The Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute (GESI) announces the newest recipients of Environmental Sustainability Multidisciplinary Research Team (ESMRT) grants.

The 2007-2008 awards were given to three groups of University of Michigan (U-M) faculty members have been awarded funding to begin or continue research in fields of environmental sustainability.

The recipients and their topics, representing a wide range of U-M schools/colleges and various departments, are:


Integration of Physical and Social Sciences for Development of a Sustainable Water Resource Policy in Bolivia, South America

• Research Team: Christopher J. Poulsen (PI), Todd A. Ehlers, Maria Carmen Lemos, and Allison L. Steiner
• Units Represented: College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts; School of Natural Resources and Environment; College of Engineering

Climate Change, Heatwaves, and Health: Local Tools for Sustainability, Equity, and Prevention

• Research Team: Marie S. O’Neill (PI), Richard B. Rood, Daniel G. Brown, and Edith Parker
• Units Represented: School of Public Health, School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Engineering

Assessment of the Impact of Watershed Changes on Estuarine Morphology and Aquatic Life

• Research Team: Nikolaos Katopodes (PI), Valeriy Ivanov, and Paul Webb
• Units Represented: College of Engineering, School of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts

These awards will allow for funding, up to $100,000 per year for two years with the average award being $70,000 per year.

Although the Graham Institute has six focal areas, the 2007-08 awards were designed to align with the Graham Institute’s first conference – Water, Health, and the Environment: Establishing the Research Agenda – that took place in March 2008. Award preference was given to proposals focusing on either one of the following two areas and/or their intersection:

Freshwater and Marine System Sustainability

Freshwater and marine systems research includes the protection, remediation, and management of watersheds, lakes, aquifers, bays, estuaries, and fisheries. Linkages between aquatic systems, impacts of invasive species and contaminants, and treatment and remediation are studied.

Human Health and the Linkage to a Changing Environment

Research into human health and the environment includes the understanding, measurement and prediction of environmental factors on human health, as well as the impacts of potential technologies, processes and policies to reduce or remediate contaminated environments. Environmental contamination, nutritional change, communicable diseases, cultural effect, and by-products of industrial processes are studied.

The winning teams were chosen in a three-stage review process from internal and external reviewers based on their cross-disciplinary nature and key area applicability.

The Graham Institute is a jointly funded effort by the University of Michigan and the Graham Foundation for encouraging multidisciplinary research and education in environmental sustainability. The Institute will serve as an important focal point and ambassador for environmental sustainability within U-M and to companies, NGOs, and communities.




Related Links

General ESMRT Information
2008 Winning Team Summaries



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