Fall 2015
From the Director
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Judith Van Houten, PhD.
It’s hard to believe that we are already entering the fifth year of the RII Track-1, Research on Adaptation to Climate Change and the third year of the RII Track-2, Northeast Water Resources Network (NEWRnet) programs funded by the National Science Foundation.
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Dr. Craig Stewart, Cyberinfrastructure for Research: New Trends and Tools, Sept. 30, 2015
Mediated Modeling Workshop, Oct. 26, 2015
National NSF EPSCoR Meeting, Portsmouth, NH, Nov. 1-4, 2015
Unpacking the Myths of Writing for Science with Lisa Emerson, Ph.D., Nov. 12, 2015
Grant Writing Workshop sponsored by VGN and VT EPSCoR, Nov. 14, 2015
Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop, February 1 & 2, 2016 - Save the Date!
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RACC Members Featured in Burlington Free Press Article 
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Work being performed by RACC Post Doc Yaoyang Xu and RACC PhD student Peter Isles was recently featured in the Burlington Free Press. During the summer months, Yaoyang and Peter collected data pertaining to the cyanobacteria bloom (blue-green algae) on Missisquoi Bay. A warming climate provides cyanobacteria with longer growing seasons and greater opportunities for toxin production.
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UVM SEGS Lab at Center of new $7.4 Million USDA Grant
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 A recently announced $7.4 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will place the University of Vermont at the forefront of a national effort to reduce the impact of catastrophic disease outbreaks within the U.S. livestock industry.
One of the key components of the proposal is the UVM Social-Ecological Gaming and Simulation Laboratory (SEGS Lab), established with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
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Vermont EPSCoR Mentoring Diverse Groups Workshop
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 On March 30, 2015, the VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) hosted a Workshop on Mentoring Diverse Groups for members of the Research on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin (RACC) group led by Drs. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux and Jason Stockwell. Workshop attendees included faculty, postdocs, grad students, and staff who will interact with undergraduate and high school students throughout the year and during the summer research internships. Summer internships start during the first week of June.
During the workshop, mentors discussed how to effectively mentor diverse students.
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Vermont College Students Awarded VT EPSCoR Scholarships
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 Seven Vermont college students were awarded a total of $35,000 in VT EPSCoR Native American and First Generation College Student Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at the Vermont State House on August 5, 2015.
The location was selected to remind students of the many career opportunities available to them in Vermont. Secretary Patricia Moulton encouraged the students to seek employment in Vermont after graduation saying “There is a real need in Vermont for a well-trained STEM workforce” and further, that she was “impressed with the quality of students receiving the scholarships.”
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Alan Alda Communications Workshop 
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Vermont EPSCoR hosted the Alan Alda Communications Workshop on February 3rd, 2015 at the UVM Davis Center.
The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University is dedicated to helping scientists more effectively communicate with the public, with funders, with policymakers, and with fellow scientists.
The goal was to help participants learn to communicate more effectively about science with people outside their field, including the general public, policy makers, the media, students, potential employers or funders and prospective collaborators in other disciplines. Through discussion and practice, we focused on fundamental skills -- knowing your audience, connecting with your audience, and speaking clearly and conversationally about your work and why it matters.
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VT EPSCoR Visits Vermont Statehouse
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 Vermont EPSCoR visited legislators at the Vermont Statehouse on Friday, March 20, 2015. The group shared recent news and provided information about VT EPSCoR's impact across the state. Many legislators stopped by to learn about the high school outreach program, the research and cyber-infrastructure improvements that VT EPSCoR has invested in partnership with numerous stakeholders and aligned with state priorities.
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2015 CWDD Student Research Symposium
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 VT EPSCoR CWDD hosted the 7th annual Student Research Symposium on Monday March 30th, 2015. This event showcased student research contributions to the Research on Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC) program and connected undergraduate and high school students with scientists, managers, and other interested state and local groups. RACC research is important work, and the CWDD is proud to work with so many wonderful young scientists in this effort.
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RACC Leader Chris Koliba Receives Fulbright Scholar Award
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 Professor Christopher Koliba received a Fulbright U.S Scholar award. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides approximately 800 teaching and/or research grants to U.S. faculty and experienced professionals in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. Grants are available in over 125 countries worldwide.
With this prestigious award, Professor Koliba traveled to Sri Lanka where he worked in the Zoology Department of Colombo University. His work focused on a comparative analysis of community resiliency in Sri Lanka, especially as it relates to civil war, natural disaster and climate change.
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VT EPSCoR Diversity in Entrepreneurship Fellow at VCET Named - Catherine Collins
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 Catherine Collins was recently named Vermont EPSCoR Diversity in Entrepreneurship Fellow at the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET). Catherine will be responsible for developing and sustaining a diverse community of entrepreneurs throughout Vermont. She will focus on skills development, mentorship and networks required to help start, fund, scale and sustain new technology based business ventures. Specific focus areas are developing capacity building and outreach programs to increase participation and exposure to entrepreneurship from students and alumni of Vermont Colleges and Universities, develop a greater representation of women and minority entrepreneurs and stimulate entrepreneurship capacity and activity across Vermont, including rural areas.
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RACC Q3 Team Holds its Third Focus Group with Local Stakeholders
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 The RACC Policy and Governance Team (Q3) has been working on developing an agent-based model of water quality management in the Lake Champlain Basin. On December 12th, the Team held its third focus group with local stakeholders, this time examining the details of how agricultural technical assistance is being done in the Missisquoi Watershed. This focus group invited a range of representatives from stakeholders, including both providers and consumers of technical assistance.
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RACC Outreach: Future Scientists
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 In early September, the VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) visited the J. J. Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, VT to explore what it means to be a scientist and to use some of the tools of the trade. Working with STEAM teacher, Courtney Asaro, St. Michael's College professor, Dr. Declan McCabe, introduced 5th graders to microscopes and the wonders of macroinvertebrates, and engaged 1st graders in the life of a scientist.
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VT EPSCoR Updates
