On January 20-21, University of Maryland’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) successfully hosted its third annual Scientists Serving Communities workshop, bringing together over 200 researchers and community leaders from across Maryland to advance climate resilience through collaboration, dialogue, and shared learning. Held at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union on the College Park campus, the event provided an inclusive, no-cost forum for community stakeholders to directly engage with University scientists and subject matter experts.
“With Scientists Serving Communities, we seek to bridge the gap between climate research and practical decision-making, said Lars Peter Riishojgaard, ESSIC Director, “Thanks to this collaboration between academia, government, and various business sectors, the University is now starting to deliver actionable science-based information that will benefit communities across Maryland.”
The workshop opened with remarks from Patrick O’Shea, University of Maryland (UMD) Vice President and Chief Research Officer, who emphasized the University’s dedication to building resilience through collaborative networks. Riishojgaard followed with an introduction to the Climate Resilience Network (CRN), a collaboration among ESSIC, Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, and UMD’s departments of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Geology, and Geographical Sciences to apply current research to local Maryland issues. In his talk, Riishojgaard emphasized the “Valley of Death,” or the gap between academic research and its practical application that the CRN seeks to bridge.
Kristen Saunders, Director of the Center for Watershed and Bay Resilience at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, delivered the keynote address. She spoke about moving science beyond theoretical discussions and into practical applications, stressing the importance of engaging local communities and policymakers in meaningful ways to ensure research has real-world impact.
Amitabh Varshney, Dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, opened the second day of the workshop highlighting the significance of interdisciplinary approaches to tackling climate resilience. The conference’s plenary session was given by Christine Hagan, Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, and Jazz Lewis of UMD’s Office of Federal Relations. They provided insights into the federal, state, and county landscape and opportunities for research-informed policy engagement.
The bulk of the workshop featured a series of moderated breakout sessions organized around twelve key environmental and climate-related topics relevant to communities throughout the state. Each session was hosted by a panel of 3-5 experts, ranging from academic, state, and federal researchers to practitioners. Many organizations were represented, including NOAA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Resilience Authority of Charles County.
Panelists set the stage for the session, while attendees shared local challenges and identified opportunities where scientific research could more effectively support climate adaptation and resilience efforts. These open forums allowed scientists to better understand on-the-ground challenges and enabled stakeholders to gain insight into emerging research and tools.
The event also included a reception and poster session, featuring work from CRN interns. Posters and abstracts are available on the conference website.
After the workshop, the conference organizing committee put together a publicly-available Final Summary Prelimary Document to summarize the findings, recommendations, and potential actions for each of the twelve topics discussed. Throughout the sessions, attendees and panelists stressed the need for better communication, improved data collection and visualization, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to tackle climate challenges. A final report is being prepared and will be shared on the conference website at a later date.
By fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration, ESSIC continues to bridge the gap between research and practice, reinforcing the University of Maryland’s commitment to serving communities and advancing climate resilience throughout the state.
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) is the lead institute for the Climate Resilience Network. ESSIC is home to more than 200 scientists working across disciplines including weather, climate, ecology, and agriculture. The center operates within the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) at the University of Maryland and maintains strong affiliations with the Colleges of Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Graduate Program through its interdisciplinary partnerships.
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