The National Science Foundation has awarded $4 million over the course of five years to Mississippi State University to conduct a project that will examine the effects of climate change in the Mississippi Delta and build resilience among the region’s most vulnerable groups. The project, under the direction of Professor Shrinidhi Ambinakudige at Michigan State University, will receive new funding from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Track-2.
In the Delta area, the multidisciplinary team will construct a climate model, investigate social susceptibility to environmental risks, and carry out an extensive study on the effects of climate change on health. The findings will provide a road map of the risks and vulnerabilities that communities face in relation to climatically influenced extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and tornadoes. The initiative also presents an opportunity to boost climate literacy and promote workforce development possibilities related to geospatial technology through partnerships with K–12 schools and community colleges. This can be accomplished by increasing the number of people who are aware of climate change. These teams’ research involves faculty members from Mississippi Valley State University and the University of South Carolina.
The latest round of money from EPSCoR is being used to promote ambitious cross-disciplinary research. The primary goal of this grant is to improve climate change research and resilience capabilities in order to generate greater chances for communities that are experiencing disproportionate impacts.
