Academe
UMBC’s extensive record of incorporating climate change and environmental research into the academe has greatly influenced our climate action plan. Our key research themes comprise Environmental Sciences and Engineering, especially Atmospheric Physics, Remote Sensing and Contaminant Remediation; Life Sciences & Biotechnology, including Marine Biotechnology and Health Sciences; as well as Health Equity, Policy Studies, and Public Humanities and Art. These educational and research hubs, collaborate with various partners, to focus on issues related to climate change ranging in scale from local to global.
Specifically, the following pedagogical assets are opportunities for the CAP:
- The Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) is a working partnership with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center with a focus on the natural sciences and global-scale climate change.
- The Baltimore Ecosystem Study provides our community with an opportunity to participate in fieldwork in research working on the U.S. Long-term Ecological Research site.
- The United States Geological Survey – Water Science Center, based at UMBC, provides scholarship opportunities related to MD, DE, VA, and D.C. waterways.
- The Center for Urban Environmental Research & Education (CUERE) provides opportunities to incorporate valuable climate research into the education of the next generation of thinkers by working with K-12 education.
Outreach
UMBC closely works with many campus partners to engage with the campus community and our neighbors. A specific example of the University’s outreach includes our relationship with dining services to expand sustainability initiatives associated with the foodservice offerings on campus. UMBC’s dining vendor is continuously exploring local options for food procurement and novel approaches for the sustainable preparation of serving food at an institutional level. The sourcing, preparation, diversion, and disposal of food offer many opportunities for the reduction of emissions associated with the food supply chain.