Professional Development for Complexity Assessment in Natural Resource Systems

Recipient Organization
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
TALLAHASSEE,FL 32307

Performing Department
College of Agriculture

Non Technical Summary
The goal of this one-year professional development project is to increase the research capacity of the PI in complex system mathematical modeling in natural resource systems with emphasis on adaptation, resilience, and sustainability. This is important to meet the challenges of increasing demands in food-water-energy sectors exacerbated with environmental changes (e.g., climate and land-use changes) and limited resources. The long-term goal of the PI is to develop a center for the study of complex systems focusing on natural resources.The objectives of this project are to(1) Develop collaborations and network with researchers working in complex systems modeling.(2) Build PI's capacity in complex system mathematics for application to natural resource science and engineering.The three collaborators are Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik (John Hopkins University); Dr. Preetam Ghosh (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Dr. Jules Pretty (University of Essex).The activities of the professional development will be broadly in three phases (pre-project, project and post-project phases). The three hosts were identified in the pre-project phase, The PI will visit the collaborators in-person and virtually for 2 to 8 weeks duration. The PI plans to understand several complex system mathematical approaches suitable for application to natural resource systems. Four months of PI salary and travel to visit hosts are provided.

Animal Health Component

40%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

60%

Applied

40%

Developmental

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0199	2050	100%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology;

Keywords

Goals / Objectives
The goal of this one-year professional development project is to increase the resarch capacity of the PI in complex system mathematical modeling in natural resource systems with emphasis on adaptation, resilience, and sustainability.

Project Methods
The methods involved with professional development activities will be through:Meetings: Face-to-face meetings during site visits as well as virtual meetings via zoom with collaborators and their research group members. The PI will physically meet collaborators (Drs. Zaitchik and Ghosh) and interact their research group members. She will also remotely work through zoom meetings. The PI will remotely work with collaborator Dr. Pretty. Alternating between physical proximity with remote proximity will promote better communication and co-ordination; optimizing the cost of travel and allow time to learn and consider how to sustain improvements. The PI will have regular online meetings with the three collaborator.Emails and phone conversations: Brief correspondences such as clarifications, sharing materials will be through emails and telephone.Reading materials,appropriate software and courses: The PI will utilize materials (e.e.g, journal articles, books), short coursesand software suggested by collaborators to better understand complex system mathematical approaches for application to natural resource science and engineering.Site visits: The PI will visit the labs of two collaborators (Drs. Zaitchik and Ghosh) for a duration of two to eight weeks. If possible, visit Dr. Pretty or other potential collaborators outside the United States.

Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:Challenge: Due to recent changes in administration and new policies, the PI was required to obtain a sabbatical leave to fully focus on professional development activities. In addition, the retirement of senior faculty within my small program has created challenges in balancing teaching responsibilities with the need for professional development. These combined changes have impacted PI's ability to dedicate the necessary time to the professional development project. Solution: To address this, in October 2024, the PI has applied for a sabbatical for the academic year 2025 (August 2025 - May 2026), which will allow her to focus entirely on the project and related professional development. Additionally, she isrequesting a one-year no-cost extension to accommodate the sabbatical period. This extension will ensure the project continues without disruption. She will provide any additional reporting or updates as required by the award's Terms and Conditions. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The actual onsite project work with the host at Johns Hopkins Universitywill commence.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The goal of this one-year professional development project is to increase the resarch capacity of the PI in complex system mathematical modeling in natural resource systems with emphasis on adaptation, resilience, and sustainability. The PI has had several virtual meetings and one in-person meeting with the host at Johns Hopkins University. The actual onsite project work will commence after the no-cost extension, as this additional time is needed to ensure all preliminary tasks (e.g., sabbatical leave) are completed and necessary resources are in place to support the project's success.

Publications