Inaugural grant program funds will support sustainable viticulture and improve stormwater infrastructure
Recipients of AGNR’s Advancing Our Strategic Initiatives Fearlessly Forward grant program have been selected. Two faculty members will receive approximately $125,000 each for research that will have an impact in many of the college’s five strategic initiative areas. The grant program was rolled out for the first time this year and is intended to advance AGNR’s strategic initiatives in new and creative directions.
“It is exciting to see our faculty developing innovative projects that really embody what’s important to the AGNR community,” said Dean Craig Beyrouty. “We are proud to be able to back them up with real financial support because, every step our researchers take in advancing our strategic initiatives is a step forward for the college, for students who want to be engaged in meaningful research and for the global community where we are making an impact.”
Dr. Beyrouty also said the grant program will be offered again next year.
Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology is advancing the initiative Optimizing Urban Environments with his project titled: Maximizing the multifunctional co-benefit potential of stormwater green infrastructure to optimize urban environments.
“We are very excited that the college is supporting our project on green infrastructure to bring together ecology, environmental health, and green design to improve our urban environments,” said Pavao-Zuckerman. “This research funding for the strategic initiative benefits faculty and students in AGNR and supports us to do work that connects to communities in meaningful ways.”
Pavao-Zuckerman and his team will investigate how the design of green infrastructure affects the benefits and ecosystem services it provides in urban environments in Maryland and Washington D.C. Green infrastructure is primarily designed to manage stormwater by reducing runoff and retaining pollutants. These systems can prevent damaging flash floods and erosion, and protect waterways from pollution and sediment runoff.
