Academic and Community Projects

Climate Resilient Flint

Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Environmental Literacy Program grant, “Climate Resilient Flint: Building Community-Driven Climate Resilience through Hyperlocal Science-to-Civics Learning” seeks to develop climate resilience literacy in Flint, MI through neighborhood placemaking projects and green workforce education and training. In this project, Kettering University partners with dedicated community non-profit organizations and under-resourced neighborhood groups to develop Flint’s first climate resilience initiative. Through deliberative community forums, neighborhood projects, and green infrastructure education and training, our three-year project (2023-2025) will foster participants’ awareness of extreme heat and precipitation events projected for the future and guide their development of climate resilient strategies to implement at the neighborhood scale. Projects components will be spearheaded by community vision and need, aligned with the City’s of Flint’s master plan, and contribute to its budding master environmental and sustainability plan. Award Number: NA22SEC0080008.

Partners: NOAA Climate Program Office · Kettering University · Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint · Neighborhood Engagement Hub · M.A.D.E. Institute

Project Website: climateresilientflint.com

Read the full project abstract and see additional project partners on NOAA’s News & Features.

Building Research Capacity for Sustainable Water and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa (BRECcIA)

In preparation for climate change impacts, BRECcIA sought to develop research capacity and strengthen existing research capabilities in sub-Saharan Africa in the related areas of water and food security. The BRECcIA programme brought together researchers, academics, and practitioners from 7 countries and 11 institutions to engage with stakeholders and policymakers in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana. Despite this international scope, BRECcIA’s philosophy was to address local challenges through local solutions developed by local researchers in accordance with local community needs. My responsibilities included creating a report that addressed research gaps and opportunities within the program’s ongoing resilience-based research in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana. BRECcIA was funded by the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (Project Reference Number: NE/P021093/1).

Project Website: https://www.gcrf-breccia.com/

Read the full project abstract on UKRI announcement page.

Massive Open Online Course: How to Address Global Challenges through Multidisciplinary Research

In partnership with BRECcIA, I created a MOOC for those interested in extending their research capacity through a brief introduction to community-based, multi-disciplinary research projects. The 4-week course is offered via FutureLearn at University of Southampton. Course material includes case studies taken from BRECcIA researchers’ own environmental and sustainability field work and experiences.