Penn State University
From WikiADAPT
The Pennsylvania State University
Faculty members and students at the Pennsylvania State University [1] examine the complex drivers and typically unequal consequences of climate change for populations and ecosystems around the globe. We are interested in science questions related to both mitigation and adaptation as well as broader issues such as livelihood and ecosystem resilience, equity and fairness, sustainable development, and interactions between climate, biogeochemical cycles, and infectious diseases.
The Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA) [2] conducts research and educational projects that pertain to climate change, health, energy, and resilience in resource management. Among on-going programs and collaborations are two new projects, one in South Africa and the other in Ghana and Tanzania.
A course entitled “Conservation and Climate” is being co-taught by Dr. Robert Crane [3], Director of AESEDA and Professor of Geography, and Dr. Erica Smithwick [4], Assistant Professor in Geography. This course focuses on a diverse range of topics relating to changes in climate and the impacts on conservation efforts in nature reserves and surrounding communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Students will travel to South Africa for a two-week research venture in May 2009. This course serves as a pilot for a semester long research and education study abroad program that will commence in Spring 2010.
The second new collaborative project (2008-2012, funding National Science Foundation) is on anticipatory learning for climate change adaptation and resilience, with partners at the University of Ghana and the University of Dar-es-Salaam, headed by Dr. Petra Tschakert [5], Assistant Professor of Geography and AESEDA. She is primarily interested in ways to link local, community-based knowledge about climatic changes with historical observations and scientific projections of anticipated future changes. There is a growing need for social learning activities that boost local memory of climate stresses and adaptive responses to cope with the increasing frequency and severity of extreme events.
For more information on AESEDA at the Pennsylvania State University, please visit the website.
See Also
CCLONG: Climate Change Collective Learning and Observatory Network Ghana
Anticipatory Learning for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience
External Links
- ↑ Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University
- ↑ The Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA)
- ↑ Dr. Robert Crane
- ↑ Dr. Erica Smithwick
- ↑ Dr. Petra Tschakert
