I am a Co-PI on this five-year, $5,000,000 grant under the National Science Foundation's Coastlines and People (CoPe) directive. It is an interdisciplinary study of community resilience, vulnerability, adaptation, and environmental justice in a North Carolina coastal watershed. As co-lead of the Social Sciences team, I am advancing a transdisciplinary approach to collaboratively address risks by engaging coastal and inland communities in community science, festivals, and system mapping. My research efforts are focused on how social capital influences resilience, vulnerability, and disaster recovery.
Project link: https://water.ecu.edu/cope/
Eastern North Carolina, like many coastal areas, is becoming subject to more frequent droughts. These droughts are causing low flows, which can change the distribution of riverine habitats, water quality, and salinity. We utilized a transdisciplinary approach to evaluate the influence of low flows on coastal plain river ecosystems. We also surveyed stakeholders on preferences for policies to preserve ecological flows to maintain ecological integrity in coastal waterways. Finally, we investigated state policies toward ecological flows in all coastal states.
This study was funded by the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership.
This project is designed to give students a chance to address real-world problems and build soft skills necessary for the workforce.
"ECU WaterCorps is a student-focused organization that takes on environmentally-related projects for clients within and outside of ECU. WaterCorps operates like a real-world business, similar to the way companies work in the environmental consulting industry."
Project link: https://water.ecu.edu/ecuwatercorps/