HARC Newsletter Aug-2018

HARC Newsletter | August 2018

Newsletter

August 2018

Recovery and Resilience One Year after Harvey: It is Just the Beginning

We cannot prevent extreme weather events and the climate science tells us that Harvey and other weather events, such as severe droughts and extreme heat are becoming more common. Rebuilding our infrastructure after Harvey and ensuring our communities are more resilient to withstand the next big one requires significant financial resources.

How do we mobilize these financial resources and, more specifically, how do we mobilize investment in climate-resilient urban infrastructure? Historically, public funds distributed from federal, state and local government sources played an important role in rebuilding communities and infrastructure. However, these funds are limited in their scope and ability to support innovative resilience strategies that can create a more livable, nature-based and equitable region.

Join HARC for the upcoming People and Nature Speaker Series: Innovative Resilience Financing

Wednesday, September 12, 2018
6 pm – 8:30 pm
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Brown Auditorium
1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005

Photo by Trish Badger

Internship at HARC: Insights for Careers in Research

This summer HARC was fortunate to host four talented local high school student interns interested in learning about the science and business of research. Amy Le, Beatrice Portela, Hudson Nash, and Mia Vassilakis joined the researchers and staff for a glimpse of what a career in the sciences might be like. These rising-seniors worked on projects involving energy, air quality, water quality, and non-profit community outreach and communications.

Featured Project

Galveston Bay Report Card

Welcome to the 2018 Galveston Bay Report Card!

The 2018 Galveston Bay Report Card was released on August 15, 2018. For the fourth consecutive year, the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and the Galveston Bay Foundation gathered scientific data related to each of the 22 indicators across six categories.

Featured Application

Find Your Watershed Tool

The Find Your Watershed Tool is a great way to find out what watershed you live in, and how your watershed made the grade. Look up the grades for where you live, where you work, where you go to school, and where you like to play around Galveston Bay. You can now search for What You Can Do tips by category to learn how your actions can make a difference to Galveston Bay.

Featured Researcher

Erin Kinney, PhD

Research Scientist, Coastal Ecology

Erin Kinney is a Research Scientist at HARC specializing in coastal and wetland ecology. Her research interests include wetland restoration, impacts of land use and eutrophication on coastal systems, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in wetlands. Erin graduated with a PhD in biology from the Boston University Marine Program and a BA in environmental and evolutionary biology from Dartmouth College. She previously worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the department of marine biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston and at the Ecosystem Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.

Announcements & Events

WEBINAR | Combined Heat and Power for the Modern Oilfield

HARC Research Scientist at Fort Bend PACE Event

HARC research scientist, Marina Badoian-Kriticos, moderated a panel discussion about the Texas Property Assessed Clean Energy (TX-PACE) program at a Fort Bend PACE event on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

HARC Research Scientist Panelist at “Developing and Funding Green Building Retrofits and Upgrades” Webinar August 23

HARC research scientist, Marina Badoian-Kriticos, will serve on the US Green Building Council and Investor Confidence Project webinar panel to discuss how green building retrofits and upgrades can be developed and funded in Texas on August 23.

LEED Platinum Evening

On July 25, Dr. Mustapha Beydoun, HARC’s Vice-President, presented at the U.S. Green Building Council Gulf Coast Chapter LEED Platinum Evening event.

Galveston Bay Remains Resilient Earning A "C" in Overall Health

The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) and the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) released the results of the 2018 Galveston Bay Report Card, a citizen-driven, science-based grading system supported by Houston Endowment and the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program.

Advantages of CHP for Algae Production to be discussed at the Algae Biomass Summit, October 14-17, 2018

HARC Research Associate Dr. Fanxu Meng will discuss the advantages of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) for making these processes more energy efficient in his poster presentation “Combined Heat and Power for Algae Product Systems" at the Algae Biomass Summit in October.

Andra Wilcox to present on Water Challenge Pilot at the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC) Annual Forum - September 11

HARC research scientist, Andra Wilcox, will be presenting “The Water Challenge Program Pilot Helping Industry Advance Water Management Strategies” at the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC) Annual Forum on September 11, 2018.

HARC in the news

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

What Can You Do to Protect the Health of Galveston Bay?

2018 Galveston Bay Report Card featured in online article by Houstonia magazine. Important resources and follow up actions are included to help improve the health of waterways.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Despite fewer oil spills in Galveston Bay, Texas' largest estuary received a 'C' for overall health

HARC President Lisa Gonzalez and Galveston Bay Foundation’s Bob Stokes discuss the release of the 2018 Galveston Bay Report Card.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Galveston Bay Is in Fair Condition, but Some Wildlife Is Declining

The 2018 Galveston Bay Report Card prepared by the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Houston Advanced Research Center was featured as part of an online interview with Houston Matters host, Al Ortiz.

Visit HARCresearch.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about HARC

View this and prior newsletters in our archive

8801 Gosling Road, TX 77381, USA
HARC is a research hub providing independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues to people seeking scientific answers. We are focused on building a sustainable future that helps people thrive and nature flourish.

HARC and its EarthShare of Texas partners are thankful to benefit from Reliant Energy’s EcoShare Program, an easy and affordable way to purchase carbon offsets and directly contribute to local environmental efforts.

You can help HARC continue to fulfill its mission through your support.

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