$77.8M Climate Resilience Grant Includes College of Charleston
As part of a multi-state NSF investment, the College has received funding for a project addressing the compounding climate hazards affecting coastal communities.
The College of Charleston is part of a $77.8-million National Science Foundation investment to build climate resilience capacity. Norman Levine, professor of geology and environmental geosciences at the College, is the state lead on the multi-state NSF grant.
Spanning 50 institutions across 21 EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) jurisdictions, this investment aims to build research and development capacity and strengthen STEM education opportunities in states that have traditionally received lower levels of funding.
The NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused EPSCoR Collaborations Program awards will support interdisciplinary research teams working across jurisdictions to advance climate change research and build resilience in disproportionately affected communities nationwide. These teams, which include a diverse array of academic institutions and partners from government, industry and nonprofits, will leverage their collaborative efforts to develop climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, expand STEM opportunities and drive economic growth.
“Every part of our nation has been impacted by the changing climate. We build a sustainable future for all by investing in climate resilience research and solutions across our country,” said NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “By empowering researchers from different EPSCoR jurisdictions and enabling collaborations across diverse institutions from the Mountain West to the Gulf Coast, from the Southwest to the mid-Atlantic and New England and beyond, we are driving innovation that fosters STEM opportunities, economic growth and climate-resilient communities.”
The College’s project, “Risks, Impacts, & Strategies for Coastal Communities: Advancing Convergent Science to Support Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience,” will develop climate research, education and workforce development infrastructure to address compounding climate hazards affecting coastal communities, such as flooding and salinization, while increasing scientific literacy and strengthening workforce diversity.
This project – which began on Aug. 1, 2024 – includes partnerships with the University of Delaware and the University of Rhode Island and totals $6 million in funding. The College’s portion is $1,486,600.
A full abstract can be found attached to the NSF College of Charleston Award Notice. This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.