Indiana Geological Survey celebrates 175th anniversary [Feb. 3, 2012]

After 25 years, sustainability is a growing science that's here to stay, research from Los Alamos, IU shows [Nov. 21, 2011]

IU offers Sustainable Energy Science PhD minor

IU's new Ph.D. minor program in sustainable energy science embraces a multidisciplinary approach drawing expertise from a number of departments and schools with an emphasis on the understanding of the scientific basis of sustainability and the implications of energy use.

Download Sustainable Energy Science PhD minor informational flier

CRES Affiliates in the News

Bacterial plasmids–the freeloading and the heavy-lifters–balance the high price of disease [Feb. 1, 2012]   Along with Thomas Platt, CRES affiliates Jim Bever and Clay Fuqua recently published the measured fitness costs imposed by plasmids to host cells, under certain environmental conditions.

IU scientists: Climate change likely to continue [Jan. 27, 2012]   Speaking at a Carbon Emissions and Climate Change forum Jan. 22, CRES affiliate Scott Robeson said that the Earth's atmosphere is profoundly different than it was even 50 years ago, and "thatÕs not debatable."

IU's Wilk appointed to anthropology association's climate change task force [Jan. 25, 2012]   CRES affiliate Richard Wilk has been appointed to the American Anthropological Association's new nine-member Global Climate Change Task Force.

Polar growth at the bacterial scale reveals potential new targets for antibiotic therapy [Jan. 17, 2012]   An international team of microbiologists led by IU researchers (including CRES affiliate Clay Fuqua) has identified a new bacterial growth process–one that occurs at a single end or pole of the cell instead of uniform, dispersed growth along the long axis of the cell–that could have implications in the development of new antibacterial strategies.

IU study finds increasing atmospheric concentrations of new flame retardants [Dec. 14, 2011]   Compounds used in new flame-retardant products are showing up in the environment at increasing concentrations, according to a recent study at IU Bloomington. CRES affiliate Ron Hites is co-author of an article published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, reporting on concentrations of two compounds measured in atmospheric samples collected in the Great Lakes region between 2008 and 2010.

Study finds climate changes faster than species can adapt [Dec. 5, 2011]   CRES affiliate David Polley is co-author with doctoral candidate Michelle Lawing on "Pleistocene Climate, Phylogeny, and Climate Envelope Models: An Integrative Approach to Better Understand Species' Response to Climate Change," which was published by the online science journal PLoS One.

CRES affiliate Faiz Rahman has launched a new Web site: Indiana Carbon Cycle. Through the site, he and his colleagues reach out to Indiana citizens and policymakers about NASA's significant research on Carbon Cycle Science. The group also hopes to inform Indiana's legislators about the potential utility of NASA's Carbon Cycle Science and Earth Science research results in their decision making processes and in communications with their constituents on relevant climate change issues and impacts.

IU biologists identify light-regulated mechanism in cyanobacteria as aid to optimizing photosynthesis [Nov. 2, 2011]:   Implications of fully comprehending the mechanism, called "light-regulated transcription attenuation," include the potential for increasing agricultural yields, making bio-solar energy production more feasible, and improving understanding of a globally important biological process that is vital for providing the energy needed to sustain virtually all life on Earth, according to CRES affiliate David M. Kehoe.

IU scientists construct, to maintain complementary DNA libraries of first lizard genome sequence [Oct. 7, 2011]:   Scientists at IU Bloomington's Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics (including CRES affiliate John Colbourne) are credited with constructing the cDNA libraries for the first-ever genome sequence of a non-bird reptile, the North American green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis). The genome study was published in Nature magazine.

IU to take lead in DOE-funded Lake Erie offshore wind study [Sep. 15, 2011]:   CRES affiliates Rebecca Barthelmie and Sara Pryor, along with colleagues in the U.S. and Europe, have been awarded $700,000 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study Lake Erie wind resources and to perform a detailed evaluation of remote sensing technologies for wind resource estimation.

NSF grant to fund study of snowmelt-dependent agricultural systems [Sep. 14, 2011]:   Researchers at IU and two other institutions have been awarded a $1.2 million NSF grant to study the impact of climate change on water resources and the ability of governance systems to adapt to the resulting challenges. CRES affiliate Tom Evans is a co-PI on the project.

Geology journal addresses global water sustainability [Jul. 18, 2011]:   CRES affiliate Chen Zhu serves as co-guest editor of a special issue of Elements, a peer-reviewed publication sponsored by 16 geological societies. The issue addresses global water sustainability.

Upcoming Presentations

Quantifying land use and reactive nitrogen footprints associated with U.S. consumption using input-output life cycle assessment methods
Christine Costello, candidate for industrial ecology/life cycle analysis faculty position in SPEA
Thu., Feb. 9, at 4pm in SPEA 278

Screening of "The Oil Crash: A Crude Awakening"
Mon., Feb. 13, at 7pm in Myers 130

Community adaptation to peak oil and climate change
Dave Rollo, Bloomington City Councilman
Tue., Feb. 14, at 7pm in Jordan A100

Uncertainty and variability in product carbon footprinting: Case study of an electronic server
Christopher Weber, candidate for industrial ecology/life cycle analysis faculty position in SPEA
Thu., Feb. 16, at 4pm in SPEA 278

Projects driven by biological questions and addressed with a combination of mathematical modeling and statistical analysis
Zaid Abdo, University of Idaho
Mon., Feb. 20, at 11:45am in Jordan 123

Visit Other Presentations of Relevance for a list of environmental science talks at Indiana University.

Women in Science Research Conference
Fri., Mar. 2, from 9am-4pm at IMU Alumni Hall
The annual conference provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate women students in the natural sciences, social sciences, mathematics, and technology fields to showcase their research by giving poster presentations. Cash prizes are awarded. Participants can learn more about career opportunities for women in science through an interactive panel of industry representatives and a networking session during the conference. Registration deadline: Feb. 10, 2012. For more info: wisp@indiana.edu.

Animal Behavior Conference
April 5-7, 2012
Registration is free. Registration and abstract deadline: Mar. 9. Keynote speaker is John Wingfield from UC-Davis. His interests include environmental endocrinology, seasonality, and behavioral responses to climate change

IU Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions will hold the 19th Annual Teaching Research Ethics Workshop from May 15-18, 2012, at IU Bloomington.

CRES Funded Grants In order to enhance environmental sciences research and activities at IU Bloomington, the IU Center for Research in Environmental Sciences funds grants for research as well as for infrastructure, seminars/workshops, and travel. Calls for proposals are distributed to CRES affiliated members. Any IU Bloomington faculty member, postdoc, or graduate student interested in environmental sciences research is eligible to submit a proposal as long as a CRES affiliate on the IU Bloomington campus serves as the PI. A PI on an ongoing CRES proposal is not eligible to apply as PI on a new proposal. The CRES Spring Symposium provides opportunity for those who receive CRES funding to report on their projects. [Previously funded CRES grants]

CRES has sponsored numerous environmental science presentations, workshops, and events at IU Bloomington. Such educational activities provoke thought and encourage collaboration among the university's academic community which in turn stimulates research.

IURTP Field Lab Available. This innovative building (the first building on the IU Bloomington campus to receive LEED certification) is available to facilitate teaching and research opportunities in the natural and environmental sciences, as well as in areas like education, art, journalism, and writing where immersion in the natural environment is valuable.

The field lab is located near University Lake at the IU Research & Teaching Preserve Griffy Woods property less than a mile from campus. [Read more about the field lab.]

The Grad Grants Center is a free service which provides IU graduate students with one-on-one assistance with grant proposal writing (by appointment) and a centralized area to access funding information.

Download the National Science Foundation's brochure: Career-Life Balance Initiative, "a set of forward-looking policies and practices help to increase the placement, advancement, and retention of women in STEM disciplines, particularly women who are seeking tenure in academe."

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2006) is publicly available at www.mrlc.gov/. This massive database updates knowledge of the nation's land cover and documents precisely where land cover change has occurred between 2001 and 2006. NLCD is used for thousands of applications in such diverse investigations as ecosystem status and health, spatial patterns of biodiversity, indications of climate change, and best practices in land management.