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April, 2022

Greetings friends,

This is a bittersweet time of year on the UVM campus. As the semester winds down, the flurry of activity ramps up, only to subside, drastically, with the culmination of finals week.

As many of the stories in this month’s Office of Engagement newsletter can attest, our students are very often at the forefront of our engagement activities, with our faculty and staff playing the critical role of designing opportunities for and with them. Read about two such examples in the areas of environmental management and early childhood development. Such faculty and staff support also extend to our youth as well, as demonstrated in the story about Extension’s 4-H support of Vermont’s First Robotics pioneers.

This month we also highlight two applied research projects that will have real benefits to Vermonters and our environment in the areas of agriculture and seed saving (critical for our small-scale farming community), water quality, and flood hazard mitigation. These stories highlight the myriad ways that UVM researchers are working to improve food production, and flood preparation and avoidance.

Lastly, our 14 county outreach strategy continues to be highlighted in a story on a recent trip we made to Bennington County that was facilitated by our colleagues in Extension and the Bennington economic development community. It is very assuring, coming out of our COVID-19 experiences, that Vermont downtowns continue to evolve and experience renewala fitting thought and inspiration for this spring season.

Warm regards,

Chris Koliba, Ph.D.

Director, Office of Engagement

Two UVM Researchers Unveil Grant-Supported Learning Opportunities for Juniors

A recent collaboration between two UVM scholars—a geographer and an environmental educator—has resulted in funding from the Henry David Thoreau Foundation to construct a new program called “The Fellowship in Restoration Ecologies and Cultures: Training Leaders for the Green Work Force.” Twenty-five UVM juniors will benefit, starting next semester.

Read the whole story

Office of Engagement Visits Bennington County

Like many Vermont communities, Bennington is leveraging its considerable cultural assets, beautiful historic downtown district and entrepreneurial spirit to revitalize the local economy. UVM’s Office of Engagement travelled there earlier this month, starting conversations about future collaborations.

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Strengthening Seed Systems Amid COVID-19

A new report from a team of UVM researchers explores the resilience of Vermont's seed systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Tobin, assistant professor in Community Development and Applied Economics, the report found more than half of the commercial farmers and gardeners in the study had difficulty accessing seeds during the 2020 growing season, but demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt.

Read the whole story

UVM Contributes to National Effort to Improve Water Management

The University of Vermont—in collaboration with 28 universities and institutions—is poised to advance its status as a prominent institution in hydrological research. With support of $25 million over the next five years secured through the efforts of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., UVM joins the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, a national consortium building a national water and flood forecasting model.

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Study Examines Vermont’s Early Childhood Education Preparation Pathways

A new research study led by UVM Assistant Professor Kaitlin Northey, will take a deeper look at early childhood education preparation pathways across Vermont. Funded by a $48,000 grant from Let's Grow Kids (LGK), Northey's research will address gaps in policy makers’ understanding of the state’s early childhood education preparation pipeline.

Read the whole story

Robotics Teams Qualify for World Tournament

Students from four Vermont schools qualified for the 2022 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston. Fourteen teams throughout the state participated in the Vermont FIRST Tech Challenge Championship in March. FIRST is a global program for young people, ages 5-18. Participants learn how to design, build and program robots to solve a novel challenge. UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences oversees the FIRST program in Vermont with support from UVM Extension 4-H.

Read more

Share your engagement stories

The Office of Engagement will happily help to amplify the impact and reach of your work. Send your engagement-related stories to us and we will post it to social media or feature it in a future newsletter.

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