Virginia Tech is taking a significant step toward enhancing its role in climate adaptation initiatives. This autumn, the university will integrate into a national effort by joining the academic consortium of the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (NE CASC), aligning with ten other institutions across the United States.
The inclusion in NE CASC’s 2025-26 fellows program opens doors for 10 Virginia Tech graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to engage deeply in the consortium, representing 40% of the larger cohort. Aimée Surprenant, dean of the Graduate School, remarked on the potential this partnership holds: “This partnership with the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center positions both our students and faculty to have a greater voice, presence, and impact in the global scientific community.” She emphasized the opportunities for advancing research and professional development for the involved students and faculty.
Since its establishment in 2012, the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center has undertaken over 150 projects, providing essential scientific resources to help ecosystems adapt to environmental changes. It forms part of a larger network of regional centers managed by the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Virginia Tech’s entry into this consortium includes partnerships with prestigious institutions such as Cornell University, University of Vermont, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the latter being the host institution. Bill Hopkins, director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute’s Global Change Center, expressed his enthusiasm: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Virginia Tech to join NE CASC, elevating our reputation as a leading research institution focused on complex environmental challenges.”
The Global Change Center at Virginia Tech is known for its interdisciplinary approach to addressing socio-environmental issues like biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecological restoration. According to Bethany Bradley, co-director of the NE CASC at the University of Massachusetts, “Virginia Tech’s fantastic work through the Global Change Center is perfectly aligned with NE CASC’s mission to produce science that supports effective natural resources management.”
Membership in the NE CASC provides Virginia Tech faculty access to exclusive research funding opportunities, such as the Department of Interior’s CASC grants. For the graduate students and postdocs, the consortium offers a two-year training program to enhance skills in engagement and collaboration, crucial for careers in environmental adaptation. Participants will engage in seminars, group activities, and an intensive three-day training session.
The Virginia Tech cohort includes diverse talents from various colleges:
- Mary Adebote, Ph.D. student, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Amaryllis Adey, postdoctoral associate, Department of Entomology
- Hailey Conrad, Ph.D. student, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Erin Crone, Ph.D. student, Department of Biological Sciences
- Ying-Xian Goh, Ph.D. student, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Lucas Goodman, Ph.D. student, School of Public and International Affairs
- Sadia Afrin Khan, Ph.D. student, Department of Biological Systems Engineering
- Emily Matthews, Ph.D. student, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Atticus Murphy, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Nicole Zdrojewski, Ph.D. student, Department of Sociology
Original Story at news.vt.edu