Weekly Newsletter

 January 26, 2021
 
 
Dear colleagues-  

We are happy to celebrate MLK week with two co-sponsored events. The first, a conversation on BIPOC Farmers in Sustainable Ag, part of our larger series of events on Environmental Justice planned for this semester, and the second, also co-sponsored with FNR, a lecture by Jonathan Hall, assistant professor of geography at West Virginia University. Next week, in addition to the first Water Challenges SRA meeting, there is also a kick-off lecture on Urban Transformations & Regional Resilience.

We were happy to read Roshi Nateghi’s work on the carbon footprint of zoom calls so we no longer feel bad if we keep our video off while we eat our frosted flakes during early zoom calls, and Ag Comm added some beautiful visuals to a discussion of the recently received NSF CNH grant on the work of Bryan Pijanowski and Laura Zanotti.

Finally, there are many calls for proposals, as well as info about a CAREER workshop coming from the EVPRP office and maybe I will ‘see’ some of you on my virtual discussion about the recent NSF program solicitation, next Thursday 1-2 PM.
 
Upcoming Events
BIPOC Farmers in Sustainable Agriculture

Thursday, January 28 | 12:00 - 1:30 PM




The Center for the Environment has partnered with the College of Agriculture and the College of Health & Human Sciences to present this panel discussion as part of the colleges’ joint observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Awareness Week. In America and around the world, farmers who are Black, Indigenous and people of color face unique challenges in equitable access to grow food while practicing environmental stewardship. Representatives from Purdue faculty, Purdue Extension’s Urban Agriculture program, Purdue’s Center for Global Food Security and Indiana’s BIPOC farming community will outline these challenges and potential solutions. Currently scheduled panelists include: 

  • Gary Burniske, managing director of the Purdue Center for Global Food Security
  • Zhao Ma, professor, Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
  • Sharrona Moore (CEO / garden manager), Lawrence Community Gardens in Indianapolis
  • Nathan Shoaf, urban agriculture coordinator, Purdue Extension
  • Ariana Torres, assistant professor, Purdue University Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture / Department of Agricultural Economics
  • Curtis Whittaker, Sr. (owner / founder) and Freida Graves (farm manager), Faith Farms in Gary, Indiana
Tamara Benjamin, assistant program leader for Purdue Extension’s Diversified Farming and Food Systems program, will moderate this event. Register here.
 
FNR Seminar Series: Dr. Jonathan Hall

Friday, January 29 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Join us and Purdue FNR for the latest installment in their ongoing Seminar Series, featuring Dr. Jonathan Hall, assistant professor of geography at West Virginia University. Dr. Hall will give a talk titled "Wildlife Geography in the Anthropocene" in which he will discuss the development of his wildlife geography research practice and his continuing work on the movement ecology of California condors, buffalo restoration on tribal lands in the US, and wild food provisioning in Appalachia. Following the seminar, there will be an informal coffee hour for continued discussion and questions for Dr. Hall. Join the event here.
 
Water Signature Research Area - Open Meeting

Wednesday, February 3 | 4:00 PM



The Water Challenges signature research area will be holding their first meeting of the semester, February 3 at 4:00 PM. All faculty affiliates are welcome to attend, please visit this page for the link to join.
 
Upcoming Virtual Lecture Series: Urban Transformations & Regional Resilience

Begins Wednesday, February 3 | 12:00 - 1:30 PM



Center affiliates and Civil Engineering professors Suresh Rao and Satish Ukkusuri have organized a virtual lecture series on the effects of rapid urbanization titled "Urban Transformations and Regional Resilience”. Lectures will take place weekly on Wednesdays, beginning February 3rd with Yasuyuki Sawada, professor, University of Tokyo and Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank. More info/join the event.
 
Callout: NSF Center for Advancement & Synthesis of Open Environmental Data & Sciences

Thursday, February 4 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM

NSF seeks to establish a Center fueled by open and freely available biological and other environmental data to catalyze novel scientific questions in environmental biology through the use of data-intensive approaches, team science and research networks, and training in the accession, management, analysis, visualization, and synthesis of large data sets. The Center will provide vision for speeding discovery through the increased use of large, publicly accessible datasets to address biological research questions through collaborations with scientists in other related disciplines.


C4E's Managing Director, Lynne Dahmen, will lead a discussion of the solicitation and answer your questions. Please join if you are interested!

Join the callout here.
 
Environmental Justice Film Series: Return to the Andes

Thursday, February 18 | 6:00 PM




Join us for the next installment in the 2020-2021 Environmental Justice Film Series, featuring the film Return to the Andes, a documentary about Nelida Silva who returns to her Peru birthplace with a dream of helping rural women start businesses. Following the film, there will be a post screening discussion with Silva and director Mitch Teplitski. Register here.
 
Affiliates in the News
Purdue researchers explore how sound drives Mongolian herder cultural practices
Purdue College of Agriculture | January 2021


Photo: Bryan Pijanowski

Center affiliate and convener of the C4E Biodiversity Signature Research Area and Soundscapes Signature Project Bryan Pijanowski is leading a 
multi-disciplinary effort to study the relationships Mongolian herders have with their landscapes through the lens of sound. The project also features Center affiliate and professor of Anthropology Laura Zanotti, and Jennifer Post, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Arizona. Read more about the project here.
 
Turn off that camera during virtual meetings, environmental study says
Purdue University News | January 2021



A new study, led by Center affiliate and professor of Industrial Engineering Roshi Nateghi, says that despite a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020, a pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment still presents significant environmental impact due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world. Continue reading.
 
DURI Now Accepting Summer 2021 Proposals

Purdue-West Lafayette faculty are now welcome to submit project proposals for the Summer 2021 term of Discovery Park’s Undergraduate Research Internship (DURI) program. DURI supports faculty-led teams of undergraduates to investigate problems in the strategic areas of global security, global health and global sustainability.


Faculty project proposals for the Summer 2021 term should focus on these thematic areas. Each project should involve two or more distinct academic disciplines (represented by faculty from different departments, and ideally colleges) and two undergraduate students.

Interested faculty can submit abstracts for individual projects at the DURI website, using their Purdue Career account credentials to log on. The faculty deadline for proposal submissions is February 19. More information here.
 
Funding Opportunities

COVID-19 Funding OpportunitiesThis list is updated frequently.

Limited Submission: FFAR 2021 New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award   
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research intends to grant up to ten awards to early-career scientists pursuing research that supports FFAR’s Challenge Areas and promotes global, sustainable food production. Applications from eligible nominees will be evaluated on their research program proposals as well as a demonstrated commitment to mentoring future generations of agricultural and food scientists. Eligible applicants should be in their tenure-track position no longer than three years and preference is given to those who are within eight years of receiving a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. Individuals with significant research experience prior to obtaining their faculty position are not eligible for this award. Internal deadline: Preproposal due in InfoReady by February 1 (template). Sponsor deadlines:  March 3 – Nomination; May 5 – Full application by invite

Limited Submission: USDA-NIFA Equipment Grants Program (EGP) 
The EGP serves to increase access to shared-use special purpose equipment/instruments for fundamental and applied research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs at institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Systems. The program seeks to strengthen the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions, by providing them with opportunities to acquire one major piece of equipment/instruments that support their research, training, and extension goals and may be too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NIFA grant programs. Only two proposals are allowed per institution. Internal deadline: Preproposal due in InfoReady by February 1 (template). Sponsor deadline: March 16

DOE-NETL Fossil Energy Based Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization of Hydrogen Approaching Net-Zero or Net-Negative Carbon Emissions 
This FOA will develop technologies to reinvigorate the use of the United States' vast fossil-fuel resources and power infrastructure for net-zero carbon energy and commodity production through the production, transport, storage, and utilization of fossil-based hydrogen with zero or negative carbon emissions. To achieve these goals, significant advances must be made in areas of interest under the following program areas: Net Zero-or Negative-Carbon Hydrogen Production from Modular Gasification and Co-Gasification of Mixed Wastes, Biomass, and Traditional Feedstocks; Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Technology Development; Carbon Capture; Advanced Turbines; Natural Gas-Based Hydrogen Production; Hydrogen Pipeline Infrastructure; Subsurface Hydrogen Storage.  Deadline: March 1

DOE-NETL Engineering-Scale Testing and Validation of Algae-Based Technologies and Bioproducts 
This FOA seeks novel research and development of algae-based technology to utilize anthropogenic CO2 as a feedstock. Technologies that convert CO2 must show a net decrease in CO2 emissions through life cycle analysis, show a potential to generate a marketable product, and show that the product displays beneficial aspects when compared to commercially available products produced with existing state of the art technology.  Deadline: March 2

DOE-NETL Advanced Processing of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals for Industrial and Manufacturing Applications 
The overarching vision of this FOA is domestic production of REM and CM from unconventional resources such as coal and coal by-products, placer sand deposits, phosphate mine materials, mineral/metal acidic mine drainage, bauxite and ash legacy impoundments, biomass, etc., for use in the manufacture of intermediate and/or end use consumer products, or critical clean energy and/or defense products. Projects are to be focused on extraction, separation, recovery and purification. Deadline: March 1

USDA-NIFA Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program 
The Food Safety Outreach Program will build upon that national infrastructure, with a sustained focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences. Awardees will develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. Deadline: April 1

USDA-NIFA Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP) 
The purpose of the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program is to increase the knowledge of agricultural science and improve the nutritional health of children. The program’s goal is to increase the capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations or entities, such as school cafeterias and classrooms, while fostering higher levels of community engagement between farms and school systems by bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system. The initiative is part of a broader effort to not only increase access to school meals for low-income children, but also to dramatically improve their quality. Deadline: May 3

EVPRP Workshop: NSF CAREER; February 2, 2021; 11:30AM-1PM  The Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships is hosting a virtual workshop for faculty in all disciplines who are interested in writing a proposal for the NSF CAREER program. CAREER eligible faculty are untenured, assistant professors who have not submitted more than two previous, unsuccessful NSF CAREER proposals. Topics include:
  • Highlights of NSF’s mission and keys to identifying the right directorate(s) for your CAREER
  • CAREER vs core NSF funding opportunities
  • Understanding the “research and education” criteria
  • Writing a compelling one-page concept paper for discussion with program officer(s)
  • Helpful resources
Prior to the workshop, participants should read the NSF CAREER solicitation and FAQs available here. Registration is required by Thursday, January 28, click here to register.

DOE ARPA-E Request for Information (RFI): CO2 Mineralization to Enhance the Extraction of Energy-Relevant and Commodity Minerals

DOE Request for Information (RFI): Plastics Innovation Challenge (PIC) Draft Roadmap
 
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