NEWS
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IRIS Researchers featured in Savannah Morning News as they work to ensure (and insure) a future for Georgia marshes
IRIS research conducted by Dr. Matt Bilskie and Dr. Yukiko Hashida was recently featured in the Savannah Morning News for their partnership with the Nature Conservancy. Their work is centered on insuring marshes for their environmental benefits. As Dr. Hashida is quoted as saying in the article, “The insurance industry,…
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IRIS Researcher Matt Bilskie explains why the scale of a natural infrastructure scale matters
We know that natural infrastructure features like marshes, dunes, and natural floodplains can help reduce flooding in communities, but what scale is required to have the biggest impact? Researcher Dr. Matt Bilskie discusses in our first video!
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The impacts of bioretention areas at the watershed scale: new paper published in the Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment
High flows of stormwater can have dramatic impacts on urban and suburban areas, degrading stream health by causing erosion and impacting aquatic critters’ ability to live there. Increases in pavement and other impermeable surfaces also contribute to flash floods. Bioretention areas, which are related to the more commonly known “rain…
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IRIS Researchers Team Up with The Nature Conservancy to protect Georgia’s coast
Story by Stacia Pelletier | Contact: Matt Bilskie New interdisciplinary pilot program explores funding salt marsh preservation and recovery How much is a salt marsh worth? That’s one of the questions the University of Georgia and The Nature Conservancy will try to answer as they launch a pilot study funded by Georgia Sea Grant to determine the socioeconomic…
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Special Session Invitation: 2022 American Geophysical Union
The 2022 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall meeting is being held December 12-16 in Chicago, IL. My colleagues and I are hosting a session (161288) in the Natural Hazards section titled “Implementation Natural- and Nature-based Features: The Nexus of Flood Protection & Biodiversity. Session Summary We invite presentations of current research,…
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New flood maps clarify the risk homeowners face
Flooding in urban areas cost Americans more than $106 billion between 1960 and 2016, damaging property, disrupting businesses and claiming lives in the process. Determining which areas are most likely to flood amid ever-changing land use and shifting rainfall and climate patterns can be expensive and complicated – and past methods…
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Congrats to Sheppard Medlin for his thesis defense on June 23rd!
Graduate student Sheppard Medlin recently defended his thesis on Simulating the Effects of Barrier Island Scale on Storm Surge Attenuation. Medlin grew up in coastal North Carolina, where he developed a deep appreciation for the ocean and all the coastal communities that depend on it. Abstract: Nature Based Infrastructure (NBI)…
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Upcoming Thesis Defense: Brian Landers
Join us this Thursday for IRIS graduate student Brian Landers’ thesis defense, where he will present his research, “Modeling Regional Surface and Groundwater Hydrology near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.” Abstract: The Southeastern Coastal Plain physiographic region of Georgia is a unique hydrologic system that is cherished for the recreational…
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IRIS Director Brian Bledsoe Presents at the 2022 World Environment and Water Resources Congress
Last week, IRIS Director Brian Bledsoe ran a technical workshop on Natural and Nature-based Infrastructure Systems on at the World Environment and Water Resources Congress. The 2022 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress featured 8 concurrent technical tracks over three days. Approximately 900 leading engineers and scientists from around the…
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Stormwater Maintenance Resources
The UGA Marine Extension and SeaGrant works closely with communities to develop real-world solutions to challenges that they face. Jessica Brown is a stormwater specialist part of the UGA Marine Extension, where she works with municipalities and communities to improve stormwater management and stewardship. Brown and the team at SeaGrant…
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Capstone program spans the bridge between learning and real-world problems
IRIS Affiliate Stephen Durham, the assistant dean for student success and outreach at the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering, spoke to the efficacy of the UGA College of Engineering Capstone program in a recent article on the College of Engineering’s webpage. The capstone gives students real world experience in…
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University Units Collaborate to Host Climate and Water Research Slam
Great minds don’t necessarily think alike—and our friends at the River Basin Center feel that’s valuable. That’s why they partnered with The Office of Sustainability and the Georgia Initiative for Climate and Society to host the Climate and Water Research Slam on May 12, 1 to 5 p.m. Twenty-two speakers—including…
