On January 31, 2014, the University of Maryland's Council on the Environment awarded the following seed grants to:

• Klaus Hubacek and Laixiang Sun, from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS), to develop an interdisciplinary research effort to understand how climate change — in particular droughts, floods, storms, and sea level rise — can affect Maryland over the next several decades under three different Land Use Land Cover Change scenarios. These two faculty members, along with Kuishuang Feng, from the Department of Geographical Sciences form one part of a three college effort along with Eugenia Kalnay, Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm and Safa Motesharrei from the College of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Elisabeth Gilmore from the School of Public Policy.
   
• Evan Ellicott and Christopher Justice, also from the BSOS Department of Geographical Sciences, to develop an interdisciplinary research effort to quantify wildfire pollutant and aerosol emissions using simulations, data assimilation and satellite observation.  Professors Ellicott and Justice form one part of a three college effort along with Michael Gollner and Arnaud Trouve from the School of Engineering and Kayo Ide from the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

The goal of each of these seed grants is to encourage collaboration and investigation into relevant, specific research topics.  These two-year projects are expected to produce sufficient preliminary results so that within 12 months after expiration of the award, a proposal for significant external funding (e.g. NSF) can and will be submitted.  For further information, please click here.

Congratulations to all!