Vermont EPSCoR News


SOCKS Kicks Off with a Strategic Planning Meeting
Vermont EPSCoR kicked off a new chapter with a Strategic Planning Meeting for the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 award, Harnessing the Data Revolution for Vermont: The Science of Online Corpora, Knowledge, and Stories (SOCKS), which entered its first year in June, 2023. The two-day meeting held on August 24th and 25th at Hula in Burlington, VT gathered the full SOCKS team together, allowing interactive discussion and planning around goals, milestones, and strategic directions of the program. Facilitated by John Riordan, the meeting was also attended by NSF Program Officer, Dr. Eric Lindquist.

SOCKS Co-PI Randall Harp on the Moral Dilemmas of AI
Randall Harp, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont, is interested in how non-artificially intelligent beings should make sense of this uncharted ethical territory. Harp, who studies the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and data and technology ethics, has given talks on AI to UVM faculty and the general public.

SOCKS Co-PI Juniper Lovato calls for workers’ protection from AI
Oct. 15, 2023
Researchers at UVM are looking into how emerging technology influences people, and they’re urging Vermont to be a leader in regulating artificial intelligence. The automation market is hot, and as companies integrate AI into their systems, the work employees do is being collected with the potential to later automate their jobs. Juniper Lovato, one of the researchers in the complex systems and data science program, describes it as your work being “mined” for profit, and she’s worried about how this will affect women and minorities.

Juniper Lovato Successfully Defends Doctoral Dissertation
Oct. 10, 2023
Juniper Lovato, a Co-PI for the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Science of Online Corpora, Knowledge, and Stories (SOCKS) award, and Director of Outreach for Complex Systems at UVM, successfully defended her PhD on September 7, 2023. With the presentation of her dissertation "Group-Level Frameworks for Data Ethics, Privacy, Safety and Security in Digital Environments," Dr. Lovato has now earned her PhD in Complex Systems and Data Science.

Chris Danforth Provides Keynote Presentation at National Research Administrator Day
Chris Danforth, PhD, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at UVM and RII Track-1 SOCKS Co-Principal Investigator, presented the keynote lecture at UVM's National Research Administrator Day observance on September 21, 2023.
 
Research Administrator Day is observed each September to recognize the invaluable contributions made by research administrators to research enterprise. The research administration field includes all staff who support research administration activities at UVM. This includes all phases of the grant lifecycle and beyond, such as research proposal development and submission, award acceptance and negotiation, protocol review and approval, financial oversight, and more.

Saint Michael's College Natural Area Floodplain with Professor Declan McCabe
In July 2023, The Saint Michael's Natural Area was flooded by a historic rain event. Professor Declan McCabe explains to us the impact of these rainfalls, and specifically how it impacted the Saint Michael's Natural Area located directly on our campus in Colchester, VT.

Science Fun Day with Vermont 4-H!
Vermont EPSCoR and the Vermont 4-H program teamed up to present Science Fun Day, a two-hour-long set of activities for elementary students of grades 3-5. Held at the Barre Civic Center on May 21, 2023, this free event focused on hands-on STEM activities that helped students apply scientific learning to many different projects.

Researchers look into the determinants of collaboration between groups focused on pollution in the Lake Champlain Basin
In a pair of studies published this spring, researchers sought to figure out when, why and under what circumstances those entities collaborate to try to address the problems plaguing Lake Champlain and the waterways that feed it.

BREE team member, Beverley Wemple, appointed Council of Fellows (CoF) for Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hy
The University of Vermont is proud to announce the appointment of three distinguished individuals to institutes and offices under the Office of Research: Beverley Wemple, Ph.D. will serve as the new Director of UVM’s Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH); Sara Helms Cahan, Ph.D. will serve as the Associate Vice President for Research; and Patricia “Tricia” Coates will serve as the Director of the newly established Institute for Rural Partnerships and will act as the Director of the Office of Engagement.

Extreme precipitation in northeast to increase 52% by the end of the century
With a warmer climate creating more humid conditions in the Northeast, extreme precipitation events are projected to increase in the Northeast by 52% by the end of the century. BREE Climate Team members Jonathan Winter at Dartmouth College, former BREE GRA Charlotte Cockburn, Janel Hanrahan at Northern Vermont University — Lyndon, Patrick Clemins and Brian Beckage at the University of Vermont contributed to the study.

Courtney Giles selected for HERS Institute - RACC Postdoc Alum
This year the university is pleased to announce Payne Hiraldo, M.Ed., and Courtney Giles, Ph.D., as the HERS Leadership Institute for Women’s 2023-2024 participants from UVM. Please join us in congratulating these dedicated and talented faculty and staff members at UVM.

UVM Earns $20M Research Grant to 'Harness the Data Revolution'
A groundbreaking data science effort to better understand and harness the power of stories has earned the University of Vermont a $20 million research capacity building award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The five-year Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 award, which promotes world-class research nationwide, will bolster research infrastructure at UVM and across the state.

Vermont's Research University
As we near the conclusion of a busy and productive academic year, UVM's President Suresh Garimella is pleased to share a brief video message about UVM’s important role as Vermont’s research university.

Patrick Clemins Participates in CaRCC Remote Discussion
Patrick Clemins, PhD, Vermont EPSCoR's Manager of Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships, participated in a remote discussion with the Campus Research Computer Consortium (CaRCC) on March 1, 2023. With the topic of "Exploring Factors that Impact RCD Strategy," Dr. Clemins presented alongside Don DuRousseau, Director of Research Computing at the University of Arkansas, and Paul Weakliem, Co-Director of the Center for Scientific Computing at the University of California Santa Barbara. The panel was a Zoom forum in which participants had the opportunity to ask questions remotely.

Vermont STEM Fair Held at Norwich University
Vermont EPSCoR partnered with Norwich University for the 64th annual Vermont Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Fair on March 25, 2023. The day-long event saw 60 Vermont students from grades 6 through 12 present on 52 different STEM projects. The fair returned to an in-person format for the first time since 2019, after three years of remote participation due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

UVM 4-H Students Visit Washington, DC for Ignite 4-H
Four area students attended the National 4-H Ignite Teen Summit in Washington, DC from March 9th through the 12th, 2023. The summit drew over 900 attendees from around the United States and beyond. The experience was made possible through a partnership with Vermont EPSCoR and allowed student attendees to share projects they have been working on while also networking with other youth groups. This marked the first year that the UVM 4-H program had students in attendance. The Vermont delegation included four high school students giving presentations, chaperones and two other invited teens who were able to participate in numerous workshop sessions while also getting to visit some of Washington, DC’s most famous national monuments.

Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux Speaks at White House Climate Change Talks
Vermont State Climatologist and BREE researcher Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux attended a White House climate change solutions forum on March 8th and 9th. The forum featured representation from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as researchers presented innovative solutions to help address the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

New Studies by Patrick Bitterman and Christopher Koliba Explore Water Governance in Vermont
Two new studies released by BREE researchers Patrick Bitterman, PhD and Christopher Koliba, PhD debut this month. "A Network Perspective on Multi-Scale Water Governance in the Lake Champlain Basin, Vermont," published in Ecology and Society, and "Engagement in Water Governance Action Situations in the Lake Champlain Basin," published in PLOS ONE take two similar but different looks at the Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) and examine how government action can improve the health of the watershed.

UVM VPR, Kirk Dombrowski, discusses growing research enterprise on Across the Fence
UVM Vice President for Research, Kirk Dombrowski, visits Across the Fence to talk about the upcoming research week on April 17, 2023.

Caitlin Crossett Becomes an Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Science
Caitlin Crossett, PhD served as a graduate research assistant for the Vermont EPSCoR BREE research team and successfully defended her PhD dissertation in March 2022. Starting in Fall 2023, she will take the next step in her career progression, as she moves on to become an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Crossett will begin her new academic post in the Fall 2023 semester.

Vermont EPSCoR Hosts Remote Communication Workshop
Vermont EPSCoR hosted a remote Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop on January 11th and 12th, 2023. This workshop marked the ninth consecutive year in which Vermont EPSCoR has partnered with the Alan Alda Communicating Science Center at Stonybrook University to deliver an opportunity for scientists to hone their communication skills.

Dr. Arne Bomblies, State Director, VT EPSCoR, leads team of researchers looking at snow impacts in Vermont and region
Last year, in the middle of a warm, humid summer, in the Jericho Research Forest, associate professor in UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical and Sciences (CEMS) Arne Bomblies and his team of researchers were waiting for snow. Starting in April, Bomblies and his team began installing a series of snow sensors and meteorological instruments throughout the state, from the top of Mount Mansfield to the shores of Lake Champlain.

Vermont Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fair at Norwich University - March 25, 2023
Vermont EPSCoR and the Vermont STEM Fair will provide the venue for high school students to showcase research and sponsor VT STEM Fair finalists at the 2023 International Science and Engineering Fair.

UVM Professor Appointed to National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont and the Vermont state climatologist, has been appointed to serve on the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She is the first Vermont-based scientist to receive this prestigious invitation.

Vermont EPSCoR Partners with Vermont 4-H
Vermont EPSCoR and the UVM Extension 4-H program are joining forces in an effort to encourage and engage more Vermont youth activity in STEM areas. 4-H reaches youths aged 5 to 18 all across Vermont.

VT EPSCoR Team Attends NSF EPSCoR National Conference
VT EPSCoR was well represented at the recent 27th National NSF EPSCoR Conference hosted by Maine EPSCoR in Portland, ME on November 13 – 16, 2022. The conference focused around the theme, “Translating Needs to Outcomes”. Dr. Kirk Dombrowski, Vice President for Research at the University of Vermont; State Director, Arne Bomblies; Associate Director, Christopher Koliba; Manager, Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships, Patrick Clemins; and Assistant Director and Project Administrator, Lillian Gamache participated in the three-day meeting. The conference had over 400 attendees including those from all EPSCoR states and jurisdictions.

UVM SACNAS Awarded Chapter of the Year
University of Vermont students Krizzia Soto-Villanueva, PhD candidate in Food Systems, and Zenllaze Gomez-Merlo, undergraduate in Engineering, attended the 2022 Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico with support from VT EPSCoR. The UVM chapter was recognized with one of two Chapter of the Year awards in recognition of its accomplishments including offering professional development workshops, panel discussions, and community activities. The UVM SACNAS chapter was represented by 12 student members at the national conference. It was the first in-person conference to be held since 2019 due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

VT EPSCoR sponsors Women Can Do! career exploration conference
Vermont EPSCoR was proud to sponsor the 2022 Vermont Works for Women - Women Can Do career exploration conference. Over 260 high school students from 12 counties attended the conference which was held at the Vermont Technical College in Randolph.Students spent the day exploring STEM and trades careers through hands-on activities and getting to know Vermont professionals, employers, and organizations.

As Winters Warm, Nutrient Pollution Threatens 40% of U.S.
Scientists are ringing alarm bells about a significant new threat to U.S. water quality: as winters warm due to climate change, they are unleashing large amounts of nutrient pollution into lakes, rivers, and streams. The first-of-its-kind national study finds that previously frozen winter nutrient pollution—unlocked by rising winter temperatures and rainfall—is putting water quality at risk in 40% of the contiguous U.S., including over 40 states.

Two Vermont Assistant Professors Receive DOE EPSCoR Awards
Two Vermont Assistant Professors are the beneficiaries of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) plan to award $21 million in funding for 29 new projects through DOE EPSCoR Lab Partnerships. The two recipients are Jihong Ma, PhD of the University of Vermont (UVM) for her project "Multi‐scale Study of Self‐Healing Polymers to Enhance Carbon Dioxide Removal" and Ben Cotts of Middlebury College for his project "Elucidating Transient Localized Disorder of Semiconductor Nanocrystals."

Vermont EPSCoR Partners with VT PoC and VT WIN
Joining efforts to help strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of the Vermont Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem, Vermont EPSCoR has established new partnerships with the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) and the Vermont Women’s Investor Network (VT WIN) to help expand existing networks.

Vermont EPSCoR Partners with Vermont Works for Women
Women Can Do is Vermont Works for Women's annual career exploration conference for high school girls and gender-expansive youth. Students are invited to Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT for a day of hands-on exploration of STEM and trades careers, and networking with VT professionals, employers, and organizations to learn about secondary education and career opportunities in the state. After a hiatus due to the pandemic, Women Can Do is returning in-person on October 6th, 2022, serving 250 high school youth. VT EPSCoR support will be used to support curriculum development and on-site curriculum delivery.

When I hit obstacles on my academic journey, I learned to keep trying and embrace the unexpected
A new article by Huanping Huang titled "When I hit obstacles on my academic journey, I learned to keep trying and embrace the unexpected" has been published in Science magazine. Huanping Huang was a BREE GRA and member of the Climate Team.

Algae blooms, invasive species threaten Lake Champlain's health, VT Edition with Asim Zia
This hour, we’re looking at the health of Lake Champlain with a panel of Vermont scientists. We'll discuss cyanobacteria—also known as blue-green algae—blooms, invasive species and other potential environmental problems. Guest include: Asim Zia, professor of public policy and computer science in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, and in the Department of Computer Science, University of Vermont, Matthew Vaughan, chief scientist, Lake Champlain Basin Program and J. Ellen Marsden, professor, Wildlife & Fisheries Biology Program, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont.

UVM researchers say climate change should play factor in water quality goals
University of Vermont researchers say that if progress is to be made in cleaning up Lake Champlain, state and federal regulators must factor in climate change. Darren Perron spoke with Asim Zia, a UVM professor of public policy and the lead author of the article.

New Findings Factor Climate Change into Water Quality Goals for Lake Champlain
New findings indicate that state and federal regulators hoping to improve water quality in Lake Champlain will need to adjust their policies to address warming temperatures that trigger toxic blue-green algae blooms, according to a research team based at The University of Vermont.

As this Burlington-based satellite company continues to grow, it’ll expand to the UK
A Burlington company that makes propulsion systems for satellites is expanding to the United Kingdom, while it grows its business in Vermont. Benchmark Space Systems makes products that propel small satellites in space using hydrogen peroxide, which the company says is cleaner than other satellite propellants. The company started five years ago with just a few employees. Today it has 75, about half of which are at its headquarters in Vermont, according to CEO and co-founder Ryan McDevitt.

Vermont STEM Fair Award Winner’s Connection with CWDD!
Vermont EPSCoR's CWDD served as a sponsor of the Vermont STEM Fair, which occurred from March 24-26, 2022. The fair was held virtually this year but held special significance for members of the CWDD, as one of the award winners, Bridget O'Keefe, received mentoring from Vermont EPSCoR.

UVM to Contribute in National Effort to Improve Water Management
The University of Vermont (UVM) in collaboration with 28 universities and institutions—is poised to advance its status as a prominent institution in hydrological research.

Green Mountain Valley Students Delineate Watersheds
Fifteen 8th-grade students from Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont met virtually with CWDD staff member Janel Roberge on February 10, 2022 to learn about delineating watersheds and the tools used to do so. The students got first-hand experience as to how difficult it can be to fully understand what goes on in a watershed. With this understanding, they will use their findings and some data from the Vermont EPSCoR Streams Database to create a watershed management plan with the goal of supporting land conservation, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

Putting People Into Climate Models
Vermont EPSCoR Scientist Brian Beckage is part of a team that published a study in the journal Nature suggesting that as the planet gets hotter, our climate policies will increase in ambition and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will accelerate. "We can't forget the human capacity to react and adapt," he says. "We're part of the climate system and our models should take that into account."

Patrick Clemins Joins CaRCC Steering Committee
Patrick Clemins, PhD, Vermont EPSCoR Manager of Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships, has joined the steering committee for the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC) People Network Emerging Centers Track. As a steering committee member, he will work with peers around the country to plan discussions for the monthly Emerging Centers Track calls and develop other professional activities for the community.

Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by American Association of Geographers
BREE researcher and Vermont State Climatologist Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, PhD will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) in February 2022. The award comes after a unanimous decision by the AAG's Climate Specialty Group, which chose to honor Dr. Dupigny-Giroux for her many achievements in climate science. This body of work includes 25 years as Vermont's State Climatologist and over 40 peer-reviewed publications in the fields that include climate variability and change, severe weather hazards, drought, and remote sensing.

Dustin Kincaid Wins Prestigious Water Resources Research Editors' Choice Award
BREE postdoctoral associate Dustin, Kincaid, PhD received the 2020 Water Resources Research (WRR) Editors' Choice Award for his research article "Land Use and Season Influence Event-Scale Nitrate and Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Exports and Export Stoichiometry from Headwater Catchments." The article, which used research supported by BREE funding, includes numerous collaborators from Vermont EPSCoR, including postdoctoral associate Erin Seybold, PhD, Ecological Systems Team Co-Leaders Carol Adair, PhD and Andrew Schroth, PhD, BREE researchers Breck Bowden, PhD and Julia Perdrial, PhD, and Matthew Vaughan, PhD, a former RACC graduate research assistant who now serves as the Chief Scientist at the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

Patrick Clemins Presents at The Quilt Wireless Discussion Group
Patrick Clemins, PhD, Manager of Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships, presented remotely about the efforts by Vermont EPSCoR, the Internet of Things (IoT) Conduit, the Vermont Unified Community Anchor Network (UCAN) to establish an IoT network for community use. Held on December 16, 2021, the online presentation took place virtually at The Quilt Wireless Network Discussion Group, a monthly meeting dedicated to the exploration of long-range wireless networking in support of regional research and education networks.

New Insights on how Different Extreme Events Interact with Each Other Effects Cyanobacteria Blooms in Vermont’s Missisquoi Bay
A new study led by a team of researchers based at the University of Vermont has applied a unique modeling method to more precisely assess the influences of temperature and precipitation – and the relationship between them – on cyanobacteria growth. They focused on Missisquoi Bay, a shallow swath of northeastern Lake Champlain where cyanobacteria is prevalent.

Vermont flood costs could exceed $5.2 billion
Property damages from flooding in Vermont are calculated to exceed $5.2 billion over the next 100 years, new University of Vermont research finds. The most flood damages are projected along the Winooski River floodplains, which houses many of the state’s most populous towns, including Burlington, Essex, Colchester, Williston and Montpelier.

Stream Health & Macroinvertebrate Discussion at Harwood Union Middle School
On Friday, November 19, 2021, VT EPSCoR CWDD's Operations Manager Janel Roberge remotely visited 46 seventh-grade science students at Harwood Union Middle School to confirm students' macroinvertebrate identifications. Students had recently sampled a stream near their school as part of an annual water quality unit that the CWDD has been a part of since 2015. The students were thrilled that they had accurately identified several different types of benthic macroinvertebrates, including pollution-intolerant species!

Northfield Middle High School Union Brook Site Assessment
On October 8, 2021, Northfield Middle High School science teacher Cynthia Fortin lead roughly forty 7th grade students to nearby Union Brook to evaluate the health of the water. Water Quality Assessment materials were provided by the Vermont EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity.

NVU's Atmospheric Sciences Faculty and Alumni Publish Climate Change Research
Northern Vermont University’s Atmospheric Sciences Faculty and Alums Publish Peer-Reviewed Research that Addresses the Importance of Accurate Great Lakes Temperatures in Climate Projection Models.

Free Science Communication Training
Would you like coaching on communicating the value of your research or science generally? A research team is offering free science communication training to the University of Vermont as part of a study. Registration will remain open until all slots are filled, space is limited!

UVM, UMaine, VTC Win $4 Million NSF Grant to Create Next Gen Sensor Networks for Infrastructure Monitoring
Researchers at the University of Vermont, the University of Maine and Vermont Technical College have received a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test new technologies that could make monitoring the safety and performance of infrastructure less expensive, more accurate and more widespread, resulting in more dependable, durable structures in the future.

Brittany Lancellotti Presents PhD Defense
BREE graduate research assistant Brittany Lancellotti presented her PhD dissertation defense, "Investigating spatial and temporal variability of environmental and biological controls on riparian soil denitrification," on September 8, 2021. The defense was presented remotely via Zoom to an audience of over one dozen, including Brittany's committee of Carol Adair, PhD, Andrew Schroth, PhD, Julia Perdrial, PhD, and Eric Roy, PhD.

Dr. Clive Lipchin - Presentation: Solutions for off grid food-energy-water in a transboundary context
On September 15th, 2021 Dr. Clive Lipchin presented "Solutions for off grid food-energy-water in a transboundary context" to an in person / remote audience at VT EPSCoR's 23 Mansfield Interdisciplinary Research Space conference room. Dr. Lipchin was invited by Dr. Asim Zia, Science Co-Leader for the BREE Integrated Assessment Model (IAM). Dr. Lipchin serves as director of the Arava Institute’s Center for Transboundary Water Management. He oversees research projects, workshops and conferences that focus on transboundary water and environmental problems facing Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. His specialty is in water resources management and policy. He consults for a number of national and international water agencies such as the World Bank, EU, UNDP and USAID and has been involved most recently with the European Union's Water Initiative project for the Mediterranean region.

2021 VT EPSCoR All Hands Meeting
Vermont EPSCoR celebrated water quality research in the Lake Champlain Basin through the Research on Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC) and Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) with an exciting All Hands Meeting on August 9, 2021 at the University of Vermont (UVM) Davis Center. Over 70 participants attended observing pandemic guidelines, including stakeholders, alumni, graduate students, post-doctoral associates, members of the BREE External Advisory Committee, and members of Vermont EPSCoR’s Policy and Technical Advisory Committee.

VT EPSCoR CWDD 2021-2022 Undergraduate Intern Symposium (a virtual event)
The 2021-2022 VT EPSCoR CWDD Undergraduate Intern Symposium was held virtually this year due to Covid-19. Webpages created by our interns showcased their work performed over the summer. Posters, video presentations, work descriptions and photos which are usually shared in person during the Undergraduate Intern Symposium are now available online. Please join us in congratulating our summer interns for all of their accomplishments.

Vermont EPSCoR Awards $35,000 in STEM Scholarships
Seven STEM Scholarships were awarded to meritorious Native American, BIPOC and First Generation Vermonters pursuing a Science, Technology, Engineer or Math (STEM) Major at a Vermont Higher Education Institution. The scholarships were awarded during the Vermont EPSCoR All Hands Meeting held at the University of Vermont Davis Center on August 9, 2021.

ECHO Ecosystems Explorers Camp
The Vermont EPSCoR CWDD traveled to the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont on July 22, 2021 to assist a former High School Program participant in an Ecosystems Explorer's Camp. CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge and St. Michael's College Professor of Biology Declan McCabe, PhD led approximately 20 third through fifth graders through plankton and lake bottom sampling. Students then used CWDD-provided microscopes to check out their water and "muck" samples to see if they could find anything surprising. The sessions left students with a better knowledge of what they can do if the encounter a harmful invasive species.

Terrestrial Macroinvertebrate Adventure at South Burlington City Park
CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge and St. Michael's College Professor of Biology Declan McCabe, PhD traveled to City Park in South Burlington, VT on July 24, 2021 to lead a terrestrial macroinvertebrate hike with community scientists. A total of 18 participants of varying ages used equipment provided by the CWDD to catch some six- and eight-legged friends throughout the part. After the activity, participants got to use a microscope to examine their finds. The CWDD staff on hand helped participants identify their catches before releasing them. Dr. McCabe ended the activity with a discussion about invasive species and provided some tips about what the community scientists could do to help stop their spread.

CWDD Hosts Annual High School Training Week
The CWDD hosted its annual High School Training Week from June 21 to June 25, 2021 using an online platform, making this the CWDD's first remote training week.

Williston Central School Uses VT EPSCoR Equipment to Complete Macroinvertebrate Research
Middle school teacher, Martha Quatt, lead approximately 85 seventh- and eight-grade students through an intensive macroinvertebrate study in Allen Brook near Williston Central School in Chittenden County, Vermont with the help of CWDD’s Janel Roberge. Quatt and her students used Vermont EPSCoR equipment and teaching samples to prepare for and complete stream sampling. The use of the equipment enabled students to discover more diverse and sensitive species than ever before, allowing them to draw a correlation between overall macroinvertebrate abundance and stream temperature in the form of canopy cover.

SBIR Phase (0) awardee, Ryan McDevitt has satellites on SpaceX launch!
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 88 small satellites blasted off Wednesday from Florida. The propulsion systems on three of those satellites that were deployed were made by Benchmark Space Systems. The Burlington company was co-founded by Ryan McDevitt in 2017 and stemmed from his graduate work at the University of Vermont. Their systems allow satellites to move around once they’re in orbit. Greater control allows the satellite’s owner to extend its lifespan and bring it back down once it’s done. These are the first of their satellites to go to space.

Lake Governance Conversations with Essex High School
Essex High School science classrooms experienced authentic stakeholder exercises over the course of four days (June 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th). CWDD Outreach Professional, Janel Roberge, instructed students on how to complete surveys regarding their preferences for the health of Lake Champlain. Students also role-played various individuals and organizations that have a vested interested in keeping Lake Champlain clean. The exercise gave students a broader understanding of the various stakeholders invested in the health of the lake and provided an opportunity to engage in thought-provoking conversations about the complicated issues surrounding waterbody governance.

Making Choices with NewBrook School
CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge traveled to NewBrook School in Newfane, VT to lead 14 fifth-graders through a Stated Choice Activity on May 3, 2021. The young scientists grappled with the complex issues surrounding waterbody governance, gaining a deeper understanding of the current state of Lake Champlain and the numerous organizations invested in ensuring a clean and healthy lake.

VT EPSCoR science leader, Carol Adair, joins researchers on a $23M nationwide effort to help U.S. dairy farmers improve sustaina
Over the past decade, Vermont dairy farmers have taken steps to become more sustainable through on-farm practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage and other soil health management strategies. Now, a team of University of Vermont researchers has joined a nationwide effort to quantify the impact of these practices and evaluate the potential for the U.S. dairy industry to reach net zero environmental goals by 2050.

CWDD Leads Virtual "Real Scientist" Meetings with Vermont Students
Vermont students heard, first-hand, from VT EPSCoR graduate students and post-doctoral associates, about what it is like to be a scientist. The “Real Scientist Series” places graduate research assistants or post-doctoral associates with students to discuss their career paths as researchers and answer their questions.

Lake Champlain: Phosphorus Cleanup to Help Vermont Economy, Study Says
A new study led by UVM researcher Jesse Gourevitch explores the benefits of phosphorus reduction on tourism, real estate, and human health in Lake Champlain (Photo: Andy Duback).

Dr. Andrew Schroth, BREE Ecological Team co-leader, part of collaborative research award from Lake Champlain Sea Grant
Scientists at Stony Brook University, the University of Vermont and Dartmouth College have been studying mercury uptake into the food chain during the winter, and how mercury uptake may change in the future, as climate conditions change.

Middlebury College invites organizations to submit projects for collaboration
Middlebury College’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) has created a new website that aims to boost collaboration between organizations with ties to their local communities and faculty and their students. In this photo, UVM Research Assistant Professor Kristen Underwood speaks with Middlebury College students about the New Haven River’s watershed as part of their environmental studies course in fall 2019. Working with Underwood, EPSCoR Fellow Elizabeth Doran, and Vermont Family Forests, the students conducted research on how individual forest landowner management decisions impact water quality in the Lake Champlain Basin.

CWDD Presents at the Northeast Natural History Conference 2021
Vermont EPSCoR's CWDD program presented to attendees at the Northeast Natural History Conference on April 16, 2021. Declan McCabe, PhD moderated the conference's Citizen Science Oral Presentation Session. During that session, CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge presented on the Vermont EPSCoR High School Research Program and the success the CWDD has had training citizen scientists to collect viable data that can then be added to the Streams Database.

New publication results in important impacts for Vermont floodplains: Improving flood hazard datasets using a low-complexity, pr
BREE Graduate Research Assistant Jesse Gourevitch and Ecological Systems Team Member Beverley Wemple, PhD are among the authors on a new paper, "Improving flood hazard datasets using a low-complexity, probabilistic floodplain mapping approach." The article, whose authors also include Rebecca Diehl, PhD of the UVM Department of Geography and Stephanie Drago of the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, represents the first effort in Vermont to map the distribution of natural capital that provides important flood mitigation and water quality benefits. In doing so, it captures the range of variability in flooding in the Lake Champlain Basin.

Vermont EPSCoR Spring 2021 Magazine
The Spring 2021 VT EPSCoR magazine features:
  • VT EPSCoR Research at the Heart of Vermont's New Clean Waters Management Program
  • Virtual Policy and Techinical Advisory Comittee (PTAC) Meeting
  • Lake Champlain Basin Water Quality Data Dashboards Open for Stakeholders and Broader Public

Vermont EPSCoR Phase (0) Award Leads to SBIR Phase I Award
The Burlington, Vermont-based company Precision Bioassay, Inc will receive a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for their proposal "‘Better Bioassays via Designs for Robots Analyses with Improved Model Selection and Similarity Bounds that Limit Potency Bias." The award represents the culmination of several years of research that was sparked in 2017 by funding from Vermont EPSCoR.

Communications Workshop Inspires Scientific Publication
Mandar Dewoolkar, PhD, PE, FASCE, a Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont and member of the BREE Ecological Systems Team, recently published a study examining the depiction and portrayal of engineers and engineering in US broadcast network television evening news. The study, "Portrayal of Engineers and Engineering in US Broadcast Network Television Evening News Media," was published in the Journal of Civil Engineering Education. Inspired by the Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop that Dr. Dewoolkar attended, the research appears to be the first of its kind where portrayal and depiction of engineers and engineering in television news media was analyzed.

Jesse Gourevitch Presents PhD Defense
BREE Graduate Research Assistant Jesse Gourevitch presented a seminar and PhD defense titled "Evaluating the Distributional Equity of Ecosystem Services Under Alternative Land Use and Climate Change Scenarios" on March 8, 2021. Due to restrictions in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar was presented remotely via Zoom.

UVM Spinoff Making New Strides in Renewable Energy Market
Packetized Energy, a leading developer of software and smart devices that help utilities and consumers manage electricity demand, began at UVM eight years ago. The company was awarded a VT EPSCoR SBIR Phase (0) and SBIR Travel Award in addition to VT EPSCoR supported private sector partners, LaunchVT (second prize), and cc:econ Future Formula awards. Congratulations, Packetized!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Vermont EPSCoR hosted a virtual Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop on January 26, 2021. The workshop, which had been held on the University of Vermont campus in previous years, went virtual this year due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instructors from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stonybrook University facilitated the half-day workshop, with exercises focused on learning strategies and techniques to better understand an individual’s personal writing process. Participants interacted in small and large groups to practice methods intended to help with their own scientific writing skills to convey information to a broad range of audiences. Participants included BREE team members, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students from across colleges at the University of Vermont.

Catch episodes of Emerging Science on Vermont PBS – produced with VT EPSCoR
From January through May 2021, Vermont PBS will re-air episodes of Emerging Science, a special series developed in partnership with Vermont EPSCoR. This engaging series focuses on Vermont researchers performing cutting-edge scientific inquiry including energy, transportation, and the technology of social sciences. Each episode of Emerging Science focuses specifically on Vermonters within a field and their contributions to innovations that affect the global scientific community. Emerging Science was recognized with a Boston/New England Emmy Award in 2009 for the multi-platform approach and a National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) for Content Production/Series Award in 2010. Curriculum Guides are available on line.

Science Integration with Wardsboro School
CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge paid a virtual visit to fifth and sixth grade students from Wardsboro School in Wardsboro, VT (Windham County) in December 2020. The visit represented the culmination of several weeks of preparation with teacher Samatha Bovat, who had not previously worked with Vermont EPSCoR. The outreach established a connection with a new school and helped the teacher incorporate science into a multidisciplinary curriculum.

Turning Stones: Exploring Aquatic Invertebrates with Declan McCabe
On October 21, 2020, the VT EPSCoR CWDD partnered with the North Branch Nature Center to host a virtual macroinvertebrate event “Turning Stones: Exploring Aquatic Invertebrates” led by Declan McCabe.

Nothing Remotely Unusual for Harwood Middle School!
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, VT EPSCoR CWDD's Janel Roberge met (virtually) with several classes from Harwood Union Middle School. This was teacher Angela Selvaggio's first attempt at hosting a remote guest speaker in the classroom. VT EPSCoR CWDD had previously provided a taxonomic macroinvertebrate key for students to use and Roberge and Selvaggio had recorded a "how-to" video for students in regards to using these keys.

Drs. Donna Rizzo and Asim Zia partner with South Dakota researchers on NSF grant to look at two distinct farming regions.
A four-year, $3 million NSF project will use a unique approach to develop, test and implement new precision agriculture tools and public policies that are socially and economically feasible for farmers, rural communities and the environment.

UVM Research at the Heart of Vermont’s New Clean Waters Management Program
In Fall 2020, vital components of Vermont’s new law to protect state waterways from pollution, Act 76, will go into effect. Significant aspects of that law were drawn from a study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers based at the University of Vermont as part of the National Science Foundation funded Vermont Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VT EPSCoR). And the results of that study can now be read in a paper recently published in Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

Vermont, Maine Team Awarded $4M to Study Climate Impacts on Species and Response of Farmers, Rural Communities
University of Vermont researchers will play a leadership role in a project designed to predict where populations of plants and animals in New England will move as their current locations become less hospitable in a warming world. Data generated by the project will help New England farmers and rural communities plan and adapt to the range shifts.

Vermont startup collective builds virtual community for entrepreneurs
The Vermont Startup Collective is a new platform that offers entrepreneurs a dedicated virtual space for building community, advancing business ideas, and connecting with other startups, remote workers, small business owners, freelancers, investors, and mentors. Supported by more than 35 Vermont organizations, the platform is free of charge and designed to be accessible and inclusive to all.

Sampling Macroinvertebrates: Tutorial Videos with Dr. Declan McCabe, Saint Michael’s College
"Sampling macroinvertebrates is equal parts craft and science", explains Dr. Declan McCabe, Professor and Chair of Biology at St. Michael's College. "The procedures are best taught using the hands-on demonstrations that Vermont EPSCoR has typically provided to students for many years," he continued.

Dr. Christopher Koliba appointed Associate Director for VT EPSCoR
Dr. Christopher Koliba has been appointed Associate Director for the Vermont Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VT EPSCoR) by the Vermont Technology Council, in consultation with the University of Vermont (UVM) Vice President’s Office for Research and VT EPSCoR.

Asim Zia receives Fulbright Global Scholar Award to achieve access to clean water through community-based solutions and internat
Asim Zia, Ph.D. serves as VT EPSCoR Science Co-Leader for the Integrated Assessment Model Team (IAM) with the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events in the Lake Champlain Basin (BREE), RII Track-1 Award. As a Fulbright Scholar, Zia will spend time in Pakistan, Israel and Ecuador working at the local, national and international policy levels to improve border relations and water use practices, as well as within communities to inspire grassroots social change.

Yajaira Torres-De Jesus named Advocate for the Society for Science & The Public
Yajaira Torres-De Jesus, science teacher at Colegio Rosa Bell in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and 2019-2020 BREE High School Teacher, has been named an Advocate by the Society for Science & The Public for 2020-2021. The society awards STEM teachers who demonstrate a profound commitment to students of difference races and ethnicities in STEM and students from low-income households. The award includes a stipend and professional development opportunities for Mrs. Torres-De Jesus and lab materials for her students.

CWDD Hosts Virtual High School Science Camp
The first-ever Summer Virtual Science Camp for high school students hosted by the VT EPSCoR CWDD at Saint Michael’s College was held on July 20-23, 2020. Innovating ways to offer outreach efforts with high school students due to the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportunity for students to learn online presentation skills and scientific research methods that traditionally would have been held in-person.

Fascinating Fishing Spiders
Large fishing spiders walking on water can be fascinating – or terrifyingly unnerving. The latter reaction is common among Saint Michael's College students as we sample Vermont’s streams and ponds. On one occasion, a normally macho student screamed, dropped his net, and leaped from the stream to avoid a particularly large specimen. But have no fear; these beautiful beasts will not carry your offspring away. In fact, they are completely harmless – at least to humans.

Christopher Koliba Named UVM President's Fellow for Engagement
Christopher Koliba, PhD, UVM Professor of Community Development and Applied Economics and Leader of the BREE Social Systems team, has received an appointment to serve as President's Fellow for Engagement to support UVM's newly created Office of Engagement. UVM President Suresh Garimella announced the appointment in an email to the UVM community on July 16, 2020.

Dr. Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez Elected to NSF EPSCoR Education Outreach and Diversity (EOD) Leadership Council
Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, PhD, Vermont EPSCoR CWDD Coordinator, has been elected to serve as a member of the NSF EPSCoR Education, Outreach and Diversity (EOD) Council. Dr. Sosa-Gonzalez will serve as an at-large member on the EOD Council for the 2020-2021 period.

VT EPSCoR CWDD 2019-2020 High School Symposium (a virtual event)
The 2019-2020 VT EPSCoR CWDD High School Symposium was held virtually this year due to Covid-19. Webpages created by our High School teams showcased their work over the past year. Posters, video presentations, work descriptions and photos which are usually shared in person during the HS Symposium are now available online. Please join us in congratulating our High School teachers and students for all of their accomplishments.

VT EPSCoR researchers work on study to help create environmental policies that more effectively address pollution in our nation'
A multi-disciplinary team of researchers representing the University of Vermont, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Delaware, and Colorado State University has published a study that may help create environmental policies that more effectively address pollution in our nation's most critical waterways. The study considers human activity in watersheds such as Lake Champlain, Delaware Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay. It seeks to understand how people balance their selfish and altruistic instincts when asked to account for the environmental impact of their actions in such watersheds. What mix of environmental data, economic incentive, and regulatory penalty will motivate people and businesses toward the actions that best balance the economic and environmental health of the region?

Asim Zia named as new University Scholar for academic year 2020/21
Asim Zia, Ph.D., is a co-leader of the Integrated Assessment Modeling (IAM) team with the VT EPSCoR Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) program. The University of Vermont Graduate College has named him a new University Scholar for academic year 2020–21. The University Scholars program recognizes distinguished UVM faculty members for sustained excellence in research, creative and scholarly activities. University Scholars are selected by a faculty panel based upon nominations submitted by UVM colleagues.

Vermont PBS to Re-Air Saving Our Waters
Vermont PBS will re-air the Regional Emmy-award winning documentary miniseries Saving Our Waters beginning on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Originally aired in Fall 2017, Saving Our Waters focuses on the health and resilience of the Lake Champlain Basin. Vermont EPSCoR provided major funding for the program, and the documentary features research performed by scientists and researchers from the VT EPSCoR BREE project.

Zoom a Scientist! Webinars with Dr. Breck Bowden and Dr. Jason Stockwell
Lake Champlain Sea Grant Director Dr. Breck Bowden will be one of many upcoming presenters for the new Lake Champlain Sea Grant, Zoom a Scientist Program, developed in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program develops and shares science-based knowledge to benefit the environment and economies of the Lake Champlain Basin.

Leveraging Pegasus for Integrated Assessment Modeling
In 2016, Vermont EPSCoR received a $20M award from the National Science Foundation to study and promote resiliency in Lake Champlain Basin. The study aims to provide much needed information to decision-makers as they govern the basin and develop policies that reach far into the future. A novel computer model has been developed, which integrates data collected from sensors in streams, soils, and the lake and information from adjacent land use. The model has been used to test management scenarios and identify strategies for maintaining infrastructure, environmental health and drinking water quality in the event of intense storms.

Federal Agency Grant and Funding Opportunities related to the COVID-19 Outbreak
List describing federal opportunities/agency notices regarding COVID-19.

Changes in Land Use and Water Cycle Influence Nutrient Export in Northeastern Streams
University of Vermont and Vermont EPSCoR Post-Doctoral Associate Erin Seybold and colleagues conducted a two-year study in seven watersheds throughout the northeastern U.S. to investigate the export of two nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and nitrate.

NSF COVID-19 FAQs and other materials
NSF has developed a new website for the research community with detailed guidance on the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This includes guidance for awardee organizations, researchers and reviewers of NSF proposals.

VT EPSCoR SBIR Phase (0) awardee funded in 2017 - Isabelle Desjardins -UVM team develops 2-minute suicide risk assessment app
UVM team develops 2-minute suicide risk assessment app. A suicide risk assessment tool developed by a team of University of Vermont researchers is making its way into the prison and the military systems. It’s in the early stages of a rollout that the creators hope will significantly aid health care providers in identifying and saving people who are in crisis.

Jessica Rubin, 2018 VT EPSCoR SBIR Pilot Award Recipient - Vermonters Face Stormwater Threat With Fungi, Rain Gardens and More
Vermonters Face Stormwater Threat With Fungi, Rain Gardens and More. New weather patterns are affecting Vermont, according to the state's climate change website. Some locals might welcome rising average temperatures and shorter winters, but more intense storms? Not so much.

Storms wreak havoc on land. We’re only beginning to understand what they do underwater
You’ve likely heard about broad trends that scientists are certain will occur as a result of climate change: Plants and animals will be pushed out of their native habitats. Ice sheets will melt, and sea level will rise. Extreme weather events, like droughts and storms, will become more common and more severe.

What We Don't Know (about lakes) Could Hurt Us
A new study, led by Vermont EPSCoR member Jason Stockwell and a team of 39 scientists, shows that much uncertainty exists about the effects of storms on phytoplankton—and, therefore, on the health of lakes around the world.

Vermont EPSCoR 2020 Winter Magazine
We are happy to share with you the latest news from Vermont EPSCoR in the 2020 winter magazine.

Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux Appointed to President's Commission for Inclusive Excellence
VT EPSCoR researcher and Professor of Geography Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, PhD was appointed as a new member of the President's Commission for Inclusive Excellence by UVM President Suresh Garimella, PhD. President Garimella made the appointment official on February 18, 2020 via an email sent to the UVM community. As a member of the Commission, Dr. Dupigny-Giroux will provide insights and suggestions to forward UVM's goals of inclusion and diversity.

Macroinvertebrate Investigation with Milton Middle School
Milton Middle School students were treated to some real-time CSI work in early February! Vermont EPSCoR Post-Doctoral Associate Dustin Kincaid, PhD and CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison Janel Roberge led students through a macroinvertebrate investigation activity on February 12, 2020. 7th and 8th graders were presented a mock-up teaching sample and charged with finding the macroinvertebrates. This activity taught students how real scientists find macroinvertebrates and taught them how to discover clues indicating more about the health of local streams. Approximately 45 students from 7th and 8th grade classrooms participated in the activity.

NSF RII-Track 4 - EPSCoR Research Fellow David Bond, Bennington College
In 2018, Dr. Bond was invited to be a Member in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, NJ. The support of the EPSCoR Research Fellowship made it possible for him to accept this premier invitation and join 26 scholars from across the social sciences and around the world working on the theme of “Crisis and Critique.”

NSF RII Track-2 FEC Award - Dr. Sara Cahan, University of Vermont
Faculty from the Department of Biology (Sara Helms Cahan, Brent Lockwood ) and the Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences (Seth Frietze) at UVM have received a $4,771,722 Track-2 award to build a cross-jurisdictional research network with colleagues in Rhode Island (James Waters, Providence College and Heather J. Axen, Salve Regina University) and at the University of Kentucky (Nicholas Teets). In line with the program’s theme of “Genome to Phenome”, the team will be investigating how the genotype and environment interact to determine resistance to temperature stress, using the fruit fly model organism Drosophila melanogaster.

Former BREE Intern is Now an NBC5 Meterologist
Ben Frechette, a BREE undergraduate intern in 2017 and 2018, now serves as the newest member of the NBC5 First Alert Weather team as a meteorologist.

Fall 2019 Policy and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Meeting
The VT EPSCoR Policy and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Spring Meeting was held on December 19, 2019. The biannual meetings offer a space for policy makers, decision makers, researchers, federal agency representatives, town and local officials from around the state and region to convene and take an active role in interactive sessions surrounding the Lake Champlain Basin.

BREE Researchers Present at AMS Annual Meeting and Dr. Dupigny-Giroux Receives Honors
Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux was inducted as a Fellow of the AMS during the annual meeting. As a Fellow, Dupigny-Giroux is among a select group of AMS members recognized for their outstanding contributions to the atmospheric, oceanic or hydrologic sciences over a substantial period of years. An applied climatologist by training, Dupigny-Giroux's research interests intersect several fields including hydroclimatic natural hazards and climate literacy, as well as the use of remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in the fields of spatial climate and land-surface processes. Dupigny-Giroux is the State Climatologist for Vermont.

2020 Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop
Vermont EPSCoR hosted a successful Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop on January 8, 2020.

Patrick Clemins Attends Campus Research Computing Consortium at SuperComputing 2019
Patrick Clemins, PhD, VT EPSCoR Manager of Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships, attended SuperComputing 2019 (SC19), the world's premier conference on SuperComputing and High Performance Computing, in Denver, Colorado from November 17-22, 2019. While at the meeting, he participated in the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC), a gathering of research computing groups from across the United States that serves to bring the community together to share best practices. The Emerging Centers Track consisted of smaller research computing groups, including those at the Universty of Vermont (UVM) and other R2 and smaller R1 institutions. This provided Dr. Clemins an opportunity to learn from similar institutions while also sharing best practices currently in place within Vermont EPSCoR systems.

Stream Survey and Macroinvertebrate Identification with Harwood Union Middle School
Vermont EPSCoR CWDD's Janel Roberge, Education and Outreach Coordinator, and LeeAnn Trusela, Project Manager, led roughly 40 seventh-grade students at Harwood Union Middle School in Duxbury, VT through water quality and site assessment and macroinvertebrate sampling at the school's Lozelle Brook on October 22, 2019. Under the CWDD's guidance, students made observations about the stream sites near their school and collected macroinvertebrates for later identification.

Dr. Tania Bacchus Retires
After more than 26 years teaching meteorology, oceanography and other environmental science courses at NVU-Johnson, Tania Bacchus is moving on at the end of this semester.

Summer 2019 Interns Present BREE Research at SACNAS
BREE interns Julyanice Cruz and Pamela Garcia presented the results of their summer 2019 research during the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Annual Conference that took place from October 31 to November 2, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marked the first time that BREE research was presented at a SACNAS meeting, and both posters were highly visited by conference attendees.

VT EPSCoR Leads SACNAS Collaboration
CWDD Coordinator Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, PhD, led a collaboration of EPSCoR jurisdictions during the annual meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) from October 31 to November 2, 2019. The collaboration led by Dr. Gonzalez included seven other EPSCoR jurisdictions, with Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island present at the conference and Nevada, Delaware, and Mississippi sending materials. Representatives from these jurisdictions presented current research and offered STEM students internships and graduate school opportunities.

IAM Team Kicks off Fall Meetings
The BREE Integrated Assessment Modeling (IAM) Team began its Fall Semester round of meetings on September 24, 2019. The meeting, which included members of the IAM and other BREE teams, included an opportunity for attendees to meet new post docs Ravindra Dwidevi, PhD and Takis Oikonomou, PhD.

Social Systems Team Kicks off September Meetings
The BREE Social Systems Team met on September 18, 2019 to kick off their Fall Semester schedule of meetings. The team introduced new Post-doctoral Associate, Takis Oikonomou, PhD. This meeting also provided an update on research performed over the summer as well as preparation for the Policy and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Meeting that will take place in December 2019.

The Vermont EPSCoR Fall 2019 Newsletter
After a busy field season we exchanged lots of interesting findings at the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. We were fortunate to have Ted Brady, Deputy Secretary, VT Agency of Commerce and Community Development, as our key note speaker. He delivered a great message to our students and scholarship recipients about the amazing professional opportunities available here, and encouraged everyone to consider a career in Vermont.

Dr. Arne Bomblies Presents Lightning Talk at National NSF EPSCoR Meeting in South Carolina
Dr. Arne Bomblies, VT State EPSCoR Director, was invited to give a three-minute lightning talk on the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events in the Lake Champlain Basin (BREE) project at the National NSF EPSCoR meeting in Columbia, South Carolina on October 29, 2019. The audience was composed of fellow EPSCoR states and jurisdictions from around the country including representatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Life of a Scientist with Barre City Elementary and Middle School
Janel Roberge, Vermont EPSCoR's CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison, led a discussion with students from Barre City Elementary and Middle School in Barre, VT about the life of a scientist on November 4, 2019. The presentation took place in Andrea Bixler's first-grade classroom, where Ms. Roberge discussed the research techniques used by scientists in the field. Students practiced their science skills by making observations about water and stream bug samples.

Ecological Team October Meeting
The BREE Ecological Team held its first Fall Full Team meeting on October 16, 2019. The meeting included members of both the Ecological Team and other BREE research teams, and allowed attendees to meet new post doc Ravindra Dwivedi, PhD. Attendees of the meeting gathered in person and remotely through videoconferencing. The team discussed the upcoming goals for Year 4 as well as publications and other milestones.

Macroinvertebrate Investigation at Lyman C. Hunt Middle School
On October 14, 2019 CWDD's LeeAnn Trusela and Janel Roberge traveled to Lyman C. Hunt Middle School to aid students in completing a Macroinvertebrate Investigation. Groups of 6th graders were given a mock-up teaching sample and were responsible for finding the macroinvertebrates (and in one case, a very tiny salamander) within! The visit emphasized to students how “real” scientists can do just what the students had done to discover more about the health of local streams. About 40 students made their way through the dual-session day.

Camel’s Hump Middle School Students Talk about the Health of Lake Champlain!
On October 15, 2019, CWDD's Education and Outreach Liaison, Janel Roberge, traveled to Richmond, VT to lead Camels Hump Middle School students through a Stated Choice Activity. Roughly forty, 5th grade students had to make choices that impact the health of Lake Champlain based on their preference concerning factors such as Land Use Management and Fish Consumption Advisories. The 45-minute session ended with students sharing out their thoughts on lake governance and management. Teacher, Kerry Young, is planning to invite the CWDD back again in the spring when students are doing their ecology unit for follow-up!

Vermont Works for Women, Women Can Do! Action Expo
Vermont EPSCoR Post-Doc Liz Doran, PhD encouraged high school-aged girls to see their potential futures as scientists at the Women Can Do! Action Expo hosted by Vermont Works for Women on October 17, 2019. CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison Janel Roberge and CWDD Project Manager LeeAnn Trusela also participated in the event.

Life of a Scientist with Flynn Elementary School
Vermont EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and Post-doctoral Associates (Post-Doc) gave first graders at J.J. Flynn Elementary School insight into the life of a scientist in October. GRA Caitlin Crossett, Post-Doc Ravindra Dwivedi, PhD, and Post-Doc Dustin Kincaid, PhD joined CWDD Coordinator Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, PhD and CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison Janel Roberge on October 8th, 16th, and 21st to meet with three different first grade classes.

Dr. Patrick Clemins Invited Speaker at State Science & Technology Institute Annual Conference
Patrick Clemins, PhD, Manager of Cyberinfrastructure and Partnerships with Vermont EPSCoR, was an invited panelist at the State Science & Technology Institute Annual Conference (SSTI) on September 11, 2019. Dr. Clemins was a presenter on the panel session titled "Successful Support for First-Time SBIR Applicants". Dr. Clemins outlined the different funding mechanisms that Vermont EPSCoR offers to small business owners and innovators. The panel was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Other members of the panel included Brittany Sickler (Senior Innovation Policy Advisor, SBIR/STTR, SBA), Daniel Moses (Director, Oklahoma Catalyst Programs, University of Oklahoma), and Steve Konsek (SBIR/STTR Program Director, NSF).

Ecology Day at Camel’s Hump Middle School!
Ecology Day at Camel's Hump Middle School was held on October 3, 2019. VT EPSCoR GRAs Wilton Burns and Caitlin Crossett helped students identify macroinvertebrates and provided the middle school students with an opportunity to interact with real scientists.

BioBlitz at Camel's Hump Middle School
The first ever BioBlitz event at Camel's Hump Middle School was held on September 18 & 19, 2019. During this two-day event, Janel Roberge, Education and Outreach Liaison for the Vermont EPSCoR CWDD program, accompanied 65 students to a perennial stream site and instructed students how to catalog each of the organisms that they found. Ms. Roberge led a three and a half hour excursion on the first day. During this time she served primarily as a benthic macroinvertebrate specialist but helped students to identify other organisms as well.

National SBIR Road Tour 2020 held at the University of Vermont
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Road Tour came to Vermont on September 16, 2019 for a day-long series of panels and discussions in the University of Vermont (UVM) Davis Center. Vermont State EPSCoR Director Arne Bomblies, PhD, PE participated in a panel to discuss the variety of ways in which Vermont EPSCoR helps local small businesses, including SBIR Phase(0) and Pilot Project awards. Approximately 150 entrepreneurs and researchers attended the event.

$3B in research funding up for grabs at inventors' event
The federal agencies that spend $3 billion each year in research grants are visiting Vermont for the first time next month to introduce themselves to local entrepreneurs.

Jonathan Winter Wins NSF CAREER Award for Research, Teaching
Assistant Professor of Geography Jonathan Winter has won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which recognizes junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher and researcher and who have the ability to integrate the two.

2019 Vermont EPSCoR Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
The 2019 Vermont EPSCoR Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium showcased the work of undergraduate researchers in the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) program. The event took place on Thursday August 1st, 2019 at Main Street Landing in Burlington Vermont and was hosted by the Center for Workforce Development and Diversity. The symposium offers student researchers an opportunity to practice their science communication skills in a professional environment, and provides a critical capstone to the summer undergraduate internships. BREE research provides valuable insights on the Lake Champlain Basin for many stakeholders throughout Vermont. The many contributions from this year’s young scientists will help improve our understanding even more! Thank you to all for your effort and dedication.

Castleton Student Receives Vermont EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity Scholarship
Tracee Turnbaugh, a Computer Information Systems major from North Clarendon, Vermont, was recently awarded the 2019 First Generation Student Scholarship from the Vermont Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research’s Center for Workforce Development and Diversity. The award is given to first-generation and Native American college students entering a STEM-related academic program at a Vermont college or university. Turnbaugh is the second Castleton student to ever receive the award.

Dr. Alan Betts Gives Hands-On Workshop to Shader Croft Students
Alan Betts, PhD presented a hands-on workshop about weather, climate, and climate change to seven students and three staff members from the Shader Croft School, a non-profit organization that provides specialized instruction to Vermont students, on July 9, 2019. The group met at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT, after which Dr. Betts led a discussion and journey up Lone Tree Hill. The walking trail from Lone Tree Hill offers visitors a 1/2-mile round trip from the site's Farm Barn, offering opportunities to explore the environment and plant life along the way. Dr. Betts led students in a discussion about measuring energy balance of living plants, the temperature of the sky on a sunny day, and more.

Declan McCabe, PhD Receives Graduate Accomplished Alumnus Award
BREE project member Declan McCabe, PhD received the Accomplished Graduate Alumnus of the Year Award from the University of Vermont (UVM) on May 17, 2019. He highlighted his BREE research during the Honors Day Award ceremony at UVM which led up to his acceptance of the award.

Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux Named AMS Fellow
Professor of Geography Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux was recently elected as a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation’s premier scientific and professional organization disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences.

VT EPSCoR and VGN Visit the Vermont State House
Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, PhD, Coordinator for the VT EPSCoR CWDD, and Tabitha Finch, PhD, Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) Director of Professional Development and Education Core, visited the Vermont State House on May 16, 2019 to discuss the missions of Vermont EPSCoR and VGN with state representatives.

Vermont EPSCoR Newsletter - Summer 2019
Our BREE colleagues continue to grow and receive recognitions for their expertise and accomplishments. Please explore our summer newsletter.

Video games offer clues to help curb animal disease outbreaks
Strengthening biosecurity is widely considered the best strategy to reduce the devastating impact of disease outbreaks in the multi-billion-dollar global swine industry, but successfully doing so all comes down to human decision-making, a University of Vermont study shows.

VT EPSCoR lake and stream researchers off and running
This summer the VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development & Diversity (CWDD) has been busy welcoming 18 undergraduate interns and 46 high school participants to both the Saint Michael’s College and University of Vermont campuses for the 2019-2020 research year.

UVM researchers make key use of drones
A buzz in the skies over the Richmond green this week turned out to be the University of Vermont Spacial Analysis Lab's drone team out practicing.

99.3 FM WBTV - Views & Stews - The Water Show with VT EPSCoR
In our first hour, a conversation with three scientists from the VT EPSCoR program at the University of Vermont. We’ll talk about how we’re learning about water in Vermont and elsewhere. Their research is extensive and innovative, and pertinent to the issues of water quality Vermont is addressing today.

LaunchVT startups net $135,000 in cash and services
Three female founded startups were selected to receive cash awards totalling $35,000 at the seventh annual LaunchVT Demo Night. All eight startups in the 2019 cohort have been partnered with local businesses and will receive professional services worth over $100,000. Demo Night, LaunchVT (link is external)’s annual investor showcase and pitch event, comes at the end of an eight week intensive program where entrepreneurs in the LaunchVT cohort work with a dedicated coach, strategic advisors, and each other to refine their business models, hone their pitches, and prepare for the future. Two hundred investors, advisors, and observers came out on May 31st to cheer on the founders and celebrate the local community that supports them.

Atmosphoria Wins $15,000 LaunchVT VT EPSCoR Impact Award
Congrats to the Launch VT 2019 Cohort!

2019 Vermont EPSCoR All Hands Meeting
VT EPSCoR held a successful kick off to Year 4 with an exciting All Hands Meeting on June 4, 2019 at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. Over 80 participants attended including the new 2019 Undergraduate interns, graduate students, post-doctoral associates, and members from the VT EPSCoR External Advisory Committee.

Dr. Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez Presents at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Symposium
Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, PhD, Vermont EPSCoR's CWDD Coordinator, presented on the topic of diversity, equality, and inclusion at Universidad Ana G. Mendez 2nd Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium in Carolina, Puerto Rico on May 17, 2019. Presenting remotely to approximately 400 students, Dr. Sosa-Gonzalez detailed Vermont EPSCoR's diversity efforts as a case study to foster inclusion and diversity. She also answered questions from the audience about how Vermont EPSCoR built and expanded its network and why the program considers training to be an important part of the diversity initiative.

BREE High School Teacher presents at NSF Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) All Scientists Meeting
BREE High School teacher Glenda Almodovar Morales presented her Vermont EPSCoR funded research at the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF LTER) All Scientists Meeting in Pacific Grove, California in October 2018. The meeting, which occurs once every three years, provided Ms. Almodovar Morales with an opportunity to highlight research that her students worked on during the 2017-2018 academic year.

VT EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Awardees Attend National Science Foundation Convergence Meeting
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) held a first ever meeting with all Research Infrastructure Improvement Awardees (RII) Tracks 1 -2 and 4 in Old Alexandria, Virginia on May 15 – 17, 2019. The meeting theme focused on “Convergence” and provided the opportunity for Principle Investigators (PIs) from all EPSCoR states and jurisdictions around the country to hear about funding trends at the NSF and other EPSCoR-like programs including the newly announced funding opportunities expected from the Department of Defense (DEPSCoR) program. The forum also provided a venue for PIs from different RII funding mechanisms to network and discover potential future collaborative areas of common interest – and convergence.

High School Teams from Puerto Rico Participate in Cultural Exchange Visit with Burlington High School Pilot Burlington City and
Several VT EPSCoR CWDD High School Student Interns from Puerto Rico traveled to Vermont to attend the Annual Research Symposium and share experiences with Vermont students at Burlington High School for a cultural exchange visit. Burlington High School is in the pilot year of the Burlington City & Lake (BCL) Semester.

Advancing young girls by Dr. Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez
f we want to build the capacity for scientific solutions that address the needs of all Vermonters then we must encourage the voices of under-represented groups to join the conversation. Having more scientifically trained people in Vermont, no matter what career pathway they take, is incredibly important for our state’s economic future. Even if we can’t see it, science is built into practically everything we do: from the decisions we make to the products we use. We strive to enrich our story by offering opportunities to those groups who have been traditionally underrepresented in these areas by connecting more students of different genders, races, ethnicities, and socio-economic positions, to career pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Forum to Advance Science and Policy Recommendations on Lake Champlain Water Quality
A forum to advance science and policy recommendations on Lake Champlain water quality was held on May 8th, 2019 at the St. Michael's College Dion Event Center.

Q&A: Space company climbs into universe of small satellite propulsion
Ryan McDevitt, 37, is CEO of Benchmark Space Systems, a 2-year-old South Burlington company that makes compact propulsion systems for small satellites.

Forecasted Funding Opportunity for DoD - Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Program
The DoD released a Notice of Intent for the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Program. Approximately $3.6 million may be made available to support up to six awards. Eligibility is restricted to institutions of higher education in DEPSCoR eligible states. Application due dates are to be determined. More information regarding

LaunchVT announces 2019 Accelerator Cohort
LaunchVT has selected the eight Vermont startups that will be participating in its 2019 Accelerator Cohort. This is the seventh cohort of startups to come through LaunchVT’s acceleration program. Over the past six years LaunchVT has provided business development support, strategic coaching, and over $550,000 in cash and services to accelerate 43 Vermont startups.

Informational Session: EPSCoR RII Track-1 Grant Proposal Process
An informational session was held at the UVM Davis center to provide an overview of the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure and Improvment (RII) Track-1 grant proposal process. The session was led by Arne Bomblies, PhD, PE, State Director of Vermont EPSCoR.

BREE GRAs Present at UVM Student Research Conference
BREE graduate research assistants Kevin Andrew and Brittany Lancellotti presented research posters at the UVM Student Research Day on April 17, 2019.

BREE Members Present at Northeast Regional Conference on Complex Systems
BREE Integrated Assessment Co-Leader Asim Zia, PhD and Graduate Research Assistant, Kevin Andrew, each presented at the Second Northeast Regional Conference on Complex Systems (NERCCS) in Binghamton, New York on April 5, 2019.

Long Trail students win awards
DORSET — Long Trail School junior Langston Quail and seniors Zachary Lee and Hope Soucy were awarded gold medals as top students at this year's Vermont Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Fair at Norwich University on March 30. These three students presented their research on the influence of stream velocity and habitat (upstream and downstream side of river rocks) on macroinvertebrate taxa from the Mettowee River. They were also recognized as state finalists for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and were presented with the prestigious Air Force Science Fair Award.

Dr. Alan Betts Introduces Lothrop Elementary Students to Climate Research
Alan Betts, PhD, a climate scientist with the Vermont EPSCoR BREE program, visited Lothrop Elementary School in Brandon, Vermont on April 3, 2019 to introduce students to weather and climate science.

Elementary students at JJ Flynn in Burlington VT Learn How to Use a Microscope and Examine Stream Insects
BREE postdoctoral associate Dr. Dustin Kincaid, BREE graduate research assistant Brittany Lancellotti, and CWDD Coordinator Dr. Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez introduced students at JJ Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, VT to stream research on March 25, 2019. They brought microscopes, magnifying glasses, and macroinvertebrate species for students to examine at the JJ Flynn Elementary School Maker's Faire for grades 1 through 5.

Brave Little State: How Is Climate Change Affecting Vermont Right Now?
We know the predictions are dire; we know there are urgent conversations to be had about policy. But to answer this listener question, we stay focused on the present.

2019 Vermont EPSCoR Student Research Symposium
The 11th annual Vermont EPSCoR Student Research Symposium showcased the work of student researchers in the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) program. The event took place on Tuesday April 2, 2019 in the Dion Student Center on the Saint Michael's College campus and was hosted by the Center for Workforce Development and Diversity. The symposium offers student researchers an opportunity to practice their science communication skills in a professional environment, and provides a critical capstone to the year-long high school research projects and summer undergraduate internships. BREE research provides valuable insights on the Lake Champlain Basin for many stakeholders throughout Vermont. The many contributions from this year’s young scientists will help improve our understanding even more! Thank you to all for your effort and dedication.

Dr. Asim Zia leads pre-conference workshop at ASPA Section for Complexity and Network Studies Meeting
Dr. Asim Zia, Co-Leader of the BREE Integrated Assessment Team, organized a workshop titled "Advancing Public Service Through Big Data and AI." The workshop, held on March 7, 2019 in Washington, DC, at the American Society for Public Administration Meeting. The workshop included a panel of experts who discussed the opportunities and challenges posed by “rapidly spreading digital revolution, internet of things, drones and ubiquitous computing. While these new disruptive technologies have led to the widespread diffusion of big data, service delivery, machine learning and AI technologies in the private sector, the public sector agencies are lagging far behind in both regulating the adverse impacts of AI (e.g. strategic spread of fake news and rumors in elections through advertising campaigns in social media) as well as harnessing AI technologies for addressing persistent public sector issues (e.g. social equity, infrastructure resilience, sustainable development, and government accountability).”

BREE Members Present at ASLO 2019 Aquatic Sciences Conference
BREE Ecological Systems Team Co-Leader Andrew Schroth, PhD and Vermont EPSCoR GRA Wilton Burns attended the 2019 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Aquatic Sciences Meeting, which ran from February 23rd through March 2nd in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While there, they presented a poster titled "Understanding the timing and intensity of cyanobacteria blooms in St. Albans Bay and Missisquoi Bay," which featured BREE research.

Macroinvertebrate Mystery at Lyman C. Hunt Middle School
On February 5th and 7th, the CWDD traveled to Lyman C. Hunt Middle School in Burlington, VT to lead students through a Macroinvertebrate Mystery. Approximately 40 students participated in the event. Each student received macroinvertebrate samples to examine. They then found, grouped, and tallied as many insects as they could in order to figure out whether the streams the samples came from were healthy or polluted.

Hypothesis Creation with Lyman C. Hunt Middle School
VT EPSCoR post-doc Erin Seybold and CWDD members LeeAnn Trusela, and Janel Roberge traveled to Lyman C. Hunt Middle School on February 14 2019 and led roughly 40 students through hypothesis creation and testing.

Vermont EPSCoR Winter 2019 Magazine
We are happy to share with you the latest news from Vermont EPSCoR in this 2019 winter

Ice Capades
Come mid-January, when I’m acclimatized to Vermont’s winter, I enjoy an occasional stroll on the icy surface of Lake Champlain. I favor bays sheltered from the brunt of winter winds where the ice has had ample time to thicken. I pull microspikes on over my boots and off I go.

Manure decisions extend beyond growing season to influence GHG emissions
Decisions farmers make over the spring and summer can dramatically increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions later in the winter, a new study from the University of Vermont concluded.

Dr. Alan Betts Speaks at Rutland High School
Dr. Alan Betts, a member of the BREE Climate and Integrated Assessment teams, spoke to a student group of ecologists, economists, and environmental scientists at Rutland High School on January 17, 2019. Approximately 40 people attended the talk titled "The Climate Change Challenge." Additionally, students from Rutland High School's Environmental Club participated in an extended discussion after the talk's conclusion.

2019 Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop
Vermont EPSCoR hosted an Alan Alda Communicating Science Workshop on January 19, 2019.

Herreld Rosado-Loubriel, 2018 Vermont EPSCoR Undergraduate Intern, presents at ABRCMS
CWDD Coordinator Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez attended the 2018 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), which ran from November 14 to November 17, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN.

Scott Hamshaw Awarded CUAHSI Fellowship
Dr. Scott Hamshaw, a post doc with Vermont EPSCoR's BREE project, was selected for Hydroinformatics Innovation Fellowship funding from the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) in December 2018. The funding will support a project that Dr. Hamshaw is collaborating on with UVM Computer Science PhD student Ali Javed, building a small software implementation that uses some of Dr. Hamshaw's research on storm event analysis.

Large contingent of BREE scientists attend the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Fall Meeting
A large contingent of BREE scientists attended the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Fall Meeting, which ran from December 10th to December 14th in Washington, DC. More than a dozen BREE faculty members, post docs, graduate students, and undergraduate interns made oral and poster presentations. Topics of these presentations included evaluating climate model parameter specifications, estimating sediment and phosphorous transport during floods, modeling impacts of watershed management on lake cyanobacteria blooms, and more.

Doug Denu Presents Masters Defense
Doug Denu, a GRA with Vermont EPSCoR, presented his masters defense on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. His defense, "Predicting Reach-scale Sediment Regimes to Prioritize River Restoration and Conservation," examined river data gathered from the framework provided by a Self Organizing Map (SOM) and Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA).

Dr. Asim Zia Leads Panel at UNFCCC
BREE Integrated Assessment Co-Leader Dr. Asim Zia led a panel on December 8, 2018 titled "Implementing Food-Energy-Water Security Early Warning Systems for Adaptation to Climate Change" at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Katowice, Poland.

Vermont EPSCoR Travels to Grand Isle State Park
Vermont EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Caitlin Crossett joined CWDD Coordinator Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez and CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison Janel Roberge on September 27, 2018, for a trip to Grand Isle State Park, where they led approximately 40 students from Camel’s Hump Middle School through site and water quality assessments. The group also took macroinvertebrate samples from the lake and looked at them under microscopes in an effort to more deeply understand the concepts of bio indicators and human impact on water systems. This provided attending students with a deeper knowledge about their impact on Lake Champlain.

Vermont EPSCoR Travels to Grand Isle State Park
Vermont EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Caitlin Crossett joined CWDD Coordinator Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez and CWDD Education and Outreach Liaison Janel Roberge on September 27, 2018, for a trip to Grand Isle State Park, where they led approximately 40 students from Camel’s Hump Middle School through site and water quality assessments. The group also took macroinvertebrate samples from the lake and looked at them under microscopes in an effort to more deeply understand the concepts of bio indicators and human impact on water systems. This provided attending students with a deeper knowledge about their impact on Lake Champlain.

CWDD Participates in Harwood Union Middle School Field Day
Middle school students from Harwood Union Middle School in Moretown, Vermont participated in an engaging field day on October 24, 2018, with the help of CWDD members Janel Roberge and LeeAnn Trusela. Approximately 40 students were instructed how to make scientific observations that would indicate the health of Lozelle Brook, which ultimately flows into Lake Champlain. Students further investigated those observations using water and macroinvertebrate sampling techniques. These techniques included using a kick net and scrubbing rocks found in the streams.

The Life of a Scientist
Vermont EPSCoR post-doctoral associates, Drs. Scott Hamshaw and Dustin Kincaid, Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Daniel Demers, CWDD members Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez and Janel Roberge visited Courtney Asaro’s first grade STEAM class at Flynn Elementary School for three days in September 2018. The topic was “Life of a Scientist”. All Vermont EPSCoR members briefly talked to the students about what they did as scientists. The groups of roughly 20 students made observations about water samples and macroinvertebrate samples, using magnifying glasses for the first time in many cases, before playing an interactive game that involved students relating their own interests to activities that real scientists do.

Fall 2018 Policy and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Meeting
The VT EPSCoR Policy and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) Fall Meeting was held on November 30th, 2018. The biannual meetings offer a space for policy makers, decision makers, researchers, federal agency representatives, town and local officials from around the state and region to convene and take an active role in interactive sessions surrounding the Lake Champlain Basin.

CWDD Attends People's Academy Outreach Event
On October 8, 2018 CWDD's Janel Roberge and LeeAnn Trusela traveled to Morrisville, VT to assist two science teachers from People's Academy in leading roughly 35 AP Biology students through an all-encompassing field day. At the Wild Brach and Ryder Brook stream sites, students were tasked with conducting site, water quality, and babitat assessments, along with learning and executing processes used to measure the flow of the streams. Additionally, students learned about the importance of biological indicators through sampling their sites for benthic macroinvertebrates.

VT EPSCoR BREE Seminar Series - Alan Betts
Alan Betts presents his BREE seminar, "Climate Change and Vermont"

UVM Professor a Key Contributor to Latest Federal Climate Assessment
Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux. The professor and Vermont State Climatologist was selected from nearly 200 experts to serve as lead author of the Northeast chapter on the national report.

LeeAnn Trusela Joins Vermont EPSCoR
LeeAnn Trusela joined the EPSCoR team in October 2018 as the Project/Office Manager for the Center for Workforce Development & Diversity at St. Michael’s College.

Linyuan Shang Presents PhD Defense
Linyuan Shang, Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) with Vermont EPSCoR, successfully presented his PhD defense on Monday, October 29, 2018.

I-Corps Workshop held in Burlington, Vermont
Vermont EPSCoR teamed up with UVM Innovations, the Vermont Department of Economic Development, and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies to help sponsor an I-Corps workshop on November 2, 2018.

Vermont EPSCoR Newsletter - Fall 2018
Our BREE colleagues continue to grow and receive recognitions for their expertise and accomplishments – most recently Dr. Declan McCabe who is a Co-PI on a new NSF S-STEM award that will help train more data-savvy students through scholarships at Saint Michael’s College; and Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, who will receive the 2018 Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) Professional Excellence Award.

Matthew Vaughan Presents PhD Defense
Matthew Vaughan, RACC Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) with Vermont EPSCoR and now member of the BREE Political and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) as a Technical Coordinator with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), successfully presented his PhD defense on Friday, October 19, 2018.

Clelia Marti Joins Vermont EPSCoR Team
Clelia Marti, PhD has officially joined Vermont EPSCoR and the University of Vermont as a Research Assistant Professor with the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. She is currently contributing to the development of a fully 3D coupled physical and biogeochemical model of Lake Champlain as part of the Vermont EPSCoR Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) project.

CWDD Attends Women Can Do! Action Expo
Wilton Burns, Vermont EPSCoR Graduate Research Associate, and members of the Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) on October 11, 2018 participated in the Women Can Do! Action Expo hosted by Vermont Works for Women. Held at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vermont, the event encouraged high school-aged girls to consider their future careers as potential scientists.