Sustainable Agriculture

Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine Announces First Round of Climate Resilience Projects

The Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has launched its first round of climate resilience projects, supported by the U.S. NSF.
Photo by Michael Kirsh on Unsplash

Key Takeaways:

  • The Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has launched its first round of climate resilience projects, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program.
  • Nearly 50 proposals were submitted for R&D and Translation/Startup projects addressing key regional climate resilience issues.
  • The projects cover areas such as water security, wildfire prediction and response, soil carbon sequestration, and methane emissions mitigation.
  • Governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Mark Gordon of Wyoming announced the grant recipients, emphasizing the importance of state collaboration to drive innovation and economic development.

First Round of Climate Resilience Projects Launched

Over the past two months, the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine has been actively identifying and supporting innovative climate resilience projects across the region. The Engine’s inaugural round of investments, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines program, focuses on Research and Development (R&D) and Translation/Startup projects aimed at addressing climate-related challenges.

The initiative received strong participation from interdisciplinary teams across the region’s universities and startups, with nearly 50 proposals submitted. The selected projects target critical issues such as water security, wildfire prediction, extreme weather modeling, soil carbon sequestration, and methane emissions mitigation.

State Collaboration on Climate Resilience

In a show of regional cooperation, Governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Mark Gordon of Wyoming jointly announced the recipients of the inaugural grant program. This partnership represents a significant step toward creating solutions that protect communities, foster innovation, and stimulate economic growth in both states.

Governor Polis emphasized Colorado’s leadership in addressing climate change, stating, “These projects will help secure our water future, protect Coloradans from wildfire dangers, and improve air quality.” Governor Gordon added, “Wyoming and Colorado may not always agree, but efforts like this benefit citizens in both states by addressing critical issues like droughts and wildfires.”

Key Projects Selected for Climate Resilience

The Engine’s request for proposals led to the selection of multiple impactful projects across two focus areas: Research and Development (R&D) and Translation/Startups. These projects aim to advance climate resilience solutions across Colorado and Wyoming, further enhancing the region’s capabilities in areas like advanced sensing and data science.

R&D Projects:

  1. Soil Carbon Capture Data & Analytics
    • Principal Investigator: Francesca Cotrufo, PhD
    • Lead Institution: Colorado State University
    • Key Partners: University of Wyoming, NEON
    • Project Focus: Developing soil pyrogenic carbon monitoring to improve wildfire impact predictions and biochar management.
  2. Methane Emissions Analysis
    • Principal Investigator: Sara Place, PhD
    • Lead Institution: Colorado State University
    • Key Partner: NIST
    • Project Focus: Evaluation of MRV technology for monitoring methane emissions from cattle feedlots.
  3. Water Security/Extreme Weather Prediction
    • Principal Investigator: Bart Geerts, PhD
    • Lead Institution: University of Wyoming
    • Key Partners: NCAR, Colorado Climate Center, US Forest Service
    • Project Focus: Addressing weather extremes and water resource transitions in Colorado and Wyoming.
  4. Wildfire Risk and Prediction
    • Principal Investigator: Virginia Iglesias, PhD
    • Lead Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Key Partners: CoreLogic, CyVerse
    • Project Focus: Using AI and Big Data to assess wildfire vulnerability in built environments.
  5. Wildfire Risk through Climate-Power-Interaction
    • Principal Investigator: Qiuhua Huang, PhD
    • Lead Institution: Colorado School of Mines
    • Key Partners: Xcel Energy, Tri-State Generation
    • Project Focus: Predicting regional wildfire risks through the interaction of climate and power systems.

Translation/Startup Projects:

  1. CO-WY Biochar
    • Principal Investigator: Rowdy Yeatts
    • Company: High Plains Biochar
    • Key Partners: Colorado State Forest Service, Biochar Co-Op
    • Project Focus: Expanding biochar production for soil carbon capture and ecosystem resilience.
  2. Next-Gen Soil Monitoring
    • Principal Investigator: Elliot Strand
    • Company: Page Technologies
    • Key Partners: Syngenta Group, University of Wyoming
    • Project Focus: Wireless printed sensors for real-time soil monitoring in agriculture.
  3. Methane Emissions Detection
    • Principal Investigator: Babur Ozden
    • Company: Aquanta Vision Technologies Inc.
    • Key Partners: CSU METEC, Chevron Studio
    • Project Focus: Commercializing methane leak detection platforms for enhanced monitoring.

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