Appalachian LCC Coordinator is Panelist at National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment
This year's conference focused on "The Food-Energy-Water Nexus". Jean was one of seven panel members for the session on "Integrating Food-Energy-Water Systems across Space and Time." Her talk presented the Cooperative’s approach as a stellar example of addressing large-scale environmental challenges, while meeting the needs of society. Jean referenced the Appalachian LCC funding and support of modeling future energy development for coal, natural gas, and wind energy in the region. She also discussed research that documented the biological impacts of water withdrawal across the Marcellus Shale formation and provided key findings on how modeling potential risk across a broader geography helps inform managers and guide policymakers in evaluating ways to balance the needs to sustain aquatic health and diversity while addressing human demands for water.
The conference focus was on systems-based approaches for environmental science in developing and connecting new scientific insights and engineering solutions with decision-making and public policy. This year's conference was the largest to date with more than 60 sessions and over 400 speakers. Keynote speakers included Dr. Frances Cordova, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, Acting Deputy Chief of Research and Development, US Forest Service, and Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability at George Washington University.
