimate.gmu.edu.

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911��'s Virginia Climate Center releases first-ever statewide climate assessment

ckearney — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:33:34 +0000

911��'s Virginia Climate Center releases first-ever statewide climate assessment ckearney Wed, 11/19/2025 - 15:33

911��’s Virginia Climate Center (VCC) has unveiled the commonwealth’s first comprehensive, peer-reviewed climate assessment—a landmark report that provides science-based insights into Virginia’s changing climate and its impacts on communities, infrastructure, and the economy.

The First Virginia State Climate Assessment (VCA) synthesizes decades of research into a single, accessible resource for policymakers, businesses, educators, and the public. Developed by a multidisciplinary team across the commonwealth and the region, this report establishes a critical baseline for understanding how past, present, and future climate conditions will shape life in Virginia.

“This groundbreaking statewide assessment gives us what we've never had before: comprehensive, science-based evidence of the risks we face and the information we need to protect our communities, economy, and natural heritage for generations to come,” said Jim Kinter, VCC director and coordinating author of the assessment.

“The Virginia Climate Center brought together the commonwealth's leading scientists and experts to tackle one of the defining challenges of our time. This assessment represents unprecedented collaboration across disciplines and institutions—because a problem this complex demands our best minds working together to deliver rigorous, actionable science that serves all Virginians.”

Why Virginia Needs a State-Level Climate Assessment

While national and global climate reports provide broad trends, they cannot capture Virginia’s unique vulnerabilities. The commonwealth’s geographic diversity—from coastal plains to mountainous terrain—combined with rapid population growth and economic expansion creates region-specific risks that require localized solutions.

The VCA addresses these needs by organizing findings across six climate divisions: Tidewater, Eastern Piedmont, Western Piedmont, Southwestern Mountain, Central Mountain, and Northern Virginia. Each VCA chapter includes key messages and traceable accounts, offering clear, actionable insights backed by scientific evidence and confidence assessments.

“Global reports are essential for understanding broad climate trends, but they do not capture how those trends manifest at regional—or local—scales,” said Viviana Maggioni, chapter lead author and professor in 911��’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. “Virginia’s wide variation in topography, precipitation regimes, and land-use creates highly localized climate risks. A state climate assessment accounts for such variability and provides insights needed for effective decision-making.”

Three Critical Climate Hazards for Virginia

The report identifies three primary hazards of particular concern for Virginia in the 21st century:

Extreme Heat and Rising Temperatures
Increasing temperatures and more frequent heatwaves pose significant health risks, disrupt labor productivity, and stress agricultural systems.
Extreme Precipitation and Shifting Seasons
Wetter falls and springs increase flood risks, while drier summers and winters heighten drought and wildfire danger. These changes threaten infrastructure and can lead to power grid disruptions and economic losses.
Accelerated Sea Level Rise
Virginia is experiencing faster-than-average sea level rise, compounded by land subsidence and erosion. Coastal flooding and infrastructure damage are growing concerns for Tidewater and other low-lying regions.

“Climate change is already affecting Virginia—from our coastlines to our mountains,” said Kinter. “This assessment empowers every Virginian, from local planners to business leaders to families, with the knowledge to make informed decisions. And as we continue to update and expand this work, we're building a lasting framework for protecting Virginia's future.”

Implications for Virginia’s Economy and Communities

The report underscores the urgent need for integrating climate projections into infrastructure design, land-use planning, and policy development. From transportation networks to energy systems, Virginia’s critical infrastructure must be resilient to evolving climate conditions.

“Weather patterns impact key sectors of the Virginia economy,” said Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at 911��’s Schar School of Policy and Government. “Having data that shows changing patterns of rainfall and temperature is essential for industry leaders—from small-hold farmers to those managing billions in international commerce. This landmark achievement will hopefully spark awareness that consistent, dependable, and localized weather data will give Virginia farmers, businesses, and government entities the ability to better compete and succeed.”

The assessment is dedicated to the late Representative Gerry Connolly, whose visionary leadership made it possible. “He understood that investing in climate science isn't partisan—it's pragmatic,” Kinter said. “His commitment to evidence-based solutions and his unwavering support for the Virginia Climate Center helped make this critical work a reality, and his legacy will benefit Virginians for years to come.”

According to Michael Allen, associate professor of climatology at Towson University and contributing author, “The climate challenges outlined in this report transcend geopolitical borders and disciplinary silos. From the hollers of western Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore, the assessment meets the needs of the commonwealth—but it also fills a void for the nation, drawing attention to the science of climate change and the vast impacts it has on communities, our economy, and our well-being.”

Looking Ahead: Future Assessments and the Grand Challenge Initiative

This inaugural report is the first in a planned series of VCC-led assessments that will incorporate finer-scale geographic detail, expand coverage of climate impacts across sectors, and evaluate adaptation effectiveness over time. Future editions will integrate stakeholder input to ensure relevance and applicability.

The VCA also highlights the urgent need for a Virginia State Climate Office, a centralized resource for climate services, data collection, and expert assessment. “This role is typically filled by a state climate office that provides accessible, no-cost climate information essential to a state’s most vital sectors,” Kinter explained. “However, Virginia is one of only two states in the U.S. currently without a functioning state climate office.”

Marking an important new chapter in the history of research and scholarship at 911��, this effort is part of the university’s Grand Challenge Initiative, which aims to address the greatest threats to humanity’s ability to live a peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and just existence. Through multidisciplinary research strengths in education, public health, space exploration, climate resilience, cybersecurity and digital innovation, and peace and democracy, the initiative aligns talent, infrastructure, resources, and partnerships with new ideas to deliver real-world solutions and prepare the next generation of changemakers.

For more information or to request interviews with experts, contact  VAclim@gmu.edu or tmason11@gmu.edu.

Explore 911��’s Grand Challenge Initiative addressing the greatest threats to humanity’s ability to live a peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and just existence.

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A $6 million NSF grant will translate research into practice to help local communities become climate-resilient

ckearney — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 18:50:38 +0000

A $6 million NSF grant will translate research into practice to help local communities become climate-resilient ckearney Tue, 01/23/2024 - 13:50

911�� scientists and partners will leverage their climate expertise and the university’s resources into broader societal implications, thanks to a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that is going to translate research into practice to support the creation of climate-resilient communities across Virginia.

Mason researcher Celso Ferreira (far right) and President Gregory Washington take Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger on a tour of Mason's Flood Hazards Research Lab. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The funding from the NSF’s Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program will allow Mason to expand its capabilities and capacity for translating research into real-world practical applications, with the creation of programming that will allow Mason faculty to serve communities across the commonwealth—especially within the state’s underserved regions—by co-producing science-based solutions that help them increase their resilience to climate change.

The four-year cooperative agreement, “ART: Translating Research to Practice to Create Climate-Ready Communities Across Virginia,” begins Feb. 1, and will allow Mason faculty and their nonprofit partner, the Center for Climate Strategies, to work with local municipal governments and community partners to produce science-based solutions that will create sustainable, community resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The project proposes two initial seed translational research projects, focusing on the co-production of solutions to mitigate flood hazards and reduce the impacts of urban heat on frontline communities. The latter comes on the heels of the world’s warmest year on record in 2023. Faculty will have the opportunity to propose additional translational research projects that address other climate impacts and response capabilities needed by Virginia communities to become climate-ready.

Mason’s Jeremy Campbell leads a discussion on local resiliency planning with staff from the Northern Virginia Regional Commission at a workshop held by the Virginia Climate Center in March 2023. Photo by VCC

“This really gives universities a chance to have an impact,” said Leah Nichols, the project’s principal investigator and the executive director of Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth. “I think it’s going to help us start to institutionalize things that until now had been one-offs.”

Mason was one of 18 schools to have been awarded an ART cooperative agreement. The NSF overall investment of more than $100 million will enable academic institutions to accelerate the pace and scale of translational research that will grow the nation's economy.

“NSF endeavors to empower academic institutions to build the pathways and structures needed to speed and scale their research into products and services that benefit the nation,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “The [ART program] identifies and champions institutions positioned to expand their research translation capacity by investing in activities essential to move results to practice.”

Mason’s ART program leverages the model already created by the Virginia Climate Center (VCC)—which was initially established by a $2 million Community Project grant sponsored by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) – since its inception in 2022 for the necessary engagement infrastructure. That includes targeted outreach to individual community leaders and other key influencers in the hopes of creating the kind of collaborative relationships necessary to figure out what each community’s specific needs are.

Other co-PIs on the Mason project include Jim Kinter, a professor in the Climate Dynamics PhD Program and the director of both Mason’s Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies within the College of Science and the Virginia Climate Center; Celso Ferreira, an associate professor within Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing and the director of the Flood Hazards Research Lab; Luis Ortiz, an assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences within the College of Science; and Tom Peterson, the CEO of the Center for Climate Strategies. Other entities involved include MN Associates Inc., which will monitor’s the program’s implementation and progress, and the University of Kentucky, which is serving as the project’s mentoring institution. Pairing awardees with mentor institutions that have an established translational research ecosystem is one of the unique features of the ART program.

Current research that can be brought to bear on local community concerns includes, but is not limited to risk and vulnerability assessment, the development and deployment of new adaptive capacities through modeling, simulating, predicting and projecting climate variability and change, including downscaled global observational and modeling data sets, and the development of solutions to close vulnerability gaps by assessing needs for action and designing and evaluating new measures for local implementation.

Other aims include supporting faculty who wish to be involved and the creation of specific academic programming, such as specialized courses on key climate issues, a new climate action minor, and a graduate certificate program, for future workforce development.

“One very troubling aspect of the effects of climate change is that it has the biggest impact on underserved people and communities that are least able to address the issue,” Kinter said. “Mason, being the largest public university in Virginia, owes it to the residents of the commonwealth to understand the risks it faces and create innovative solutions to increase community resilience.”

Virginia bore the brunt of nine climate disasters in 2018 and 2019 alone, resulting in $1.6 billion of negative economic impact, according to the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

Increasing community resilience to the effects of climate change is expected to help mitigate the impact and substantially reduce costs associated with damage from progressive climate change, extreme weather events, and other climate-driven effects, the researchers said.

“We’re really trying to understand what it is that [local communities] need from a scientific, technical, or research point of view through the lens of what is it that a university can provide,” Nichols said. “And once the climate-focused ART programs become well-established, we hope to extend this model to support the translation of research into practice in other sustainability domains as well.”

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Mason’s Virginia Climate Center delivers vital research knowledge and resources for Mason and the commonwealth

ckearney — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 18:50:56 +0000

Mason’s Virginia Climate Center delivers vital research knowledge and resources for Mason and the commonwealth ckearney Thu, 10/12/2023 - 14:50

The new Virginia Climate Center (VCC) at 911�� is leading research on tackling climate-related challenges, such as energy, vector-borne illnesses, and extreme weather and flooding in Northern Virginia and throughout the commonwealth. Funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and sponsored by U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA), this two-year, congressionally directed community project seeks to increase Virginia’s resiliency to the impacts of climate changes and variability.

Mason researcher Jim Kinter presenting at the Resilient Virginia Conference. Photo by Sophia Whitaker/VCC

“We have high hopes that the Virginia Climate Center will become the go-to resource for communities in the commonwealth to understand their climate risks and find more resilient ways to protect themselves from threats to human health, life, livelihood, and property,” said Jim Kinter, a VCC principal investigator and director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA), a research center within Mason’s College of Science.

“Mason’s VCC has a powerful vision for resilient communities that is catalyzed by the university, advanced through partnerships, and powered by community engagement,” said Andre Marshall, vice president of research, innovation, and economic impact. “This boundary-spanning center is bringing together academic disciplines, municipalities, and the business community to form a new university-based cooperative framework that not only addresses the challenge of resilience, but also establishes a community-engaged model for universities to tackle the grand challenges of our time.”

One of VCC’s current projects is with the City of Alexandria staff to address extreme heat in the region through case studies and data collection of successful adaptation strategies in urban settings, such as cooling centers. Mason experts leading these tasks are Luis Ortiz, Marybeth “MB” Mitcham, Ed Maibach, and Dan Vecellio.

“[This project] will provide my students with the opportunity to explore and contribute to real-time work, as part of exploring public health community assessment and partnership strategies,” said Mitcham, director of Mason’s online master of public health (MPH) program and assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. “Ultimately, our MPH students will help to improve the quality of life of local community members and help promote an awareness of the relationship between climate change and adverse health outcomes.”

The VCC is also working closely with Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) to support the installation of flood sensors and the development of a real-time flood forecasting system for the region. Flooding and extreme weather have devastating impacts on our communities and Virginia’s infrastructure and economy. Studies by Mason researchers predict more intense and stronger storms in our region, stressing our infrastructure and likely increasing the impacts of extreme weather in our area.

P Ruess, a postdoctoral research fellow on the VCC team, is investigating the relationship of road closures and water rescues. “I am excited to work closely with stakeholders in an advisory relationship reliant on direct and intentional stakeholder involvement,” Ruess said.

"My work on the NVRC project holds the potential to greatly benefit our region, the Northern Virginia community, and my own education,” said Zeeshan Khalid, a master’s student in data analytics engineering. “By proactively identifying and addressing road closures during flash floods, we aim to minimize disruption, reduce property losses, and enhance community safety. This project underscores Mason's commitment to contributing positively to the well-being of our community.”

Looking ahead, the VCC will remain in its partnerships with municipalities in Northern Virginia, including the NVRC, City of Fairfax, and Fairfax County, and will continue to work with them to address climate risks and codevelop adaptation solutions.

With the aid of funding from Mason’s Strategic Investment Fund, the VCC team in collaboration with Mason’s Local Climate Action Planning Initiative and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth, is expanding beyond Northern Virginia to aid Virginia’s rural communities in their climate resiliency and, now also, mitigation planning.

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Engineering with nature: Exploring Mason's contribution to water conservation

sbrown79 — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:17:13 +0000

Engineering with nature: Exploring Mason's contribution to water conservation sbrown79 Tue, 08/01/2023 - 10:17

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Celso Ferreira

Jennifer Sklarew

Many people at 911�� do not realize that Mason Pond is actually there for stormwater management.

That bit of news was delivered by Mason researcher Jennifer Sklarew during her talk at the recent Head Above the Water event in Washington, D.C.

Planned by Mason Exhibitions in the School of Art, with collaborators including the DC Department of Energy and Environment, City as Living Laboratory, local artists, and guest speakers, Head Above the Water included a walk along D.C.’s Watts Branch and Oxon Run streams to raise awareness about flooding in those neighborhoods and the flood mitigation programs available to residents.

Stream Restoration project by Facilities runs from Patriot Circle/Aquia Creek Lane to Mason Pond. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

Mason is deeply committed to pioneering processes that can answer the grand challenges of water, its responsible management, and sustainability. In fact, the university’s interdisciplinary approach and cutting-edge research as part of its strategic direction, has turned Mason’s campuses into a Living Lab.

Take what Sklarew, an assistant professor in Mason’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy, said about Mason Pond.

“The stormwater channels that look like streams are components of the actual stormwater system,” she said. “The pipes outflow into those streams, and then everything goes into the pond.”

But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what Mason is doing and accomplishing when it comes to handling water resources on its campuses, using research and technologies that can be applied beyond to the broader community.

At Mason Square, Mason Innovation Partners encountered a serious infrastructure issue that posed a frequent stormwater challenge for the surrounding area of the new Fuse at Mason Square in the heart of Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Replacing the culvert required precise coordination with the future building foundation design and intricate sequencing to control the constant flow of stormwater as it was diverted from the old culvert pipes to a new 12 feet wide, 6 feet high box culvert.

Facilities also has an extensive list of mitigation protocols it applies to remove pollutants and control storm runoff flow rates, including Illicit discharge detection and elimination, and construction site runoff control.

Mason’s stormwater system is monitored by Facilities, which can prohibit projects that might interfere with the system. The university recently completed a stream restoration project on the Fairfax Campus that not only improved the flow of the waterways but added asphalt sidewalks and some lighting so the campus community can enjoy the paths.

Stream Restoration project by Facilities runs from Patriot Circle/Aquia Creek Lane to Mason Pond. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

Also on the Fairfax Campus, the irrigation system has sensors that register rainfall to control landscape watering. The irrigation system on the Science and Technology Campus evaluates local weather data. Additionally, the campus strives to create more vegetated regions, with green roofs, vegetated gardens and swales. There are also plans to design additional dry and wet retention ponds to reduce stormwater runoff and pollution in our waterways.

Celso Ferreira, an associate professor in Mason’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, calls the approach engineering with nature—taking advantage of what nature already provides and using it efficiently in engineering.

“How can we use nature in a way that benefits society for flood protection other than being detrimental to causing more floods,” said Ferreira, who also heads Mason’s Flood Hazards Research Lab, a collaboration between multiple Mason colleges and the university’s Institute for Sustainable Earth. “We’re trying to investigate natural features that can help us in engineering design that we can use to smartly prevent flooding.”

Ferreira also co-directs the Virginia Climate Center, which works with local communities across the commonwealth to support climate resilience, action, and planning for communities. Ferreira said he tries to bring those concepts into the classroom “to make sure that the future engineering workforce that we’re graduating design and implement infrastructure in a way that they’re mindful of natural processes. Then we can use them smartly to prevent flooding.”

For Sklarew, the Head Above the Water event was a natural extension of the outreach work she does as a Mason faculty member.

Participants during the Head Above the Water walk in D.C. Photo by Shayla Brown/Office of University Branding

“I go into rural communities and talk with them about what they think their challenges are for food, energy, water, and climate, and how to develop solutions that emerge from within the community rather than outside the community,” said Sklarew, who connects her research with environmental justice. “The walk on Oxon Run and Watts Branch is a great example of something like that.”

Topics

Sustainability

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

civil engineering; stormwater infrastructure; climate variability

Fuse at Mason Square

Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

Virginia Climate Center

Mason Exhibitions

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

Science Series highlights the work of Mason’s Virginia Climate Center

ckearney — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:21:12 +0000

Science Series highlights the work of Mason’s Virginia Climate Center ckearney Mon, 07/10/2023 - 13:21

On June 28, 911�� College of Science Dean Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, and James Kinter, director of Mason’s Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, discussed how the Virginia Climate Center is helping communities increase resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The event, held at the Country Club of Fairfax, was part of the college’s Mason Science Series.

The center was established in 2022 with funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made possible by Rep. Connolly's efforts.

A pilot project will establish the center in partnership with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, City of Fairfax, County of Fairfax, and other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia. The center will co-produce assessments and planning solutions with Virginia municipalities and firms to adopt risk prevention and mitigation strategies for wise resource management and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Topics

College of Science

Campus News

Virginia Climate Center

Picture This

State Government Relations

Virginia Climate Center

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

Read More Like This

Topics

In This Story

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities

Related Stories

Topics

911�� authorized to host State Climate Office

Related Stories

Topics

911��'s Virginia Climate Center releases first-ever statewide climate assessment

Why Virginia Needs a State-Level Climate Assessment

Three Critical Climate Hazards for Virginia

Implications for Virginia’s Economy and Communities

Looking Ahead: Future Assessments and the Grand Challenge Initiative

Related Stories

A $6 million NSF grant will translate research into practice to help local communities become climate-resilient

In This Story

Related News

Mason’s Virginia Climate Center delivers vital research knowledge and resources for Mason and the commonwealth

In this Story

Related News

Engineering with nature: Exploring Mason's contribution to water conservation

In This Story

Topics

Science Series highlights the work of Mason’s Virginia Climate Center

Topics

Virginia Climate Center

911���� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

Read More Like This

Topics

In This Story

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities

Related Stories

Topics

911���� authorized to host State Climate Office

Related Stories

Topics

911����'s Virginia Climate Center releases first-ever statewide climate assessment

Why Virginia Needs a State-Level Climate Assessment

Three Critical Climate Hazards for Virginia

Implications for Virginia’s Economy and Communities

Looking Ahead: Future Assessments and the Grand Challenge Initiative

Related Stories

A $6 million NSF grant will translate research into practice to help local communities become climate-resilient

In This Story

Related News

Mason’s Virginia Climate Center delivers vital research knowledge and resources for Mason and the commonwealth

In this Story

Related News

Engineering with nature: Exploring Mason's contribution to water conservation

In This Story

Topics

Science Series highlights the work of Mason’s Virginia Climate Center

Topics

911�� earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

911�� authorized to host State Climate Office

911��'s Virginia Climate Center releases first-ever statewide climate assessment