HBCU-RISE: Enhancement of Research and Educational Infrastructure in Climate Change Impact Analysis for Critical Infrastructure Systems Protection Using Game Theory

With support from the Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (RISE) program, this project aims to establish a Center of Climate Change Analytics at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The center aims to create an important educational and research platform that will train undergraduate and graduate students to become diverse next-generation leaders that will address emerging contemporary issues of climate change.

The research of this center aims to advance our basic understanding of the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and urban infrastructure through the use of game theory. The central idea of the research is to advance predictive capabilities of the effects of climate-driven sea level rise and extreme storm events by mapping potential future climate scenarios and identifying robust decision strategies that best protect the critical infrastructure systems that support everyday life.

The establishment of a center of climate change analytics at UDC will enable multidisciplinary research by creating a unifying hub for faculty, industry, and agency partners to focus on addressing the growing concerns surrounding our changing climate. The key goals of the center are to integrate climate change issues into the curriculum, enhance UDC faculty research capabilities, and to develop cross-industry connections.

The research objectives of the center include (a) mapping of potential future climate scenarios and associated probabilities, (b) identifying critical thresholds for critical infrastructure protection, (c) developing robust decision strategies, and (d) establishing an interdisciplinary research infrastructure to train faculty researchers and a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. The CREST HBCU-RISE awards support the development of research capability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.