The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences recently brought a new perspective on climate change and agriculture to some of the studies in computer and math modeling taking place at the world-famous Brookhaven National Laboratory.
This was largely thanks to Gregory Goins, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, who was invited to lead and organize a session on climate environmental impact, during the BNL’s New York Scientific Data Summit 2021.
Gregory Goins, Ph.D.
Goins, a crop scientist and former NASA staff scientist with expertise in computer science, pointed out that people who experience the worst effects of climate change are often socially disadvantaged and depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, mathematical models aimed at curbing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change depend on field research data. Thus it’s important for that data to include research about minorities and disadvantaged regions.
Goins described the session as a “win-win” for N.C. A&T and Brookhaven alike. The new relationship with Brookhaven could help N.C. A&T get closer to resources relative to the best computational power in the country. The global effort to manage climate change stands to benefit too.
“I’m very hopeful that endeavors that include all communities working together will make it much more likely that we’ll be able to come up with solutions that benefit the spectrum of society,” Goins said.
The four-day virtual summit was streamed live from the Upton, NY-based lab in November. Operating under the U.S. Department of Energy, BNL describes its purpose as delivering “discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future.” The summit was convened for researchers to share data and discoveries aimed at developing better models for solving some of the world’s most complex problems, including nuclear proliferation, climate change and natural disasters.
A report from the entire summit is being compiled and will be available at https://www.bnl.gov/nysds21/ to appear under the Talks/Proceedings tab.
One of the presenters Goins brought to the climate change session was Arnab Bhowmik, Ph.D., a CAES assistant professor specializing in soil microbiology research, and winner of several academic awards, including N.C. A&T’s 2020 Rookie Faculty Researcher of the Year, and the CAES 2021 High Impact Publishing Award.
Arnab Bhowmik, Ph.D.
Bhowmik’s Soil Sustainability Lab at NC A&T studies natural mechanisms and human activities that affect soil quality, including use of cover crops and manure or biochar amendments. His recent studies have looked at hemp biochar and other soil management approaches to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
The planet’s entire ecosystem links back to soil, he says.
“Soil is not just a medium for plant growth. It is central to environmental, plant, animal and human health,” Bhomik said.
Other presenters Goins brought to the summit included Leila Hashemi-Beni, Ph.D., assistant professor of geomatics and A&T’s director of Geospatial Science and Remote Sensing Laboratory at the Department of Built Environment in the College of Science and Technology, and Seth Blumsack, Ph.D., professor of energy policy and economics and international affairs at The Pennsylvania State University.
Goins anticipates that the university’s first-ever participation in the summit will help climate change modelers include more data from under-represented populations from an environmental justice perspective.
“This will add to a greater understanding of this complex issue, really the existential crisis of our time,” Goins said.
