The Water and Climate Collective is a student-led collaboration between the Global Water Institute (GWI) and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (Byrd Center). It is for all The Ohio State University students interested in looking at water and climate issues from all angles. The Collective offers in-depth examinations into the scientific, policy, and socioeconomic aspects that underpin crucial issues of our time and are of urgent global concern. The range of exploratory topics will include:
- Water scarcity, environmental and other challenges of ensuring clean drinking water,
- melting glaciers, rising sea levels, water pollution, and ocean acidification.
- Extreme weather events stemming from climate change, such as droughts and floods.
- Loss of biodiversity.
- Water management challenges, water and other resource rights issues, and cross-boundary disputes.
- Solutions for mitigation.
- Adaptation.
The Collective is committed to providing a welcoming environment that accommodates a variety of perspectives. Membership is free and open to all students at Ohio State.
Members will have access to regularly scheduled, student-led dialogues that include faculty, experts, and community leaders. The Water and Climate Collective will organize field trips and community service opportunities, coordinate collaborations with other student organizations, identify campus-wide lecture series to participate in, and arrange networking events.
Why the Water and Climate Collective?
- The creation of the Water and Climate Collective stems directly from student feedback. Students have repeatedly expressed frustration with their difficulty connecting with other students with similar interests outside their programs of study. Students have also expressed a desire for engagement opportunities with centers and institutes on campus without the time-heavy commitment of an internship or research position.
- GWI and the Byrd Center are working to create that space for students from across the university from all disciplines to connect around the pressing issues of water and climate. No matter what you're studying, chances are water and climate impact it. We want to give students a holistic view and expose them to the interdisciplinary nature of humanity's challenges.
- GWI and the Byrd Center are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion through the Water and Climate Collective. Faculty experts and industry leaders of diverse backgrounds will be invited to guide student discussions and present their work. We also want to attract diverse students to bring as many different voices as possible to the conversation.
Contact Nisha Saranat at saranat.1@buckeyemail.osu.edu if you have questions or would like to join the Collective.