RCN-SEES: Engineering Research Collaboratory for Sustainable Infrastructure in a Changing Climate

1231326 Jacobs这个研究协调网络在NSF的科学，工程和可持续发展教育（SEES）倡议下将创建一个多机构合作实验室，以支持气候科学和工程研究的整合，以促进可持续交通基础设施（基础设施和气候网络？ICNet）。全国？由于降水、温度和风的环境和周期性极端情况，气候驱动的压力源使中国的物理基础设施面临越来越大的严重风险。气候非平稳性带来的挑战已被道路和桥梁工程界广泛认可。然而，由于知识和数据方面的巨大障碍，将气候变化纳入其工作的基础设施研究人员相对较少。交通基础设施研究和从业者社区的合作者网络对于发展和保持跟上气候建模，误差传播和适应领域快速发展所需的能力至关重要。该战略的一个独特部分是利用我们的社会科学ICNet成员设计的程序建立一个知识资源，以支持ICNet研究人员之间的知识共享和优先排序，并将这些知识与用户机构社区联系起来。这将通过以下方式实现：（1）促进基础设施研究和拥有开展这项研究的专业知识的从业者社区之间的合作，（2）确定关键问题和假设，共同的数据需求和产生和扩大新研究所需的标准，（3）建立和普及知识共享，作为社区的网络资源，（4）加强研究人员和实践者群体之间的联系，以便成功应对适应挑战，实现未来的可持续基础设施;（5）发展和探索知识获取和网络发展进程的效力，以改进技术转让。 ICNet区域网络将建立必要的机构网络，以加快气候变化、交通基础设施影响和适应方面的研究方法。它还将推动在紧急环境条件下的可持续工程科学。 ICNet的主题是解决一个具体的社会需求，即发现新的方法来处理非静止自然和地球系统环境中人类系统规划的不确定性。该项目的一个目标是发展科学，建造未来寿命更长、维护所需资金和能源更少的桥梁和道路。将探讨的知识联系战略旨在与新英格兰负责长期基础设施适应标准和政策的社会机构建立联系渠道，并展示可转移到其他地区和适应问题的方法。这将有助于最大限度地发挥知识网络的效益，也将在其自身的可持续性方面发挥作用。RCN还将提供机会，并已经反映在其指导委员会和参与者中，妇女在工程，文化多样性方面的强大领导力，以及该地区80%以上的土木工程系研究生学位授予，并将在该地区代表性严重不足的群体中推进可持续工程教育。

1231326 Jacobs This Research Coordination Network under NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative will create a multi-institution collaboratory to support the integration of climate science and engineering research for sustainable transportation infrastructure (Infrastructure and Climate Network ? ICNet). The nation?s physical infrastructure is at increasing and critical risk from climate-driven stressors due to both ambient and periodic extremes in precipitation, temperature, and wind. Climate nonstationarity poses challenges that have been broadly recognized by the road and bridge engineering community. However, relatively few infrastructure researchers incorporate climate change into their work due to significant knowledge and data barriers. A network of collaborators in the transportation infrastructure research and practitioner community is essential to develop and maintain the capacity needed to keep pace with rapid advancements in climate modeling, error propagation and adaptation arenas. A distinctive part of the strategy is to build a knowledge resource using processes designed by our social science ICNet members to support knowledge-sharing and prioritization among ICNet researchers and to link that knowledge to the community of user institutions. This will be accomplished by (1) fostering collaboration among the infrastructure research and practitioner community who have the expertise to conduct this research, (2) identifying key questions and hypotheses, common data needs and standards required to generate and expand new research, (3) building and populating a knowledge commons that will serve as a web-based resource for the community, (4) strengthening the linkages between researchers and practitioner communities to successfully address adaptation challenges for a sustainable infrastructure in the future, and (5) developing and exploring the efficacy of processes of knowledge access and network development to improve technology transfer. The ICNet RCN will develop the institutional networks needed to accelerate research methods in climate change transportation infrastructure impacts and adaptation. It will also advance the science of sustainable engineering under emergent environmental conditions. The ICNet will topically address a concrete societal need to discover new ways to deal with uncertainties of planning for human systems in the environment of nonstationary natural and earth systems. A goal of the project is to develop science to build bridges and roads that will last longer in the future and require less money and energy to maintain. The knowledge-linking strategies that will be explored are designed to build conduits with societal institutions in New England that are responsible for long-range infrastructure adaptation standards and policies and demonstrate an approach transferable to other regions and adaptation problems. This will help maximize the benefits of the knowledge network and will also play a role in its own sustainability. The RCN will also provide opportunities for, and already reflects in its steering committee and participants, strong leadership of women in engineering, cultural diversity, and over 80% of the graduate degree granting Civil Engineering Departments in the region and will advance education in sustainable engineering at institutions with significant underrepresented groups in the region.