The GSU Department of Geosciences is excited to announce a new $148,524 grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for “Broadening participation in (sub)urban watershed science in the Southeast (BUSS)” over the next 22 months. Led by PI Sarah H. Ledford, with co-PIs Richard Milligan, Nadine Kabengi, and Luke Pangle, this pilot grant will help build cross-collaborations between the GSU Department of Geosciences and the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) division of Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL).
This collaboration will address barriers to previous collaborations, engage students and faculty in GEOS with ORNL, and create research and training opportunities at ORNL for students from historically excluded groups. As part of the grant, two M.S. students will undertake research projects related to ORNL BER’s Critical Interfaces Scientific Focus Area, while undergraduate students on the project will continue to conduct water quality monitoring in collaboration with the South River Watershed Alliance to address inequitable exposure to sewage in the Upper South River rooted in environmental injustice. This monitoring collaboration has already identified numerous Clean Water Act violations in the watershed.
In addition, the grant will bring staff scientists from ORNL to GSU to present about research and job and internship opportunities at DOE, and GEOS faculty will go to ORNL to deliver seminars, along with taking students to tour the ORNL facilities. Building this partnership by addressing barriers to previous engagement at GSU will help create a foundation for future collaborations and proposals with the Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division of DOE.
Original source can be found here.
