Through an initiative launched in July of 2006, scientists from the University of Tennessee (UT) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) joined researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to establish the China-US Joint Research Center for Ecosystem and Environmental Change. The JRCEEC addresses the combined effects of climate change and human activities on regional and global ecosystems and explores technologies for restoration of degraded environments.
In 2017, the US National Science Foundation awarded faculty and scientists at the University of Tennessee (UT) a grant to support the development of a Research Coordination Network (RCN), designed to identify transdisciplinary research opportunities for scientists in the US and China focusing on the nexus of food, energy and water systems (FEWS). Through this grant, termed “Food-Energy-Water Systems Transdisciplinary Environmental Research Network (FEWSTERN),” JRCEEC will continue its work by partnering with three NSF-China awards to three teams of Chinese institutions, led by Nanjing University, South China University of Science and Technology, and Remin University of China, respectively, to develop research priorities transcending US and Chinese grand challenges.
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UT STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM
FEWSTERN Co-PI Dr. Jie (Joe) Zhuang and his colleagues (Dr. Mark Radosevich and Dr. Sean Schaeffer) have developed a forward-looking study-abroad course for US students. This program provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to accumulate transdisciplinary knowledge and develop perspectives on the importance and impacts of the nexus of food, energy, and water systems (FEWS) for realizing environmental, social, and economic sustainability at local-to-global scales.
Through outdoor observations, indoor studies, and stakeholder engagement in Northeast China, students will learn the principles and practices of ecological agriculture and environmental protection with respect to climate change, energy consumption, and urbanization while experiencing Chinese culture by interacting with students, professors, and industry leaders in China and touring Beijing, Shenyang, and Changchun.
The application deadline for mini-term 2020 is November 14, 2019.
View this PDF presentation of the history of the JRCEEC in pictures.
An International Workshop on the nexus of food-energy-water (FEWS) systems was held August 16-19, 2019 at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. The workshop was sponsored by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee, and the Southern University of Science and Technology. For more information contact: Abi Cohen or Zhan Tian. Read the flyer here.
Dr. Gary Sayler, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in Microbiology and Adjunct Professor in BioSystems Engineering and Soil Science at UTIA, received the 2018 Distinguished Scientist “Einstein Professor” award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) International Fellowship Program Initiative. The award was presented by Professor Guibin Jiang of CAS following Dr. Sayler's Plenary Lecture at the 1st International High-level Symposium on Toxicology and Health of Air Pollution in Beijing on October 21, 2018. Dr. Sayler presented a forward looking lecture on Climate Change relationships to the mobilization, transport and distribution of microorganisms and air toxins. Follow-on lectures were also presented at the CAS Institute for Applied Ecology in Shenyang, and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Studies in Beijing, as well as the China National Medical University in Shenyang, Jilin University and Northeast Normal University in Changchun, where Dr. Sayler spoke on system science in bioremediation and the Lux bioluminescence sensor in environmental toxicology and health.
Upcoming Meetings
The 13th Annual US-China Eco-Environmental Symposium, "Research and Innovation at the Nexus of Food-Energy-Water," will be held October 26-29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The preliminary agenda is:
- Saturday, October 26: Arrival and Reception
- Sunday, October 27: Plenary Sessions, Breakout Presentations, Banquet
- Monday, October 28: Three-Minute Pitches, Team Forming, Proposal Development
- Tuesday, October 29: Optional Tours: (TBD)
Book your Hotel Rooms at the Seattle Hilton here or call 1-800-HILTONS and use the group code: UTFEW. The cut-off date for making reservations under this room block has been extended to October 11, 2019.