The pond outside Emelia Harris’ house is bright orange. A few years ago, the water source was home to a vibrant ecosystem containing a variety of fish, turtles, and frogs. The water was crystal clear. Then nearby construction resulted in run-off entering Harris’ pond. As an Estill County, Kentucky native, Harris spent her childhood immersed …
Close to Home: Emelia Harris Turns Environmental Loss Into Purpose Read More »
Meredith Swallom, a 4th year PhD student supported under Project 2 of CLIMBS’ Paleo-Perspectives initiative, won top honors in the Lightning Talk competition at the 2025 John P. Wyatt, M.D. Environment and Health Symposium on April 22nd. Her talk, “Drainages, Dams, and Downpours: What Makes a Flood?”, explored how past and present landscape changes may …
UK’s Meredith Swallom Wins Top Honors for Flood Research Read More »
From Manhattan to Kentucky’s country cafés and then research labs filled with code, crops, and climate models, Karin Pekarchik’s career has always been about bridging gaps and making connections. Her latest mission? Helping CLIMBS cultivate a resilient academic ecosystem—one rooted in research and relationships. Throughout her career, Pekarchik has gravitated toward spaces where community …
“CLIMBS will provide incalculable benefits to society… and ultimately enable us to save lives.” On March 25th, Dr. Sebastian Bryson championed the work of CLIMBS at TEDxUKY. Bryson told a gripping story–how floods and landslides have rocked our commonwealth–but also how spatial analysis, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence can help our Kentucky communities better predict …
Press Release from Kentucky Geological Survey: The Surface Processes & Modelling Laboratory (SP&M) at the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) is making significant strides in research and collaboration, including welcoming an esteemed international scholar, publishing research, and securing new funding. The SP&M Lab is funded by the NSF EPSCoR ‘Climate Resilience through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building …
SP&M Lab Updates: Exciting Developments in Landslide Research and Flood Modelling Read More »
The 2025 Graduate Appalachian Research Community (GARC) Symposium, hosted by the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center on March 8th, brought together scholars and researchers from UK and the region to discuss pressing issues in Appalachia. This year’s theme, Insider/Outsider, connected history, culture, science, and art to exemplify Appalachia’s past, present, and future. One of the …
McGlue, Marks, Puckett Speak on UK’s Appalachian Center Panel Read More »
By Avi Judd “I need a forecast in two minutes. What do you have?” Wyatt Crutcher is used to being put on the spot by his meteorology professor, Joshua Durkee. A storm encroaches his campus’ football game. High lightning proximity, six miles from the stadium. Within moments Crutcher assesses the impending storm and relays the …
Taken from the KGS Website: https://www.uky.edu/KGS/news/2025_2_3_SPaM.php The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) opened a new computational lab on the third floor of the Mining and Mineral Resources Building in January 2025. The Surface Processes and Modelling Laboratory (SP&M Lab) was funded by the NSF EPSCoR ‘Climate Resilience through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building Response …
KGS, Project 2 Unveils State-of-the-Art Lab for Flood Modeling Research Read More »
Please welcome six new undergraduate and high school members of the CLIMBS team, working with Jen O’Keefe and Md Golam Kibria! These six are helping us build climate resilience! Margaret Alden (junior), Hannah Sprinkle (junior), Tori Reid (Craft Academy junior), and Avery Wasinger (Craft Academy junior) are working on building a Holocene climate change record …
As KY NSF EPSCoR’s CLIMBS project continues to build climate resiliency, it is also building research infrastructure to support CLIMBS initiatives well-beyond the five-year project. Much of that support comes in the form of new faculty hires. Ten new hires — seven at UK, two at University of Louisville, and one at Western Kentucky University …
Meet Professor Brian He, CLIMBS First New Hire at the University of Louisville Read More »
