UC faculty named UNESCO chairs for natural sciences
Researchers will share expertise in risk management and environmental science
image: U.S. representative to UNESCO Jean Elizabeth Manes, left, and University of Cincinnati Associate Professor Patrick Ray met in Paris in June after Ray's appointment as a chair of natural sciences.
Credit: UNESCO
Two University of Cincinnati professors who study environmental science and risk management were appointed to four-year terms as UNESCO university chairs of natural sciences.
UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, develops international research partnerships in education and science, among other areas.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Amy Townsend-Small and UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Associate Professor Patrick Ray will collaborate on projects with other scientists around the world.
“I think it will be great to be recognized internationally and have more international partners,” Townsend-Small said.
She noted that UNESCO recently designated Ohio’s first World Heritage Site, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.
Through the appointments, UC is likely to benefit from international funding for research into topics such as hydrological assessments of flood and drought risks, Ray said. He already is working on the first projects and presentations across four continents.
“We will have opportunities to be a global educational destination on our subject matter,” he said.
The World Bank, among other institutions, has expressed their intention to fund educational programs at UC and help bring international scholars to UC, Ray said. The World Bank is an international development organization organized by 189 countries. It addresses poverty by funding projects among the poorest member states.
One of Ray’s first projects will be examining refugees of climate disasters in Madagascar, which has seen a population shift as people move north on the island to escape droughts. Ray and his collaborators will look at whether these population dynamics are temporary or permanent and what that will mean for the nation’s future infrastructure, economic and social needs.
Ray also will assess the risks of droughts and crop failure, among other issues, in Ghana and the risk to life and property in Nepal from glacial meltwater lakes that increasingly are failing catastrophically, causing disastrous flash floods.
Meanwhile, Townsend-Small is playing host to an Ohio River Valley health conference in August sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Researchers will be looking at issues affecting residents in the Ohio River Valley such as heat-related illness, air quality and sewers that overflow in storms.
The two UC professors were endorsed by the U.S. State Department after their nominations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The UNESCO connection is expected to shine a light on both UC’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and the School of Environment and Sustainability. And it will provide unique opportunities for students to work on international projects that promise to make a meaningful difference to people, Ray said.
“It’s a slam dunk for UC,” Ray said.
“Professor Townsend-Small and I have already begun putting together plans for collaborative workshops, certificate programs and short courses,” he said. “We envision the educational footprint to be substantial, integrating adaptation and mitigation in the water sector. The need for courses, curricula and training materials on this topic is large.”