Mike Dietze and Ecological Forecasting Initiative profiled in Science
Associate Professor Michael Dietze was profiled this month in Science, which highlighted his Ecological Forecasting Initiative as “a grassroots effort to set standards, encourage interdisciplinary approaches, and develop forecasting methods that can be applied to many situations, including fisheries management, wildlife migrations, algal blooms, wildfire patterns, and human disease.” “EFI specifically aims to tackle cross-cutting […]
Cutler Cleveland talks to BU Today about summer heat
In a recent interview with BU Today, Professor Cutler Cleveland discusses why July was Boston’s warmest month on record. “Climate change is an urgent problem whose effects are being felt today; it is not just a ‘later this century’ problem. The health of people, ecosystems, and the economy are already diminished by climate change,” Dr. […]
Chi Chen and Taejin Park publish on photosynthetic activity in Global Change Biology
PhD students Chi Chen and Taejin Park recently published “Changes in the timing of peak photosynthetic activity in northern ecosystems” in Global Change Biology. The authors use the “laws of minimum” as a basis and introduce a new framework where the timing (day of year) of peak photosynthetic activity (DOYPmax) acts as a proxy for […]
Wally Fulweiler wins Metcalf Cup teaching award
Associate Professor Wally Fulweiler has received the 2019 Metcalf Cup for excellence in teaching, created to identify and advance members of faculty whose instruction merits special praise. “I love teaching, and I spend a lot of time on it, and I think it’s one of the most important jobs we have,” Professor Fulweiler told BU […]
Christoph Nolte publishes on land protection and forest development
Assistant Professor Christoph Nolte has published “Voluntary, permanent land protection reduces forest loss and development in a rural‐urban landscape” in the journal Conservation Letters. “Voluntary, permanent land protection is a key conservation process in many countries,” write Nolte and his colleagues, who “find that land acquisitions and conservation restrictions implemented by state, local, and nongovernmental […]
Ian Smith wins NSF Grad Research Fellowship
Ian Smith, a Visiting Fellow and incoming PhD student, has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The NSF GRF Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. Ian’s research focuses on the impacts of landscape fragmentation and […]
Dan Li publishes on heat islands and evaporation capability
Assistant Professor Dan Li has published “Urban heat island: Aerodynamics or imperviousness?” in Science Advances. Professor Li and his colleagues note that more than half of the world’s population now live in cities, which are known to be heat islands. While daytime urban heat islands (UHIs) are traditionally thought to be the consequence of less […]
BU students and faculty present at Sustainable Communities & Campuses Conference
On March 29, three BU students presented at the ninth annual Sustainable Communities & Campuses Conference, with the theme, “Shaping the Future of Sustainability,” held in Harvard Square. Josh Taylor explained how students in Rick Reibstein’s course Research for Environmental Agencies & Organizations (GE 532) surveyed Massachusetts communities to find out what they are doing […]
Emily Chua writes about sailing the high seas with robots
PhD candidate Emily Chua has just published “Sailing the Seven Seas with Argo” in a blog for oceanbites. “Argo is a fleet of nearly 4,000 robotic floats which prowl the upper (<1 kilometer depth) ocean, collecting information on the physical state of the ocean,” Chua notes, adding that much of the world’s oceans remain unsampled […]
Cutler Cleveland to present carbon neutrality report
Professor Cutler Cleveland, the principal investigator for Carbon Free Boston, will deliver findings by the initiative, commissioned by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission. The report will identify for the first time specific strategies for the City of Boston to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The report was undertaken at the request of […]