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96 CRC Spring 2017 Newsletter Welcome to the Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) quarterly newsletter. View this email inin project management, accounting, and social media, along with a history of independent work with measurable goals, Ms. Doudney has made an excellent addition to the CRC! Optimization Tool Development Project As reported in the Winter 2017 edition of this Newsletter (Vol 2 No 1), the CRC is currently engaged in an Optimization Tool Development project through cooperative agreement with the US EPA, under Chesapeake Bay Program funding. The position derived from recommendations of a related STAC workshop held on February 17-18, 2016 . The original project work plan included the hiring of a post-doctoral level Research Scientist to work directly with the CBPO’s modeling team under advisement of an Advisory and Support Committee comprising six experts in optimization and environmental system analysis: Drs. Darrell Bosch (Va. Tech), Benjamin Hobbs (Johns Hopkins), Stuart Schwartz (UMBC), Hugh Ellis (Johns Hopkins), Art McGarrity (Swarthmore College), and George van Houtven (RTI). There was considerable interest in the advertised position and several excellent candidates were identified and interviewed. Regrettably, however (and owing in large part to uncertainties associated with federal budget renegotiations), the position remains unfilled. At this stage, some members of the Advisory and Support Committee are working directly with the CRC, in close collaboration with the CBP modeling team to develop a revised work plan for the project. Independent LSRRS Modeling Review This project remains on-going, albeit with very few developments since our last newsletter. The effort involves the coordination of an external independent peer review of modeling activities being supported by Exelon Corporation toward better understanding the hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry of the Lower Susquehanna River Reservoir System (LSRRS), which includes Conowingo Pond. A website for the review has been established. The effort to date has helped to inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s modeling effort (i.e., the Phase 6 Watershed Model) and also has implications for the CBP’s Water Quality and Sediment Transport Model (WQSTM) for the Chesapeake Bay itself. As described elsewhere in this newsletter, the CBP’s most recent LSRRS-related modeling activities are still being prepared for upcoming review by CBP’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC). Opportunities for Future Collaborations Periodically, we will use this newsletter to alert subscribers to selected opportunities for collaborative involvement in Bay research that are of sufficient breadth to be of broad interest and with timelines (deadlines) appropriate for the constraints of a quarterly newsletter. We aim to highlight initiatives that might not otherwise be on your radar, and focus on opportunities where cross-institutional involvement is likely to enhance success. As elsewhere, we welcome contributions from members and partners for publication in future issues. CRC Note: The CRC stands ready to support any Principal Investigator in a member institution or partnering organization who is interested in pursuing collaboration. Please contact us if you have an idea you would like to pursue. OYSTER Opportunities for Young Scientists: Training, Education, and Research REU at ODU Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Opportunity: An Interdisciplinary Program for Climate Change Science in Metropolitan Coastal Communities at Old Dominion University. This NSF-funded award will support up to 10 undergraduate scholars on campus over the next three summers matched to faculty mentors for individual research projects as well as group activities linked to ODU’s sea level rise activities. Student arrive at the end of May for 10 weeks, and the program for this summer is about to be finalized. Professor Rodger Harvey is the official program director, and Shannon Cofield will be the program coordinator this summer. More information on this program available on their website . Atkins Minority STEM Scholarship Program Atkins is a design, engineering, and project management consulting firm with locations all over the world. They have a tradition of assisting minority students in completing their higher education programs through the Atkins Minority STEM Scholarship Program. The program is available to female students or students of African American, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, Native Alaskan or Hispanic descent. In addition, applicants must meet other eligibility requirements listed on their website . Scholarships of $2,000 are awarded for the fall and spring semesters to qualified students. Upon meeting the program criteria, scholarship recipients are selected through a competitive process. A local selection committee composed of Atkins technical Leaders will choose the recipient. All scholarship funds are paid directly toward the student’s tuition. If you have any questions or comments about the Atkins Foundation Women and Minorities STEM Scholarship, are interested in learning more about recipients for internships or the graduate development program, or to find out how you can play a part in the continued success of this program, please contact them at (305) 514-326, by email at MinorityScholarship@atkinsglobal.com or visit their website . Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields—and the scholars and practitioners who work in them—are chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity. The following program areas are currently open: Data & Computational Research, Energy & Environment, and Scholarly Communication. Scientists and students involved in Chesapeake Bay research may be particularly interested in the Energy & Environment page , and interested applicants can send a letter of inquiry of no more than two pages to program director Evan S. Michelson (michelson@sloan.org). The Foundation’s website provides information on the suite of other funding opportunities they offer. Women & Minorities in Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math Fields Program (WAMS) If you are an educator working to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in a STEM field, you can apply for up to $100,000 for your next project. The Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program supports research and extension activities that will increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas who will pursue and complete a postsecondary degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program is currently accepting applications.The deadline for submission is Thursday, June 8 at 5 p.m., EDT. Visit the WAMS funding opportunity page to access application instructions and abstracts of previously funding grants. CRaB: Collaborative Research around the Bay CRC members are an active bunch, addressing some of the most critical issues in Chesapeake Bay. In this section, we highlight collaborative projects involving investigators from two or more CRC member institutions, whether recently completed, on-going, or newly initiated. If you have a project you would like us to feature in future articles, please let us know . Changing Chesapeake Much of the conversation around climate change focuses on expected future changes. A robust partnership between federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector seeks to change that, while also developing a new model for research projects that includes a communication effort at its core. The project, Changing Chesapeake, focuses on understanding how climate change has already impacted the Chesapeake Bay. In 2014, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’s (NOAA) funded...