IAN completes 2nd annual report: IAN Report Card 2016
IAN recently released its second annual report in the form of a report card. IAN staff reflected back on accomplishments from 2016 and plans to expand the report card in the years to come. Indicators were developed in three categories: social impacts, ecological outcomes, and partner engagement. IAN received an overall grade of A- which an improvement from a B+ in 2015. This report card was produced with input from external advisors Tina Bishop and Peter Tuddenham, from the College of Exploration.
First Tuul River Basin Report Card Stakeholder Workshop held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Participants from various government, private, and non-governmental organizations converged on Ulaanbaatar for a three-day report card workshop in October 2017. Participants were identified by the Tuul River Basin Authority and WWF-Mongolia to represent key stakeholder groups that have interests in the Tuul River Basin. The workshop had a huge turn out of stakeholders who worked together to identify indicators to assess the health of the river basin. The workshop concluded with the identification of next steps and roles and responsibilities to complete a Tuul River Basin Report Card. The workshop has been summarized in the Tuul River Basin Report Card workshop summary.
IAN's Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen joins SESYNC Graduate Student Pursuit project kick-off
IAN-UMCES graduate student Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen was at the National Socio-environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) January 16-19 2018 for the kick-off meeting of the SESYNC Graduate Student Pursuit project titled "Moving beyond random acts of restoration to robust adaptive resilience: a case comparison between the U.S. and Canadian coasts of Lake Erie." Vanessa is teaming up with fellow PhD students Meghan Klasic (University of California, Davis), Rachel Lamb (University of Maryland, College Park), Bereket Negasi Isaac (University of Waterloo), Kelsey Leonard (McMaster University), and Kelly Siman (University of Akron). Their interdisciplinary team aims to address the complex multi- and often mismatched-scales between governing institutions and ecological systems in Western Lake Erie. The team also aims to help develop effective resilience programs that integrate ecological and societal concerns.
IAN welcomes new Science Communication Intern, Sky Swanson
An old-fashioned Maryland boy, Sky Swanson is the new multimedia intern for IAN. He has recently graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in Film Production and Mass Media Communications. With these skills Sky hopes to help IAN create, edit, and film different videos as well as improve IAN's social media presence. In addition to his work with IAN, Sky is working three other jobs at: Greenpoint Innovations (Brooklyn, NY), Bates Middle School's production of Aladdin JR, and Bakers & Co (Annapolis, MD). In his spare time, Sky is an avid player of Dungeons & Dragons, video games, and board games. He also enjoys backpacking, being lactose intolerant, and shouting at birds.