SETx-UIFL Annual reports and Newsletters
News & Insights
Here are some exciting updates and upcoming events from SETx-UIFL.
2024 Urban Integrated Field Laboratory Principal Investigators Meeting
By Dr. Maestre
As climate change continues to pose significant challenges worldwide, experts and researchers from the Urban Integrated Field Laboratory (UIFL) funding program (DOE) are convening for the 2024 Principal Investigators Meeting that will take place in Rockville, MD on October 27-28th. This U.S. Department of Energy hosted event aims to create a platform to cultivate and maintain vital cooperation among researchers from various fields and across research centers. Participants will engage in discussions that not only emphasize scientific research but also highlight the importance of community involvement and workforce development in tackling climate challenges. By focusing on areas such as climate scale modeling, hydrology, air quality and equitable decision-making processes, among others, the event seeks to advance our understanding of climate dynamics and develop effective strategies for resilience, ensuring that all communities can benefit from the knowledge obtained.
The event will feature a series of plenary talks and breakout sessions designed to share insights, foster dialog, and allow BER program managers the chance to engage with the teams, assess their progress and discuss future research needs.
After the initial welcome and introductions from BER Management, the event will kick off with a Plenary Session with talks from the UIFLs involved in the program and the Urban Interagency Working Group:
- Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS) IFL presented by Cristina Negri from Argonne National Laboratory.
- Southwest Urban Corridor IFL (SW-IFL) presented by David Sailor from Arizona State University.
- Southeast Texas (SETx) Urban IFL presented by Paola Passalacqua from the University of Texas at Austin.
- Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC) Urban IFL presented by Benjamin Zaitchik from Johns Hopkins University.
- US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Urban Interagency Working Group presented by Reid Sherman from USGCRP.
In the afternoon, there will be a session dedicated to Community and Stakeholder Engagement. This session will include a presentation on community engagement from a DOE perspective by Emily Brooks from DOE Fossil Energy and Carbon Management followed by panelist introductions and discussions, including the community organization Texas Target Communities & Katherine Liberknecht (UT-Austin).
After that, and over the next day and a half, the breakout sessions will cover these topics:
- Climate scale modeling and scenarios with contributions from UT-Austin researcher Ifeanyi Nduka and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Phong Le representing SETx-UIFL. They will explore the intricacies of climate modeling and how various scenarios can help predict future climate conditions.
- Observational approaches with the SETx-UIFL researchers such as Qin Qian (Lamar University) and Pawel Misztal (UT-Austin). This segment will delve into the importance of observational data in understanding Air quality.
- Community co-design, resilient solutions, and decision-making, with SETx-UIFL Jeewasmi Thapa (TAMU) and Katherine Liberknecht (UT-Austin). Their discussion will highlight the role of communities and their engagement in designing solutions that enhance resilience against climate impacts.
- Education and workforce development will be addressed by Liv Haselbach (Lamar University) among experts from other UIFLs. This part of the session emphasizes the necessity of preparing community members and younger generations to tackle climate challenges through education and skill development.
- Equity and social vulnerability, including SETx-UIFL researcher Nathanael Rosenheim (TAMU), that will talk about the relationships between social vulnerability and health.
- Atmospheric conditions including the UT-Austin researcher Elena McDonald-Buller representing SETx-UIFL where the relationships between urban heat and air quality will be discussed.
- Hydrology, focusing on droughts, floods, and water supply/quality issues, with contributions from Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Ethan Coon, Saubhagya Rathore (SETx-UIFL).
- Integration across subsurface-atmosphere-human-natural systems, with insights from Liv Haselbach (SETx-UIFL).
- Data and software management, with UT-Austin and TACC researcher Will Mobley (SETx-UIFL).
- Greenhouse gas emissions and biogeochemistry, featuring other UIFL researchers such as Ken Davis and Jiazhen Ling (BSEC) and Ted Schuur (SW-IFL).
The conference will also host several coordination breakout sessions that will include important topics such as community building, green infrastructure representations in hydrologic models, and greenhouse gas and pollutant inventories, among others.
The event represents a vital opportunity for principal investigators from the UIFLs to engage in meaningful discussions around their research programs, their progress, and research challenges.
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SETx-UIFL Summer Institute 2024
The SETX-UIFL Summer Institute 2024 took place from May 14-16 in Beaumont, Texas, hosted by Lamar University. This exciting event brought together over 30 researchers and students from various fields.
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SETx-UIFL Spring Seminar Series 2024
From January 26th – April 19th, 2024, SETx-UIFL successfully organized a biweekly seminar series featuring the work of our researchers. Seven seminars covered a wide range of topics corresponding to different themes in the SETx-UIFL project.
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SETx-UIFL Members Joining the AGU23
SETx-UIFL members joined thousands of other scientists at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting in San Francisco, CA.
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Southeast Texas Urban IFL 2023 Annual Meeting
The 2nd Annual Meeting of Southeast Texas Urban IFL (SETx-UIFL) was hosted at Lamar University on October 8-10th. The annual meeting is where SETx-UIFL scientists and students gather to share the latest research updates and discuss collaboration ideas for the forthcoming years.
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Lamar University’s Center for Resiliency at the Tekoa Academy Tree Wrapping Ceremony
On Friday, September 29th, Tekoa Academy hosts a brief tree wrapping ceremony with green, blue and white ribbons, signaling Tekoa’s green zone. Davon Chargois, Lamar University’s Grants Manager from the Center for Resiliency was invited to speak to the junior and senior classes at Tekoa Academy.
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SETx-UIFL Joins First PI Annual Meeting for Urban IFL projects
Fifteen SETx-UIFL members joins 2023 Urban IFL PI meeting in Rockville, MD. This marked the first annual meeting for the four Urban IFL projects, including CROCUS, SETx-UIFL, BSEC, and SW-IFL.
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Fast Forward
In an interview with Dr. Michelle Meyer, Texas A&M principal investigator and Equity team lead, the SETx-UIFL project is mentioned in Spirit, the Texas A&M Foundation Magazine.
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SETx-UIFL Team Meets with Community Members and Professionals in Southeast Texas
Wednesday, September 6th marked a significant milestone as the first joint task force meeting was held in Beaumont with community members and professionals from the Beaumont-Port Arthur region.
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Climate Resilience on the Texas Gulf Coast: Science Rooted in Local Wisdom
Source: The University of Texas at Austin
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ORNL Research Scientist Addresses Urban Challenges to Elementary Students
On November 21st, 2022, Christa Brelsford, a SETx-UIFL research scientist presented “Topology is Amazing!” to 120 3rd graders at Linden Elementary in Oak Ridge Tennessee about how she uses mathematical topology to address urban challenges.
In the News
Cultivating Interdisciplinary Collaboration
07/05/2024 UT Austin’s Bridging Barriers
Resilient Horizons: Co-Designing Climate Solutions in Southeast Texas – SETx-UIFL
12/11/2023 AGU TV
Cities are struggling with warmer, wetter weather. Better climate models could help.
10/03/2023 Nexus Media News
09/27/2023 Spirit, the Texas A&M Foundation Magazine
Taking it to the streets: ORNL models climate solutions for U.S. cities
09/27/2022 Oak Ridge National Lab
Events
- March/ April 2024: Spring Task Force meetings, Beaumont, TX
- January 26, 2024: starting Spring Course
- January 6, 2024: Winter Task Force meetings, Beaumont, TX
- October 9-10, 2023: Annual Team Meeting, Beaumont, TX
- October 8, 2023: SETx-UIFL Graduate Symposium, Beaumont, TX
- September 27-28, 2023: 2023 Urban IFL PI Meeting, Rockville, MD
- September 6, 2023: Technical Task Force and Community Organization Task Force meeting, Beaumont, TX