John Lin named Earth Leadership Program Fellow

GCSC faculty affiliate John Lin, professor of atmospheric sciences, has been named a 2021 fellow of The Earth Leadership Program. The program recognizes mid-career academic researchers who focus on environmental and sustainability issues and provides them with an opportunity to develop as global leaders to bring their expertise to effect positive change. Dr. Lin will join a global network of scientists, researchers, and innovators engaged in transdisciplinary research that will be needed to support rapid transformations towards sustainability.

Lin has been an innovative and collaborative researcher since being recruited to the U of U (with the help of the GCSC) in 2012. His Land-Atmosphere Interactions Research (LAIR) group studies phenomena that impact climate and the environment such as air quality, greenhouse gases, and wildfire emissions.

Lin says his selection as a fellow reflects the quality of research at the U in studying climate change and air pollution. “As importantly,” he says, “the Earth Leadership Program recognizes the potential for work at the U to provide solutions to these issues by working with stakeholders and the public at large.  This is testament to the efforts in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences as well as the many, many wonderful members of the Global Change and Sustainability Center across campus.” (quoted from an article in @theU. Click link to read further.)

 

This leadership training program “provides opportunities for Fellows to learn leadership skills and to practice them in a dynamic setting. The network of trainers, mentors, and peers promotes relationships that are meaningful and may lead to new professional opportunities. The value for each Fellow is in building these connections and in becoming inspired and confident that our research has purpose and impact on the world.” Sharon K. Collinge, Executive Director of the Earth Leadership Program.

 

GCSC Affiliate Faculty Recognition 2019-2020

At the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, the University of Utah recognized several GCSC faculty affiliates for their contributions to research and education.

  • Robin Kundis Craig was named Distinguished Professor of Law in the S.J. Quinney College of Law.
    Dr. Craig researches the law and policy of “all things water,” including water rights, water pollution, and ocean and coastal issues, as well as climate change adaptation, the intersection of constitutional and environmental law, and the food-energy-water nexus. She has authored, co-authored, or edited 11 books, 21 books chapters, and over 100 articles in both law and scientific journals.
  • Dave Bowling, Professor, School of Biological Sciences, received a Distinguished Research Award. The Bowling lab group studies how environmental and climate change affect the carbon and water cycles of forests, grasslands, and shrublands of the mountain West.
  • Shelley Minteer, Professor, Department of Chemistry, received a Distinguished Research Award. Her research focuses on improving the energy efficiency of energy conversion and storage devices.

Two faculty affiliates were named “Career Champions of the Year” for their contributions to student career and internship success:

  • Peter Lippert, Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics
  • Kody Powell, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering

Three GCSC faculty affiliates were awarded NSF CAREER Grants, awards that support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education, and the integration of these endeavors in the context of their organizations’ missions. They are:

Award to Anderegg for studying the future of forests

Bill Anderegg, GCSC affiliate and Assistant Professor in the U’s School of Biological Sciences, has been awarded a Packard Fellowship to support his research to understand the future of forests in a changing climate. He aims to use this flexible funding to conduct long-term climate change research that’s hard or nearly impossible to fund with traditional grants. Read more in U News.