Vermont EPSCoR Blog
In Their Own Words: Students Reflect on Ignite 4-H
04-19-2023
Four Vermont students traveled to Washington, DC to attend the National 4-H Ignite Teen Summit from march 9th through the 12th, thanks to an initiative made possible by Vermont 4-H and Vermont EPSCoR. Attended by over 900 people from across the United States and beyond, the summit gave these students an opportunity to participate in workshops and meet other future scientists.
The four students and one of the 4-H chaperones took a moment to reflect on the summit, sharing their experiences in Washington, DC.
Q&A with Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux
03-01-2023
A Professor of Geography and Geosciences, Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux is also Vermont's State Climatologist, having served in that post since 1997. She was a member of both the RACC and BREE programs with Vermont EPSCoR, and was appointed to the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in late 2022. Dr. Dupigny-Giroux took some time to answer a few questions about her illustrious career, highlighting some of her accomplishments and discussing her involvement with Vermont EPSCoR.
The Alan Alda Series at UVM
02-24-2023
The Alan Alda Communicating Science series began its relationship with UVM in 2015, when Alan Alda, himself, paid a visit to the university. An actor, director, and writer, Alda presented a lecture titled Helping the Public Get Beyond a Blind Date with Science as part of the Dan and Carole Burack President s Distinguished Lecture Series.
UVM and the 2022 SACNAS Conference
12-12-2022
The UVM chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) attended the 2022 National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico in October 2022 and was honored as one of two Chapters of the Year. This was UVM SACNAS's first outing to the national conference and the first time NDiSTEM was in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two students, Krizzia Soto-Villanueva, PhD candidate in Food Systems, and Zenllaze Gomez-Merlo, undergraduate in Engineering, attended with support from Vermont EPSCoR. Here's a quick overview of the conference and its impact.
VT EPSCoR Looks at Warming Winters and Water Pollution
11-22-2022
Climate change is leading to warmer winters, and that warmth means potential troubles for lakes and rivers in the United States. A recent publication in Environmental Research Letters from a multi-institutional team that includes several members of Vermont EPSCoR s BREE group examined the data behind this phenomenon in more depth.
Vermont EPSCoR and VWW: A Partnership for a Brighter Future
11-21-2022
Vermont EPSCoR strives to encourage young Vermonters to pursue a life in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Partnerships are a key element of that work, showing budding young scientists a glimpse of the life they seek to pursue. For years, the partnership with Vermont Works for Women (VWW) has stoked the fires of scientific passion and provided resources to women who will one day enter a STEM field.
Middlebury College Assistant Professor Ben Cotts on his DOE EPSCoR Award
10-21-2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently made $21 million of funding available to 29 new projects through DOE EPSCoR Lab Partnerships. Last week we spoke with Jihong Ma on her award, and this week we discuss the significance of the funding with Ben Cotts, PhD, Assistant Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry at Middlebury College.
UVM Assistant Professor Jihong Ma on her DOE EPSCoR Award
10-12-2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently made $21 million of funding available to 29 new projects through DOE EPSCoR Lab Partnerships. Vermont researchers Jihong Ma, PhD and Ben Cotts, PhD received some of this funding, which will benefit their ongoing research. Each recipient took a moment to speak on the significance of this funding; today we speak with Dr. Jihong Ma, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont.
Huanping Huang: Journey of a Scientist
10-05-2022
Former Vermont EPSCoR predoctoral candidate Huanping Huang earned his PhD in 2019, but the journey was not always a smooth one. In a recent article published in Science, he took a moment to reflect upon a long journey from rural China to his current role as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Caitlin Crossett Reflects on a Successful Dissertation
04-14-2022
Caitlin Crossett served as a graduate research assistant with Vermont EPSCoR's BREE project. In March 2022, she completed a major step in her scientific career by presenting her dissertation defense "Hydroclimatic Variability in the Northeastern United States" on March 30, 2022. With that work now behind her and a promising career ahead, Caitlin took the time to answer some questions about her time with Vermont EPSCoR and her plans for the future.
How Does Climate Policy Slow Warming? Brian Beckage’s New Paper Explains
03-15-2022
BREE Researcher Brian Beckage, PhD, recently co-authored a study that may provide good news for the scientific community and the world at large: climate policy may be helping to slow the warming resulting from human-caused climate change.
Q&A with Janel Roberge
03-09-2022
As the Operations Manager for Vermont EPSCoR's Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD), Janel Roberge often takes the lead on outreach to Vermonters. Her visits help engage students and teach them essential scientific processes, hopefully planting a seed that will grow into an increased passion for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Q&A with Pat Clemins
02-15-2022
Patrick Clemins, PhD, recently received an appointment to a steering committee with the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC) People Network Emerging Centers Track. He took a few moments to share his professional experiences and discuss what that appointment means.
Dustin Kincaid Provides Research and Answers about Land Use and Lake Phosophorus
01-21-2022
The increasing level of phosphorus in Lake Champlain and its consequences have been a point of focus in Vermont water science for many years. Dustin Kincaid, a postdoctoral associate with the Vermont EPSCoR Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) project, recently received recognition for his exploration of how land use and time of year effect those levels. His research article, "Land Use and Season Influence Event-Scale Nitrate and Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Exports and Export Stoichiometry from Headwater Catchments," received recognition from Water Resources Research with the 2020 Editors' Choice Award.
