Climate researchers from UMass Amherst along with state officials and legislators introduced the new Northeast Climate Science Center, based at UMass Amherst, at a February 28 event in Boston at the UMass Club. The center was created last year with a $7.5 million federal grant to study how climate change affects ecosystems, wildlife, water, and other natural resources. Richard Palmer, head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, along with UMass faculty members Raymond Bradley and Curtice Griffin, will be heading up the project. The February 28 event was covered by WBUR, WFXT-TV 25, WHDH-TV 7, and the Springfield Republican. View video of event at the UMass Club: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0VdiY8cu4&feature=youtu.be.
After the announcement of the grant in October of 2011, there was national coverage by Newsday, the Chicago Tribune, Mass High Tech, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the Associated Press, and the Springfield Republican.
UMass Amherst and partner institutions in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts will together receive $1.5 million core funding each year for five years, with more project-specific funds available. The Northeast Climate Science Centeris one of eight established by the Interior Department since the program was founded in 2009. The region includes New England and states west to Minnesota and south to Maryland.
The Republican story follows:
Officials to gather in Boston to introduce the Northeast Climate Science Center at UMass-Amherst
Published: Tuesday, February 28, 2012
By Conor Berry, The RepublicanThe Republican
BOSTON– Officials are scheduled to gather at noon on Tuesday for a public event at the UMass Club, 225 Franklin St., Boston, to introduce the new Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts. The Amherst-based center was established last year to focus on how climate change affects ecosystems, wildlife, water and other resources
In October 2011, the federal government awarded a $7.5 million grant to the University of Massachusetts to create the Northeast Climate Science Center, which will study how climate change affects ecosystems, wildlife, water, and other resources from Maine to Missouri. The Amherst center is among eight national climate centers created to study the effects of climate change.
Today's session in Boston is expected to include information about the initiative and will feature various special guests, including state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan, state Commissioner of Energy Resources Mark Sylvia, among others.
UMass officials expected to attend include Richard Palmer, Curt Griffin and Raymond Bradley, all professors at the Amherst campus who will serve as climate investigators for the project. Palmer is head of civil and environmental engineering at UMass, Bradley is director of the Climate System Research Center and Griffin is professor of wildlife ecology and conservation and co-director of the university's environmental sciences program.
The five-year grant will sponsor research at UMass-Amherst as well as at institutions in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts. (March 2012)
