Including estimates of campus forest carbon in UMD’s Climate Action Plan
Sponsoring Organizations: Department of Geographical Sciences with support from the UMD Office of Sustainability and Campus Sustainability Fund.
Internship Term: 10-15/hrs per week during Summer 2022, with potential opportunity for renewal in the Fall 2023.
Compensation: $13/hr
Project Description:
This project is an extension of our work in 2020 and 2021 to advance University of Maryland’s goal to become climate neutral by accurately adding land-based carbon into its annual carbon footprint. While much progress has been made to lower University emissions across multiple energy sectors, tree conservation or restoration could further enhance these goals with high-resolution measurements of forest carbon gains (or losses) at 90 square meter resolution. As a living document, the University’s Climate Action Plan can also be further developed to reflect our commitment to maintaining or increasing our natural carbon storage capacities via informed land-use decisions. Additionally, this work builds UMD’s capacity to purchase forest-based carbon credits from reliable projects located in Maryland using a consistent scientific approach.
Faculty and students in the Department of Geographical Sciences have already been working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, under the auspices of NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System, to implement this carbon monitoring science at the State level and advance the goals of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act. Further, we have begun to work with member states of the U.S. Climate Alliance, including Maryland, to implement this same technology in support of states’ annual carbon budgeting. By utilizing student support, we can help the University “walk the walk” and advance our own forest climate goals in parallel with Maryland and other U.S. Climate Alliance states. The scope of this work also provides an opportunity for UMD to influence the carbon budgeting process of all universities that have pledged support for the “Carbon Commitment,” working with others, such as the University of New Hampshire, to improve the “Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform” that signatories use to quantify and report their carbon footprints.
Over three years, this project has moved from prototype development to annual forest carbon reporting. This summer, we plan to finalize our science for inclusion within the campus carbon budget to help inform future land-use planning, maximize integration with UMD’s current climate initiatives, and to ultimately advance campus carbon goals. We are also finalizing an innovative forest carbon offset protocol that could be used to provide high quality local forest carbon projects to the university at a reduced cost using remote sensing technology.
More information about our project can be found here:
https://geog.umd.edu/project/campus-forest-carbon-project
Position Description:
We are looking for undergraduate researchers to join our team. Undergraduate students will lead the development of all proposed deliverables with support from a faculty member, postdoctoral scholar, and graduate student with experience implementing this work at larger spatial scales. When working, student researchers will have access to the computational resources of the Department of Geographical Sciences, allowing students to work in a collaborative and research-focused, professional environment. Specifically, we will provide access to the Department’s Global Ecology Lab, to maximize student interaction with faculty, graduate students and staff. Applicants should be comfortable working independently and in coordination with a research team. In addition to developing the methodology, students will also draft a report of their findings and participate in a campus talk/showcase where they can present their work to the campus community and discuss the implications of including land-based carbon in the carbon budget.
Required Skill Set:
Required Application Materials:
All application materials should be sent as ONE PDF to Marie Panday (fpanday@umd.edu) and Camille Hoffman Delett (choffma5@umd.edu). Any questions should also be sent to both emails. Please put “Campus Forest Carbon Project Application” and your name in the subject line of the email.
Sponsoring Organizations: Department of Geographical Sciences with support from the UMD Office of Sustainability and Campus Sustainability Fund.
Internship Term: 10-15/hrs per week during Summer 2022, with potential opportunity for renewal in the Fall 2023.
Compensation: $13/hr
Project Description:
This project is an extension of our work in 2020 and 2021 to advance University of Maryland’s goal to become climate neutral by accurately adding land-based carbon into its annual carbon footprint. While much progress has been made to lower University emissions across multiple energy sectors, tree conservation or restoration could further enhance these goals with high-resolution measurements of forest carbon gains (or losses) at 90 square meter resolution. As a living document, the University’s Climate Action Plan can also be further developed to reflect our commitment to maintaining or increasing our natural carbon storage capacities via informed land-use decisions. Additionally, this work builds UMD’s capacity to purchase forest-based carbon credits from reliable projects located in Maryland using a consistent scientific approach.
Faculty and students in the Department of Geographical Sciences have already been working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, under the auspices of NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System, to implement this carbon monitoring science at the State level and advance the goals of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act. Further, we have begun to work with member states of the U.S. Climate Alliance, including Maryland, to implement this same technology in support of states’ annual carbon budgeting. By utilizing student support, we can help the University “walk the walk” and advance our own forest climate goals in parallel with Maryland and other U.S. Climate Alliance states. The scope of this work also provides an opportunity for UMD to influence the carbon budgeting process of all universities that have pledged support for the “Carbon Commitment,” working with others, such as the University of New Hampshire, to improve the “Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform” that signatories use to quantify and report their carbon footprints.
Over three years, this project has moved from prototype development to annual forest carbon reporting. This summer, we plan to finalize our science for inclusion within the campus carbon budget to help inform future land-use planning, maximize integration with UMD’s current climate initiatives, and to ultimately advance campus carbon goals. We are also finalizing an innovative forest carbon offset protocol that could be used to provide high quality local forest carbon projects to the university at a reduced cost using remote sensing technology.
More information about our project can be found here:
https://geog.umd.edu/project/campus-forest-carbon-project
Position Description:
We are looking for undergraduate researchers to join our team. Undergraduate students will lead the development of all proposed deliverables with support from a faculty member, postdoctoral scholar, and graduate student with experience implementing this work at larger spatial scales. When working, student researchers will have access to the computational resources of the Department of Geographical Sciences, allowing students to work in a collaborative and research-focused, professional environment. Specifically, we will provide access to the Department’s Global Ecology Lab, to maximize student interaction with faculty, graduate students and staff. Applicants should be comfortable working independently and in coordination with a research team. In addition to developing the methodology, students will also draft a report of their findings and participate in a campus talk/showcase where they can present their work to the campus community and discuss the implications of including land-based carbon in the carbon budget.
Required Skill Set:
- Experience with ArcGIS
- Ability to work independently and in coordination with a research team
- Strong writing and analytical skills
- Strong oral communication skills
- Programming experience with Python (preferred)
Required Application Materials:
- A brief cover letter outlining your interest and qualifications for the position
- Resume/CV
- A copy of your unofficial transcript
- Contact information for two references who can speak to your work ethic and prior research or work experience
All application materials should be sent as ONE PDF to Marie Panday (fpanday@umd.edu) and Camille Hoffman Delett (choffma5@umd.edu). Any questions should also be sent to both emails. Please put “Campus Forest Carbon Project Application” and your name in the subject line of the email.