Download URBAN COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY A Northeastern University Research and Education Initiative

URBAN COASTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
A Northeastern University Research
and Education Initiative
At the critical junction of land and sea
Half of the world’s population lives within 40
miles of the sea, and coastal cities contribute to
half of global GDP. Unprecedented global change
is endangering these coastal ecosystems and the
vital human activities they support.
Northeastern University—with one of the only
U.S. centers for marine science research located
in a coastal urban area—has established the
Urban Coastal Sustainability Initiative to address
the threats posed by extreme weather and sealevel rise, collapsing fisheries, invasive species,
biodiversity loss, coastal pollution, and gaps in
port security. This interdisciplinary, use-inspired
research initiative will yield solutions that
promote a sustainable future for the world’s
urban coastlines.
RESEARCH SNAPSHOT: Meet some of our UCSI faculty
Brian Helmuth, professor of marine and
environmental sciences and public policy
Helmuth explores the effects of climate and
extreme weather events on the physiology
and ecology of marine organisms to inform
decision makers with scientifically accurate forecasts. His research suggests that
unless we know where and when to look,
many early impacts could go unnoticed.
NOTABLE: Helmuth is leading a National Science Foundation-funded
project to create an early warning system of linked, self-aware
microsensors to protect intertidal communities from the effects of
lethal heat waves.
Matthias Ruth, professor of public policy and civil
and environmental engineering
Ruth, interim director of Northeastern’s
School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs,
is a leader in the emerging field of ecological economics. His research examining
the long-term impact of extreme weather
on coastal cities has shown that proactive
“green” policies are the most cost-effective
choice.
NOTABLE: Ruth is founding co-editor in chief of the international
science journal Urban Climate, and co-author of the 2014 National
Climate Assessment. He is collaborating with faculty colleague
Jonathan Grabowski on a Northeast Sea Grant-funded project
examining the human dimensions of coastal and marine ecosystems.
Jerome Hajjar, professor and chair, civil and
environmental engineering
Hajjar and his team design and model
materials and building components—
such as structural “fuses”—that will make
buildings more resilient to catastrophic events, from hurricanes to terrorist
attacks. The replaceable fuses absorb
destructive energy the same way electrical
fuses absorb overloads.
NOTABLE: Hajjar holds nearly $1.2 million in external research awards,
including a grant of $305,336 from the National Institute of Standards
and Technologies for his project, “Disaster Resilience of Buildings,
Infrastructure, and Communities.”
Jonathan Grabowski, associate professor of
marine and environmental sciences
Grabowski’s research focuses on marine
ecology, fisheries, conservation biology,
and ecological economics within a variety
of estuarine and marine settings. A primary
goal of his work is to improve the management of economically important species
such as lobsters, cod, herring, monkfish,
and striped bass.
NOTABLE: Grabowski’s research on the impact of environmental
changes on fisheries and shoreline habitats is currently supported
by more than $1.5 million in grants from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Stephen Flynn, professor of political science;
director, Center for Resilience Studies
Flynn is a pioneer in advocating an
approach to natural and manmade disasters based on resilience: mitigating the
consequences of a threat rather than eliminating it. His research focuses on critical
infrastructure and systems, analyzing their
vulnerabilities and deciding how best to
minimize the impact of a blow.
NOTABLE: Flynn was principle investigator for Bolstering Critical
Infrastructure Resilience After Superstorm Sandy: Lessons for New
York and the Nation, in collaboration with researchers from Columbia
University, New York University, the Stevens Institute of Technology,
and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Geoff Trussell, professor and chair, marine and environmental sciences; director, Marine Science Center
Trussell’s lab focuses on the ecology and
evolution of marine communities spanning the breadth of habitats in the Gulf of
Maine, with emphases on predation risk,
the influence of species diversity on ecosystem function, and the impact of climate
changes on natural food webs.
NOTABLE: Trussell’s current research includes a collaboration with
Assistant Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences Tarik
Gouhier examining intertidal community assembly and dynamics,
supported by a National Science Foundation grant of $715,201.
Anne Randall Hughes, assistant professor of
marine and environmental sciences
Hughes’ research focuses on the role of
seagrass in maintaining healthy coastal
ecosystems. Her team’s findings will
help urban policymakers make smarter
decisions when it comes to protecting
and restoring seagrasses—and help shore
up urban coastlines against storms like
Hurricane Sandy.
NOTABLE: Hughes is a project director on a multiuniversity consortium
led by the Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience to examine how
biodiversity can make coastal ecosystems more resilient to catastrophic events.
Mark Patterson, professor of marine and environmental sciences and civil and environmental engineering
Patterson is developing autonomous,
underwater robots able to collect vast
amounts of oceanic data over time. They
are designed to give scientists the most
accurate picture yet of how and where the
ocean is changing, and the impact of those
changes on our climate and coastlines.
NOTABLE: Patterson directs Northeastern’s Field Robotic Laboratory.
His recent research awards include a $291,000 National Science
Foundation grant to determine how environmental stresses caused
by warming ocean water affect certain corals.
northeastern.edu/ucsi
An urban coastal research center
Located on East Point in Nahant, Massachusetts,
Northeastern’s Marine Science Center has engaged in
research, undergraduate and graduate education, and
community outreach since 1967.
Situated within miles of downtown Boston, the
MSC offers an open seawater facility, greenhouse,
experimental tank farms, research labs, dive center, and
classrooms, as well as access to a pristine rocky shore
habitat. It is also home to the Ocean Genome Legacy, a
renowned center for marine genomics research.
The center received more than $3 million in external
research funding in 2014.