National Science Foundation gives Idaho schools money for climate change, water research

Idaho's three state universities will share in a $6 million National Science Foundation grant aimed at addressing climate change.

The NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research three-year grant will be shared by Nevada, New Mexico and Idaho. In addition to climate change, the grants are designed to help researchers studying water management.

"This is a great opportunity for both the state of Idaho and our partners, Nevada and New Mexico," said Von Walden, professor of geography at the University of Idaho.

Data connections will be upgraded within each state as well as between them. The program will ensure that data storage systems, system models, computer programs and other tools developed by researchers will be able to work together seamlessly. Finally, scientists will be trained in the latest in computational technologies while K-12 students and teachers help develop educational outreach programs.

Idaho will use its share of the grant to improve connections to several of its research centers, including: the University of Idaho's Research and Extension Center in Kimberly; the University of Idaho's Fish Culture Experiment Station in Hagerman; and the Idaho Water Center, a center in Boise housing collaborative projects involving the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise State University, among others.

The grant also will co-fund a full-time data manager and two postdoctoral associates.

Graduate students, postdoctoral associates and faculty throughout Idaho will be trained in the use of computer modeling systems and scientific information systems that utilize some of the fastest supercomputers in the country. And because of the improved internet connections, the scientists will be able to utilize these tools without ever leaving the state.

ISU will lead development efforts in the national Hydrologic Information System, which is a new Web services method to better share and analyze hydrologic data. ISU also will receive funding to improve bandwidth connectivity in several buildings in Pocatello and Boise, allowing for improved sharing of data and resources for the broader hydrologic community.

Boise State University will receive funding to improve connectivity between science and engineering buildings on campus, enabling scientists to more efficiently access national supercomputing centers. Boise State also will hire a postdoctoral scientist to develop automated methods to transfer real-time hydrological field information to online databases.

"Both improvements will significantly elevate the capabilities of water researchers," said Jim McNamara, professor of watershed hydrology at Boise State.

The project will create small teams across the state, including a graduate student, faculty member and a teacher from an Idaho high school or middle school, to work on the development of cyber learning materials.