The Gund Institute for Environment at ̽̽ today announced $250,000 in Catalyst Awards for two new research projects tackling urgent U.S. water issues fueled by climate change.
These seed grants will launch new ̽̽ research on U.S. water quality threats from warming winters, and the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, where the largely Black community is regularly without safe drinking water.
“Water is at the core of many of our climate crises,” said Meredith Niles, Gund Acting Director. “These Gund Catalyst Awards will help ̽̽ researchers launch innovative projects that inspire action on these challenges, from winter nutrient pollution, to understanding and addressing the effects of water shortages in communities of color.”
The two projects receiving Catalyst Awards for 2023-2025 are:
Carol Adair (RSENR) and Raju Badireddy (CEMS) with collaborators Andrew Schroth (CAS), Tian Xia (CEMS) will investigate winter nutrient pollution, a significant new threat to water quality driven by climate change. As winters warm, floods are increasing—unleashing harmful pollution into lakes, rivers and streams from soils, including fertilizers, manure and more. With the full effects of winter flooding largely unknown, Adair and Badireddy will use novel microsensors to measure changes to winter nutrient runoff to transform our understanding of how watersheds work in a warming world—and strengthen our ability to predict and prepare for changing winters. Their $200,000 Catalyst Award will support a new postdoctoral researcher, a lab technician, and the development of low-cost, printable ̽̽ microsensors designed to make water quality monitoring dramatically more affordable. The project will launch Fall 2023 in Vermont, with plans to expand to other regions. Other collaborators include: ̽̽’s Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), and the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
Julia Perdrial (CAS) and Leon Walls (CESS) will explore the water crisis and environmental racism in Jackson, Mississippi, where inhabitants regularly go weeks without clean water. In a partnership with scholars at Jackson State University (JSU), the team will and collect preliminary data on the water crisis’ impacts on community, teachers, and the learning of Black children. The group will prioritize relationship-building and community feedback, and their ultimate goal is to advance scholarship in STEM education, racism and climate change, and build towards larger, nationally funded research to address these issues. Bolstered by a $50,000 Gund Catalyst Award, the project also seeks to provide tools and resources for educators in cities affected by water crises in the future. Collaborators include: Chandar Lewis (JSU), Jacqueline Jackson (JSU), Deidre Wheaton (JSU), Regina Toolin (̽̽ CESS), Donna Rizzo (̽̽ CEMS), and Andrew Cassel (̽̽ CAS).
This year’s awards will support at least 9 researchers from four ̽̽ colleges or schools and five departments. This year, teams applied for up to $50,000 per project, and could apply for additional funds to support a postdoctoral researcher for two years.
Since launching in 2017, the Gund Catalyst Award program has provided nearly $1.4 million in startup funds, supporting 24 innovative projects and over 120 ̽̽ scholars. The program has already generated over $16M in external funds, a 29-to-1 return on investment, and inspired real world action.
Recent Gund funded projects include the Vermont Climate Assessment, which is guiding statewide climate action, and the , one of the largest studies of food insecurity and health during the pandemic, which will inform future disaster responses by the USDA. Other projects have explored COVID-19’s impacts on the U.S. seafood industry, the 20 best places to reduce U.S. farm nitrogen pollution, the benefits of urban nature to human health, and an international crop genetics consortium.
Catalyst Awards must connect to Gund research themes, which echo UN Sustainable Development Goals. Proposals are evaluated by ̽̽ and external evaluators on intellectual merit, interdisciplinary reach, strength of team, potential for impact, and potential for growth. Additional priority is given to projects that address diversity, equity and environmental justice; and to new ̽̽ collaborations with external partners and opportunities for students.
Other Gund funding opportunities include: fellowships for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers aԻ undergraduates; Apis Fund, which supports conservation and research on bees and other pollinators; Equity and Justice Research Awards (with ̽̽’s Office of the Provost); and the Eric Zencey Prize in Ecological Economics, which celebrates long-form environmental writing.
Learn more about Gund Catalyst Awards.
About the Gund Institute at ̽̽
The Gund Institute for Environment at ̽̽ is a research center dedicated to understanding and tackling the world’s most critical environmental challenges. Driven by the belief that research should inspire action, the Institute takes a cross-sector approach to solving environmental issues with stakeholders from government, business, and broader society. The Institute focuses on five interconnected : climate solutions, sustainable agriculture, health and well-being, equity and justice, and resilient communities. With over 250 scholars in Vermont and across the world, the Institute brings together a network of internationally recognized researchers from diverse disciplines, including the natural and social sciences, business, health, technology, engineering, and the humanities.
