National Science Foundation grant awarded to UAA
 

National Science Foundation grant awarded to UAA

By: Jessica Hamlin   Aug 18, 2006

Grant to help develop community-based complexity modeling framework

ANCHORAGE – The National Science Foundation Human and Social Dynamics program has awarded a very competitive grant to Dr. Lilian Alessa of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s (UAA) Resilience and Adaptive Management (RAM) Group. The grant will help establish a Community-Based Complexity Modeling Framework in partnership with Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and the Sante Fe Institute.

The $154,000 grant will help bring social and cultural considerations to the fore front of predictive models that seek to understand how human communities will adapt to changes, particularly those associated with natural resources such as water and agriculture.

UAA, as a forum for public involvement in science, is a key leader in developing tools for natural resource management that are inclusive and accessible to diverse users.

“We’re running a pilot project to see how this program will work,” said Dr. Alessa. “We’re developing tools for natural resource managers that incorporate social and cultural variables. The tools to use models are often unrealistic for most managers, and this project is a huge step in developing accessibility for these key players.”  

For more information on the complexity modeling project or grant, please contact Jessica Hamlin at 786-1288.

###
Jessica D. Hamlin ● Office of University Advancement ● (907) 786-1288