New research center focuses on the impact of environmental change

Environmental change can take many forms, from shifting weather patterns to an influx of invasive species that threaten native ecosystems.

About three dozen scientists across Binghamton University already work on questions related to environmental change in disciplines that include Earth sciences, biological sciences, geography, anthropology, environmental studies and engineering.

The University’s new Natural Global Environmental Change Center, or NATCHANGE, gives natural scientists a space to share their work and collaborate on future research connected with anthropogenic change, how that change affects natural systems and how to develop solutions. Headed by Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Kirsten Prior and Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Molly Patterson, Nat-Change complements other campus initiatives, including the Sustainable Communities Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence and Binghamton 2 Degrees.

“The main mission of our center is basically to create a central hub for natural scientists at Binghamton University for working on some of the greatest challenges of our time,” Prior said. “We created this hub so we can collaborate more, but also so we can elevate the reputation of Binghamton University by showcasing the talent of our natural scientists.”

NATCHANGE builds upon the successes and relationships developed by the University’s Center for Integrated Watershed Studies (CIWS), which is currently wrapping up its work. The new center takes a broad approach, focusing on four main themes: climate science, nutrients and pollutants, land use, and changes in biodiversity, including invasive species.

“We see those as the major drivers of human-induced change in natural systems,” Prior explained.

The center launched in September with an inaugural meeting that drew more than 30 people. The event introduced faculty members to the center’s mission and featured flash talks about current research projects. Faculty members also got together to brainstorm ways they could share equipment and resources across disciplines, connect with industries and organizations outside the University, and more.

“Some of us do a lot of work in this area, but we don’t know what everyone else is doing,” Patterson said. “This is a way to fix that and help people enhance their research.”

Patterson and Prior are currently working on a website and promotional materials, as well as coordinating ideas for collaborative projects and grants, and reaching out to other centers in the SUNY system. Plans in the works include seminar speakers, a campus biodiversity initiative, proposals for bolstering infrastructure and expanding efforts connected with the First-year Research Immersion’s ecological genetics, environmental visualization and biogeochemistry streams.

“Environmental change is a great challenge. Humans are impacting the environment in ways that have the potential to affect society,” Prior reflected. “To have a healthy society, we also need a healthy environment. Our goal is to figure out what those impacts are on natural systems and come up with solutions to mitigate those impacts.”