Features: Juneteenth, USDA Grants, NEW Extension Advocacy & Education toolkit, EPA Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge, Natura Learning Exchanges, Post-Doc Fellowship Opportunities, USDA Cooperative Agreements for Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction
Dear Colleagues,
Happy “June-uary” to my Western Washington colleagues. The rain may have cancelled a BBQ or two, but at least we don’t have to water our gardens.
All kidding aside, June is also the month we recognize the Juneteenth holiday (this Saturday, June 19th). This day commemorates the end of slavery. Let’s take pause, not just this weekend, but each opportunity we have for considering inclusivity, diversity, race & equity in the research we conduct & programs we carry out.
Below, you’ll see that I’ve included new USDA funding opportunities, some fun ways to foster innovation, as well as a great new advocacy toolkit.
Until next time, be well, sign up for and get your vaccine (if you haven’t already), wear face coverings when appropriate, and wash your hands.
Brad
Brad Gaolach Ph. D. | He/Him
Washington State University Extension
Director | Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
Director | Western Center for Metropolitan Extension & Research
Associate Professor | Community & Economic Development
Phone: (425) 405-1734 | WSU Direct: 21734 | Twitter: @WSUMetroCenter | LinkedIn
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WASHINGTON, May 27, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of up to $4 million for grants to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects. USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Office) is accepting proposals for planning and innovation projects, and these grants are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture. USDA will accept applications on Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 30, 2021. “Urban agriculture can play an important role in food justice and equity,” Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Gloria Montaño Greene said. “Such projects have the potential to educate, innovate, and unify communities to improve nutrition and food access and increase local food production in urban areas.” “With 80 percent of the U.S. population living in or near urban centers, urban agriculture can make a significant positive impact on the health and well-being of many individuals,” said Leslie Glover II, the new program manager for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. “Empowering communities to grow local, healthy food goes a long way towards solving issues of food justice and access.” There are two categories under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) competitive grant opportunity: Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. Webinar A pre-recorded webinar will provide an overview of the grants’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. The webinar will be posted at farmers.gov/urban.
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You are the window through which your legislator sees Extension. Colleen Bates, Eau-Claire County, Wisconsin Board Member and Extension Advocate |
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OVERVIEW The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) is the representative leadership and governing body of the Cooperative Extension System, the nationwide transformational education system operating through Land-grant Universities in partnership with federal, state, and local governments. ECOP focuses on four core themes: 1) Build partnerships and acquire resources; 2) Increase strategic marketing and communications; 3) Enhance leadership and professional development, and 4) Strengthen organizational functioning. Advocacy & Education/Messaging Resources: These resources include priority language, talking points, and CES background information for consistency in messaging with APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) Committees and Sections, the BAA Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy ESCOP, legislators, partners, University Congressional and Government Affairs staff, and related advocacy groups. Look to these links for additional information: 2018 Farm Bill, Related Legislation, How Laws Are Made, and the Federal Budget Process. TOPICS:
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Call for Innovation! WASHINGTON (May 3, 2021) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and partners launched the Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge. The challenge calls on innovators to develop a sensor that can identify whether there are chemical pollutants and natural toxins in various types of water faster and cheaper than current lab methods. The goal of the challenge is to design a concept for a sensor that can detect a waterborne contaminant. “Low-cost sensors that can quickly help determine toxicity in water are important to water resource managers across the country,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development and the EPA Science Advisor. “This type of sensor can be used by anyone to provide real-time information and help identify whether water treatment is effective.” Certain chemicals can disrupt normal biological processes which can lead to harmful health effects. The challenge calls for a water sensor that can detect the activation of toxic pathways by these harmful chemicals. In addition to ensuring that drinking water is clean, this type of sensor could evaluate the effectiveness of wastewater treatment, as well as evaluate other waterbodies. These kinds of sensors would be useful to federal and state government, water utilities, environmental organizations, the water quality research community, Tribes, and local agencies. The challenge is divided into two stages. In Stage 1, which closes on July 20, 2021, teams will submit designs for a toxicity sensor. There will be up to three winners of Stage 1, with each winner or team receiving up to $15,000 each. In the second stage of the challenge, which will be open to both the winners of Stage 1 and any other interested individuals, solvers will be asked for a prototype demonstration. The Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), the Greater Cincinnati Water Works, and the Water Research Foundation. For more information on the Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge: https://www.epa.gov/innovation/water-toxicity-sensor-challenge
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About the Program The NATURA Learning Exchange Program is a 6- or 15-week residency for research and networking at collaborating network institutions. The goal of the exchange program is to 1) Provide opportunities for students, early-career academics, and practitioners to explore nature-based solutions for urban resilience by spending time in residence with other networks; 2) Support greater depth of analysis or synthesis by extending time of interaction; 3) Support practitioner-researcher interactions through exchanges among worldwide networks. Host a Learning Exchange Host and support a student, early-career academic, or practitioner at your Institution or site (virtually) who is interested in nature-based solutions for urban resilience. If interested, please fill out the quick survey by clicking the button below, and help us identify potential funding to support non-US early-career researchers or practitioners to participate in exchanges. Eligibility These opportunities are open to NATURA member organizations. The WSU Metro Center is a member of NATURA. WSU faculty are therefore eligible to participate as a host or a practitioner-researcher. Additional details at https://natura-net.org/learning-exchanges
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Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in AI for Urban Resilience The Urban Systems Lab (USL) at The New School invites applicants for an appointment as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence for Urban Resilience and Sustainability. We are seeking an outstanding scholar with expertise in urban data science, spatial modeling, and machine learning to work with diverse local and global databases to examine urban social-ecological-technological system (SETS) risks. The Postdoctoral Fellowship will be homed in the USL but will contribute to projects with partners at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Princeton Environment Institute, and The Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences within its program “Governance, Technology and Complexity” and its international initiative “AI, People and Planet”. NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Urban Nature-based Solutions The Urban Systems Lab (USL) at The New School invites applicants for an appointment as an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Urban Nature-based Solutions. We are seeking an outstanding scholar with expertise in the synergistic benefits of nature-based solutions (NBS) for urban resilience, and the role of social, ecological, and technological-infrastructural contexts in NBS outcomes. The Fellow will support the U.S. National Science Foundation funded research project Nature-based solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene, conduct original synthesis research on applications of nature-based solutions (NBS), and support development of the NATURA Global Roadmap on Urban NBS. In addition, the fellow will promote communication with NATURA network members, support research outputs from Thematic Working Groups, and the NATURA early-career network. The Fellow will participate in an ongoing research program in the Urban Systems Lab at The New School and will develop new research based on their interest and expertise with faculty at The New School and with external colleagues on the project. |
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WASHINGTON, May 17, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of up to $2 million for local governments to host Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2021. The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans and they are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture. USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Office) will accept applications on Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 16, 2021. Projects should span two years with a start date of September 25, 2021 and completion date of September 25, 2023. “Finding ways to turn food waste into nutrient rich compost is a win-win for farmers, communities and the environment,” Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Gloria Montaño Greene said. “The level of enthusiasm and creativity communities are putting towards this kind of problem solving is inspiring, and USDA is proud to support it.” Webinar A pre-recorded webinar will provide an overview of the cooperative agreements’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. The webinar will be posted at farmers.gov/urban.
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