This article presents the conceptual basis for our current NSF project "Climate-Smart Agriculture: Rethinking Adaptation as a Continuum".  It argues that current development interventions are overly focused on technology adoption as a metric for success. Doing so not only ignores the reality of adaptation as a dynamic process, it can lead to conditions in which farmers end up worse off than if they didn't participate in development programs. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2025.101571

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Victor recently published his work that explores how orographic uplift and monsoon dynamics  influence rainfall (and lack thereof) in Ceará, Brazil. This higher resolution analysis provide much a more detailed model of rainfall, demonstrating the added value of including these additional factors, with the potential of enhanced decision making based on predictions. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.8911doi.org/10.1002/joc.8911

Former HECLab member, Dr. Cydney Seigerman was recognized for their research contributions with the the S. Jack Hu Family Excellence in Social and Behavioral Sciences Doctoral Research Award. This award highlights the quality and significance of graduate-student scholarship. With this award Cydney wrapped up a sweep in the Doctoral Research Awards - last year they took home the Engaged Scholarship Award. Congratulations, Cydney!

 

​HECLab had a strong turnout at this year's SfAAs in Portland. Monika, Raul, Alejandro, Hannah, and Katie all presented their work. Congratulations! You can see more photos here. ​

Dr. Nelson is part of a multi-institution research grant from NSF that is working to improve compound flood modeling and impact based forecasts. The 5-year project, "Towards a Water Equity Framework for Mitigating Multi-Flood Hazards Events in Puerto Rico: A Case Study for the San Juan Bay Estuary" integrates various sciences and local knowledge to improve numerical modeling of compound floods and develop impact-based forecasts derived from local understandings of past flood events and how they effect daily lives. We will be looking to hire a PhD student for Fall 2026. Keep looking at this space!

With partners from the Universidade Federal do Pará - INEAF e Oxford Univerisity, and residents of Salvaterra, Brazil,  HECLab was awarded a grant from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. The project "Climate-Resilient Agroforestry in Quilombola Communities of the Brazilian Amazon" will examine the climate challenges for agroforestry homegardens in Brazil’s Amazonian quilombola communities and identify agroecological and socio-political innovations that can effectively address those challenges. The project is a transdisciplinary undertaking in partnership with Vila União/Campina Center for Quilombola Action and Resistance (NARQ) and the Vila União/Campina quilombola community and it emerged following the team's participation in the IAI Tropical Forests in the Americas: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Changing Environments during summer 2024.

Monika has been selected as a Community Science Fellow with the Thriving Earth Exchange, an initiative of the American Geophysical Union that connects fellows and scientists with communities across the United States, Mexico, and South America to co-develop projects tailored to local priorities. Over the next 12-18 months, Monika will lead and facilitate a collaborative science project with the community of Portland, PA. As a community fellow, she will work to foster engagement between community leads and scientists, supporting collaboration and overseeing the project’s development to ensure it remains aligned with the community’s needs. She will also play an active role in sharing the team's work and its impact with a broader audience, emphasizing both the results of the project and the collaborative process that brought it to life. 

In Portland, the primary focus of the project is the development of a comprehensive emergency management plan. The community faces recurring threats from frequent flooding and power outages, severely disrupting daily life and critical services. Portland’s residents want to develop a strategy that addresses these challenges, particularly by ensuring clear procedures are in place to respond to power outages during floods and other emergencies. Monika will work closely with the community to develop an emergency plan that provides a detailed blueprint for local businesses and prospective residents to handle such events effectively. The objective is to foster greater preparedness in Portland and help the communities navigate increasing future crises.  

Don Nelson has a new publication out with lead author Sechindra Vallury and Nathan Cook. "Social inequalities shape climate change adaptation among Indian farmers" looks at adoption of groundwater irrigation technologies using a longitudinal survey to explore uptake and continued use of technologies. The findings, which show that marginalized populations are less likely to take up irrigation technologies or sustain their use contributed to the research that will be carried out in their recently awarded HEGS grant. (see post from 7/18/24). You can read the article here. 

The article “Operationalizing equity for integrated water resources management,” was selected to receive the Lanfear Award from the Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA). The manuscript was led by HECLab member (now alum) Cydney Seigerman. Co-authors include fellow HECLers Raul Basilio, Shelly Biesel (now alum), Bruno Ubiali, Jon Hallemeier (now alum) and Don Nelson. They were joined by USACE colleagues. The award recognizes the best technical paper published in JAWRA during the previous year. Congratulations team! You can read the publication here.