N.C. State earns $7.5 million annual research grant to house new Climate Science Center

New opportunities for climate change research are coming to N.C. State University.

The university has been chosen to house the second of eight new U.S. Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers.

It will receive an annual $7.5 million research grant and up to 10 Ph.D-level scientists from the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Rob Dunn, biology professor at NCSU.

“Adding this center puts the university over the critical threshold to really be able to have a great program in general for thinking about these climate questions,” he said.

Research Triangle students and scientists will work alongside these scientists to conduct research on global climate change.

Opportunities for students will include independent research, work study programs and other paid positions, Dunn said.

“An undergraduate program in climate science associated with this new center is in the works,” Dunn said.

Supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the center will conduct longer-term research to help further the mission of preserving the water supply and wildlife in the U.S., said Ryan Boyles, director and state climatologist of the state climate office.

NCSU applied to house this center through an open competition held by the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Joan Moody, spokeswoman for the department.

“It was for a combination of the scientific expertise and regional partnerships that NCSU was chosen,” she said.

NCSU attributes their success to distribution of resources.

“This is another example of the value of having a strong climate program in North Carolina and being in some ways a focused investment of the state and the universities — we are now seeing the benefit of that investment,” Boyles said.

Not only is this a great opportunity for the university and students, but it will also benefit the state as a whole, he said.

“North Carolina will be the immediate beneficiary not only of jobs created and students trained, but also of wildlife breakthroughs,” Boyles said.

“It will improve science to directly benefit how we manage our natural resources here in North Carolina,” he said.

While it’s uncertain specifically what research will be conducted, those involved know it will deal with documenting changes in species and projecting the changes that will come in the future.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.