Below is info on a NatureNet Postdoc program with the Nature Conservancy.  One of the opportunities (listed under "Decision Making") would be working with me (and Kelly Leo, our Resilient Coast Director) and Professor Elizabeth Fussell at Brown University.  The description of our project is below:

Understanding Human Responses to Coastal Flooding on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (Decision Making)
 
Research approaches will provide insights into how rural counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are affected by and respond to environmental changes associated with sea level rise and climate change. Of particular interest are projects that would inform policies related to residential relocation and nature restoration. Applicants with background in anthropology, demography, economics, geography, psychology, public policy, sociology, or another social science discipline with expertise in environmental topics preferred.




Please share this general postdoctoral opportunity with great postdoctoral candidates.

Ariana



NATURE NET POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP INFO

The Nature Conservancy is pleased to solicit applications for the NatureNet Science Fellowship a trans-disciplinary postdoctoral fellowship and research grant program. The NatureNet Science Fellows program bridges academic excellence and conservation practice to create a new generation of climate change leaders who combine the rigor of academic science with real-world application. The outstanding early-career scientists in this 2-year postdoctoral program differ from other postdocs in two major ways:
 
1. They have prioritized improving and expanding their research skills— directing their efforts towards problems at the interface of climate, conservation, business, technology, and people; AND
 
2. They are committed to their professional development—  participating and applying trainings designed to improve skills in science communication, working-group facilitation, and leadership.
 
Recognizing that The Nature Conservancy’s conservation mission is best advanced by the contributions of individuals of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures—  NatureNet encourages applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, gender identities, military or veteran status or other status protected by law.
 
The call for applications features two post-doctoral opportunities. Read the Eligibility and Award Terms carefully to determine the best fit for your research program. For both programs, applicants should identify a project and mentors from the available list: https://naturenetsciencefellows.org/
 
FULL POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP
Applicants will work with a Nature Conservancy mentor and a senior scholar (or scholars) from our 2019 Partner Universities- Brown University; Columbia University; Stanford University; Science for Nature and People Partnership, University of California – Los Angeles; University of Minnesota; University of Virginia; or the University of Queensland to develop a research program. The Conservancy expects post-doctoral appointments to start between May and September. Each Fellow will receive a non-negotiable annual salary of $50,000 plus benefits, with the postdoctoral position expected to run for two consecutive years. In addition to the stipend, each Fellow receives an annual travel budget of approximately $5,000 and an annual research fund of approximately $20,000. Second-year renewal of the fellowship is contingent upon satisfactory progress and contribution to the collective program.
 
RESEARCH GRANT
Applicants and a university mentor from their host institution collaborate with a Nature Conservancy mentor to develop a research application. Each grantee will receive a research stipend of $20,000, with the grant period expected to run for two consecutive years. Second-year renewal of the grant is contingent upon satisfactory progress and contribution to the collective program. The Conservancy will distribute grant funds between May and September. Funds are awarded directly to the grantee's institution and may be used by the grantee for such purposes as equipment, technical assistance, professional travel, trainee support, or any other activity directly related to the grantees's research. Salary support is limited to a maximum of three months of the established academic salary (not including IDC).
 
For more information on the NatureNet Science Fellowship and to apply please visit: https://naturenetsciencefellows.org/
​

SAGE member Melissa Kenney was quoted in this interesting article about climate change and public perceptions.  "Melissa Kenney, an environmental decision scientist at the University of Maryland, says she generally cites five primary indicators people should keep an eye on to get “the pulse of the planet:” global temperature, carbon dioxide levels, global sea level rise, Arctic sea ice, and ice sheets and glaciers. But sounding the alarm does little good if it isn't accompanied by proposed actions, she says."

Click here for the rest of the Christian Science Monitor article:
https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2018/0525/From-peak-CO2-to-record-low-sea-ice-making-sense-of-climate-news

This report, sponsored by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission with generous support of the Barr Foundation found that shore-based climate adaptation strategies have significant advantages over harbor-wide strategies for the region.

The project team included faculty, students and staff from the School for the Environment (SFE) and the Urban Harbors Institute (now part of SFE) as well as Arcadis, Woods Hole Group and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Paul Kirshen, Academic Director of the Sustainable Solutions Lab was the Principle Investigator.

Press Coverage

This eagerly anticipated report is already garnering lots of press coverage this morning:

The Boston Globe

The Boston Herald

WBUR

WGBH

Commonwealth Magazine

Boston Business Journal

Associated Press

Professor Dale Webber, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Studies and Research at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has been appointed Campus Principal of the Mona Campus in Jamaica.  His appointment takes effect from October 1, 2018.  

Congratulations Dale!

Click here for full article.

"Puerto Rico lost electricity again on April 18, seven months after Hurricane Maria first knocked out the island’s power grid. For people in some remote rural areas, the blackout was more of the same. Their power had yet to be restored.

The dangerous fragility of Puerto Rico’s energy systems has put other Caribbean countries on high alert. Across the region, electric grids are dated, ailing and overburdened – making it easy work for a powerful passing storm. 

Caribbean nations also rely heavily on oil and diesel imports to fuel their power plants – a dirty and expensive way to produce energy. So even before the 2017 hurricane season, Caribbean governments were trying to integrate renewable energy sources like wind and solar into their existing grids.
Now that task seems far more urgent. To move beyond fossil fuels, Caribbean countries must transform their energy systems by building in new, greener sources of power. That will also make electric grids more resilient to weather extremes because they will be decentralized – pulling from a diverse array of power sources."

​Click here for the rest of the article.

by Masaō Ashtine
Lecturer in Alternative Energy, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
Published by The Conversation
​

A SAGE member recently shared this report thinking that it would provide good information for those of us who are considering coastal resiliency in New England and beyond.  According to the executive summary, "This report provides a range of practical considerations for property managers, regulators, coastal municipal leaders, scientists and practitioners, who are interested in advancing living shoreline policies and practices. The living shoreline profiles provide an overview of the techniques, conceptual designs, case studies, siting characteristics and design considerations and regulatory and review agencies that oversee the designs. Additionally, an applicability index has been developed for common living shoreline types in New England. It is intended to serve as a guide for the development of regulations and policies to explicitly incorporate these approaches into the coastal management programs of the respective states and New England’s coastal communities."

Check it out:
https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/Marine/Pages/new-england-living-shorelines.aspx

SAGE member Angela Burnett Penn has recently published a book about experiences of people living in the Virgin Islands and their experiences of Hurricane Irma.

The Irma Diaries transposes readers to The Virgin Islands on 6th September, 2017 and into the shoes of islanders on the frontlines of climate change. In a very intimate, personal style, The Irma Diaries captures the harrowing, yet amazing and inspiring and, at times, amusing accounts of the ordinary- turned-extraordinary people who battled through Hurricane Irma, minute by minute, and came out alive.

Click here for more information: https://www.theirmadiaries.com/

"Supporting Climate Adaption Planning for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: What Surprising Changes will Occur to our Climate, Sea Level and Water Resources?"
Drs. Ambarish Karmalkar (NE CSC Postdoctoral Fellow), Ray Bradley (NE CSC PI), Ridwan Siddique (NE CSC Postdoctoral Fellow), Richard Palmer (NE CSC University Director), and Robert DeConto (NE CSC affiliated investigator) will present their research that informed statewide adaptation strategies as part of an initiative by Governor Baker of Massachusetts.  The NE CSC team provided guidance to the commonwealth of Massachusetts, local planners, managers, and the general public on the observed and expected trends in water resources, temperature and precipitation, and estimates of sea level rise.

The webinar at UMass Amherst will be in Room 134, Morrill Science Center II.  To join remotely, visit:  https://necsc.umass.edu/webinars/supporting-climate-adaption-planning-commonwealth-massachusetts-what-surprising-changes.  This webinar will be recorded and posted about a week after the talk.

The Northeast has been slammed by repeated storms.  After the last storm, Chris Reed wrote about Boston and the need for more integrated thinking and planning.  This is of course what SAGE members have now been thinking about for several years.  Interesting opinion piece - check it out.

Climate readiness: think big, act fast
By Chris Reed
Boston Globe, March 8, 2018

"Until recently, Boston was ahead of other cities in planning for sea-level rise and the effects of climate change before a catastrophic storm like Sandy or Harvey hit. Sure, king tides occasionally overtopped downtown wharves, and South Shore waterfront homes were repeatedly battered by winter storms. But now flooding in downtown Boston, the Seaport, and other neighborhoods is becoming a more regular and recurring phenomenon and is increasingly causing property damage, inconvenience, and, potentially, injury or worse..."  See the Boston Globe for the rest of the OpEd.

The New York City (NYC) Department of City Planning created a short video to illustrate special zoning regulations that apply in the floodplain. It explains NYC’s flood risk and how flood resilient construction is an important part of NYC’s effort to build multiple lines of defense from coastal flooding. City Planning also wants to generate input on how zoning could be further modified to remove regulatory barriers to resiliency investments and make neighborhoods more resilient. Visit www.nyc.gov/resilientneighborhoods or email ResilientNeighborhoods@planning.nyc.gov for more information on City Planning’s work.

Direct link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QJYgm0fRHk