NEWS
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Reimagining insurance and climate resilience
Universities and insurers are joining forces to rethink how society understands and manages climate risk. Hurricane rainfall flooded road. Drowned car on city street in Florida residential area. Consequences of hurricane natural disaster. The University of Georgia and Duke University are partnering with leaders from the insurance and climate data…
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Marshall Shepherd to feature in new documentary: Superfloods
A new NOVA documentary premiering next week features Marshall Shepherd, Director of the UGA Atmospheric Sciences program and IRIS Associate Director of Climate Science and Outreach. “Superfloods” discusses the alarming threat of unprecedented flooding, such as that seen during Hurricane Helene last fall or in Texas over the Fourth of…
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Natural Infrastructure Fellow Aurora Fowler on Freshwater, Field Work and Frogs
For Natural Infrastructure Graduate Fellow Aurora Fowler, field work is a way to understand how ecosystems respond to change on the ground–and in the mud. During her six weeks living out of a camper along the lower Missouri River this summer, she investigated the froggy details of a region shaped…
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IRIS Field Course serves as a model for natural infrastructure education
What’s the best way to learn about interdisciplinary topics? A new Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems publication, “Assessing outcomes of a field-oriented course in natural infrastructure,” helps to answer that question. The publication, which was recently published in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, highlighted how experiential learning can…
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Reflecting on Resilience: Q&A with Haley Selsor, IRIS Research Professional
We’re very proud to announce the recent graduation of PhD student Haley Selsor, who successfully defended her dissertation on flood risk and equity in the Athens area in early summer. To celebrate her successful defense, we sat down with her to learn about how she got to this point in…
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New Resilient Futures Episode: Going With the Flow
California relies on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a hub for water, biodiversity, agriculture, recreation, and more. How can we make sure that management actions are working as intended? A returning guest to the Resilient Futures Podcast, Stephen Elser is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the Delta Stewardship Council, which…
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Ask IRIS: What’s in Your Emergency Kit?
Do you know what to do when disaster strikes? Few people know exactly how to respond when faced with a hurricane, long-term power outage or sudden pandemic. Even those who have experienced these events in the past might not be ready to face them again tomorrow. According to FEMA’s 2024…
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University of Georgia, Spelman College and Georgia Gwinnett College to Study Knowledge Community’s Watershed Health
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2025) – The Rowen Foundation, in partnership with the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) and Spelman College, announces the launch of a comprehensive research program focused on ecologically sustainable watershed development at the Rowen site.
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Announcing the Sustainable Sediment Management Short Course!
Countries and organizations around the world share the increasingly important challenge of sustainably managing sediment. Sediment systems support habitat for species and the structure and function of nature-based features that can address risks including shoreline erosion, flooding, and drought. Sediment also presents challenges to the operation of infrastructure systems such…
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2025 State Resilience Planning Group Convening draws resilience experts from around the country
On August 26th and 27th, the University of Georgia Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems team and partners at Pew Charitable Trusts welcomed the 2025 State Resilience Planning Group Convening to campus for an event that connected state officials and experts from non-profit, academic and federal sectors from around the country. …
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Meet our newest Natural Infrastructure Fellows!
The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) offers funded graduate fellowships for Master’s students interested in natural infrastructure through a partnership with Ducks Unlimited. This fall, we welcomed six new students to this awesome cohort! Chase Morris Advisor: Brian Bledsoe I grew up in Canton, GA where metro Atlanta meets the Appalachian…
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Behind the City Scenes: Why You Should Get to Know Your Local Infrastructure
Our most recent Resilient Futures Podcast episode is live, featuring Sybil Derrible, professor of civil engineering at the University of Illinois and host Alysha Helmrich. Listen here. Podcast description: Have you ever asked your garbage truck where it’s going? Sybil Derrible is a professor of civil engineering at the University…
