From Staff Reports

UNC Asheville recently was awarded a $457,020 grant from the National Science Foundation to implement undergraduate research experiences unique to “Climate City” with worldwide impact. 

The interdisciplinary project will span three years, with up to 30 undergraduate scholars awarded funding.  

“Rapid changes in the earth’s climate are creating significant impacts in a number of different areas, including animal and plant life, oceans and rivers, human health, and the economy,” Atmospheric Sciences Professor and Chair Christopher Hennon, who is a co-principal investigator for the grant, said.

“This project pairs undergraduate students interested in these problems with a professional mentor for a 10-week focused research experience.  We particularly encourage participation for underrepresented students who traditionally do not have the opportunity to bring their research ideas into reality and work with leading scientists.”

The program began in September 2020 and the first cohort of up to 10 students will convene at UNCA in summer 2021 to work on a 10-week project. Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply by Febr. 15, 2021 at https://reu.unca.edu/. 

Students will choose from a set of topics that include: detecting climate change signals in data, investigating impacts on high elevation plants in the southern Appalachians, understanding and communicating science, classifying changes in urban greenspace, and societal impacts of climate change. 

At the end of their research experience, students present their findings at a program symposium and then at a national undergraduate research conference the following year. The goal of the project is to provide students with the knowledge, tools and network of climate professionals that will increase student understanding of the climate system and provide them with a solid foundation to continue their research after the end of the experience.  

Each student will work closely with an expert mentor from UNCA’s departments of Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Environmental Studies, and Education, in partnership with UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center and community climate organizations such as NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information , CASE Consultants International, and the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. Assistant Professor of Biology Rebecca Helm serves as co-principal investigator for the grant.