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),” UT will partner 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.
FEWSTERN continues many years of collaborative work by the US-China Joint Research Center for Ecological and Environmental Change (JRCEEC), which was established in 2006.
NEWS
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.
NEWS
Join the FEWS Research Network by completing this fillable PDF form with your information.
FEWSTERN participant, Jim Thebaut is a Los Angeles based documentary filmmaker and the president of The Chronicles Group. Listen to his newest podcast, "Warning the World that Climate Change is Here and for What Happens Next"
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.
Read the article on the new FEWS project on UTIA's News and Announcements page.