RCEI Newsletter

December 2023

Issue 1

Trouble loading this email? View in your web broswer here.

It is my pleasure to share with you our first newsletter of the recently launched Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute (RCEI), which combines and expands upon the activities of three Rutgers institutes on climate, environment, and energy research at the university: Rutgers Climate Institute (RCI), Rutgers Energy Institute (REI) and Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS). RCEI is an initiative of the Rutgers-New Brunswick Academic Master Plan and brings together scholars working on the social and physical dimensions of climate change, low carbon energy transitions, and climate and energy communication. 

The University’s commitment includes significant support from the Rutgers – New Brunswick Chancellor Challenge, dedicated funds from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, and additional support from several Rutgers-New Brunswick schools, including School of Engineering, School of Arts and Sciences, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Mason Gross School of the Arts.  

RCEI's mission is to contribute to a resilient, equitable, and sustainable climate future, by connecting faculty, students, and stakeholders through transformative climate change research, innovation, education, and outreach. In keeping with our mission, I hope you will enjoy reading about our November Climate Symposium as well as some of the scholarship and activities of the more than 160 faculty and staff affiliates of RCEI and our amazing students.  

Julie Lockwood,

RCEI Interim Director

New Jersey Academic Alliance for Offshore Wind Energy Symposium

Friday, January 12, 2024 | 9:00am - 3:00pm

Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering

500 Bartholomew Rd. Piscataway, NJ 08854

The A2OSW Symposium is an opportunity for New Jersey academic institutions to discuss their expertise, programs, and projects in offshore wind energy education, research, community engagement, and workforce development; identify opportunities for collaboration; and develop a plan to build an organized statewide effort in offshore wind energy.

Learn More and Register Here

Co-Sponsored by RCEI, The Rutgers Green Jobs Fair an interdisciplinary career fair featuring job and internship opportunities related to sustainability, the environment, and climate action.

This event is open to employers from all sectors and Rutgers University students and alumni from all academic disciplines and campuses. Free pizza and refreshments will be available.

Learn More and Register Here

In Search of Solutions, was the theme of the 2023 Rutgers Climate Symposium held on November 15, 2023 at Rutgers -New Brunswick campus. Rutgers has held a climate symposium since 2006. For the past decade, this annual gathering has brought together researchers, faculty, and student scholars from academic and research institutions across our region to foster scholarly collaboration and education.  

Denise Hien, Senior Vice Provost for Research, Rutgers University - New Brunswick emphasized Rutgers commitment to addressing the climate crisis, spotlighting the importance of this gathering to provide new knowledge, new opportunities and rewarding collaborations as we collectively work to search for solutions in addressing the challenge of climate change in our region and beyond. 

Speakers represented RCEI's focus areas including John P. Krasting, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (Focus Area: Earth Systems Science); Orville Grey, International Institute for Sustainable Development (Focus Area: Human Dimensions); Benjamin Sovacool, Boston University (Focus Area: Renewable Energy, Technology, Energy Conservation ); and Lisa Beth Robinson, East Carolina University and Kristen Thielking, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (Focus Area: Communication and Environmental Humanities). 

Recordings of the presentations as well the Poster Session titles, abstracts, and PDFs of the posters can be found here.

Left to Right: Orville Grey (International Institute for Sustainable Development), Julie Lockwood (RCEI Interim Director), John Krasting (NOAA GFDL), Lisa Beth Robinson (East Carolina University), and Kristen Thielking (University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point)

Attendees and presenters sharing ideas and learning about each others' research during the Climate Symposium's Afternoon Poster Session.

Shannon Dickey, PhD student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources

Katherine Cann, PhD student in the Geography Department

Katherine Cann, a Rutgers PhD student in the Geography Department, and Shannon Dickey, a Rutgers PhD student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, were selected to participate in the Graduate Student Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Partners (GradCAMP) scholars program hosted by the USDA's Northeast Climate Hub. GradCAMP scholars are a cohort of graduate students studying adaptation and mitigation to climate risk with a focus on climate equity and justice in the working lands and waters of the Northeast U.S. Scholars are participating in a webinar series convening leading researchers and practitioners in climate justice, as well a digital library of information.

In addition to a Spring 2024 in-person workshop, GradCAMP scholars will present their own research and findings, which will become the Climate Equity in Working Lands/Waters Webinar Series.