RII Track-2 FEC: An Interdisciplinary Program for Research, Education, and Outreach on Climate Change and Adaptive Resilience in the Yazoo - Mississippi Delta

在这个合作的跨学科研究计划中，密西西比州立大学、南卡罗来纳大学和密西西比山谷州立大学共同努力，在亚祖-密西西比三角洲(三角洲)受气候变化影响不成比例的社区建立气候变化教育和研究计划。三角洲居民经常受到洪水、干旱和龙卷风的影响。尽管有着丰富的农业遗产，但三角洲地区的贫困率、肥胖率、糖尿病和粮食不安全都很高。在这个项目中，我们将为三角洲地区开发一个气候模型，研究社会对环境危害的脆弱性，并评估对气候变化的适应能力。我们还将研究气候对健康的影响，以及气候在经历和生活中的风险。该项目将为K-12学生提供气候知识，并为当地社区提供劳动力发展。此外，该项目还为密西西比州社区学院开发地理空间技术和气候变化课程。因此，该州的许多本科生将获得气候知识，并为研究生院做好准备。研究结果将提供社区应对气候相关极端事件的风险和脆弱性的路线图。该项目调查了历史和当前的土地利用模式如何与亚祖-密西西比三角洲(三角洲)不均衡的气候脆弱性相交。它还决定了三角洲地区服务不足社区的复原力和适应能力的程度。该项目的目标是：(1)开发基于情景的气候变化模型，并对三角洲地区的土地利用和土地覆盖变化进行概率风险分析；(2)评估当前社会对环境危害的脆弱性，并估计对气候变化的适应能力；(3)弥合脆弱性空间指标与气候风险之间的差距；(4)确定气候脆弱性与人民健康的交叉点的影响；(5)提高气候知识，并在服务不足的社区发展一支劳动力队伍；以及(6)通过与社区组织合作，帮助提高服务不足社区的适应能力。这项研究将使用跨学科的方法，包括气候建模、空间和统计建模、访谈、PhotoVoice和环境口述历史的记录。地理空间技术和气候变化将通过与社区大学的合作在网上教授。该项目的教育和劳动力部分旨在为K-12学生提供气候扫盲，并为服务不足的社区提供劳动力发展机会。通过将社区知识和科学推理结合起来，这项研究将弥合与气候变化与边缘化人口粮食安全之间的相互联系有关的知识差距。通过研究与实践之间的知识共享，这项研究将提高社区对气候变化的适应能力。拟议的工作将支持教师的早期职业发展。该项目将通过招收和培训来自代表性不足的社区的学生来帮助发展环境科学、教育和司法工作人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this collaborative interdisciplinary research program, Mississippi State University, the University of South Carolina, and Mississippi Valley State University work together to build a climate change education and research program in communities disproportionately affected by climate change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (The Delta). The Delta residents are often affected by floods, droughts, and tornadoes. In spite of its rich agricultural heritage, the Delta has high poverty rates, obesity, diabetes, and food insecurity. In this project, we will develop a climate model for the Delta, study social vulnerability to environmental hazards, and estimate resilience to climate change. We'll also study climate impacts on health, and climate risk as it's experienced and lived. The project will provide climate literacy to K-12 students, as well as workforce development for local communities. In addition, this project develops geospatial technology and climate change courses for Mississippi Community Colleges. Thus, many undergraduate students in the state will gain climate literacy and be prepared for graduate school. Research results will provide a road map of communities' risks and vulnerabilities to climate-related extreme events.This project investigates how historical and current land use patterns intersect with uneven climate vulnerability in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (The Delta). It also determines the extent of resilience and adaptive capacity of underserved communities in the Delta. The objectives of the project are: (1) to develop a scenario-based climate change model and conduct a probabilistic risk analysis for land use and land cover changes in the Delta (2) to assess the current social vulnerability to environmental hazards and to estimate resilience capacity to climate change; (3) to bridge the gap between spatial indicators of vulnerability and climate risk as it is lived and experienced; (4) to determine the impacts of the intersections of climate-vulnerability and people’s health; (5) to increase climate literacy and develop a workforce in the underserved communities; and (6) to help improve adaptive capacity of the underserved communities by working with community organizations. The research will use an interdisciplinary approach including climate modeling, spatial and statistical modeling, interviews, photovoice, and documentation of environmental oral histories. Geospatial technologies and climate change will be taught online through a partnership with community colleges. Education and workforce components of the project aims to provide climate literacy to K-12 students, and workforce development opportunities for underserved communities. By combining community knowledge and scientific reasoning this study will bridge the gap in knowledge related to the interconnection between climate change and food security for marginalized populations. Through knowledge sharing across the research-practice divide, the research will improve communities' adaptive resilience to climate change. The proposed work will support early career faculty development. The project will help develop the environmental science, education, and justice workforce by recruiting and training students from underrepresented communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.