21 years of data collection on water quality, plants, animals has made FIU a vital resource for researchers concerned with health of Everglades

–By Chrystian Tejedor for FIU News The National Science Foundation is providing a four-year $4.75 million renewal of the FIU Institute of Environment’s Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program. This marks the fourth renewal since the program’s founding in 2000. For two decades, FIU researchers and their partners have collected data […]

FIU ranks among top in the world for impact on water

–By JoAnn Adkins for CASE News FIU has been ranked No. 9 in the world for positive impact on life below water by The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. The university ranked third in the United States and is the only institution in the state of Florida to make the list. Faculty, students, and staff in […]

Everglades scholar brings together stakeholders for common-sense restoration

–By Evelyn S. Gonzalez for FIU News Chloe Vorseth wants to make Everglades restoration practical. The FIU environmental studies master’s student is working to identify the most economically, environmentally and socially viable restoration plan, relying on input from a variety of experts and stakeholders. Everglades restoration efforts have been stagnant, Vorseth said, due to lack of cooperation […]

Tools being developed to improve response times in disasters

A research team led by FIU is trying to remove the chaos from responses when natural disasters strike. The team, led by Pallab Mozumder, an economist in the FIU Department of Earth and Environment, has secured $2 million from the National Science Foundation to help government agencies, utilities and people make better decisions as they […]

Researcher is thirsty for sustainable Everglades

Small-scale droughts can have big effects on the Florida Everglades. Ph.D. student Anteneh Abiy is digging deep into these abnormally low rainfall events. He doesn’t have to do go too far into weather data to begin his work. 2017 was drier than usual. The Everglades received 6 inches of rainfall less than the annual average. […]

FIU becomes Knight of the Rural Development Merit Order of Burkina Faso

The Grand Chancery Order of the Office of the President of Burkina Faso has recognized FIU as a Knight of the Rural Development Merit Order. The honor was recently presented to Lakhdar Boukerrou, a research associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environment who oversaw the USAID West Africa-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (USAID WA-WASH) Program in […]

South Florida comes together to help save Biscayne Bay

A 63-inch sewer line broke June 20, sending waste into Miami-Dade County’s Biscayne Canal and Intracoastal Waterway. Although the “no contact with water” advisory for swimmers has since been lifted by the the water and sewer department, this incident is one of many disturbances impacting Biscayne Bay. Members of the community, including FIU researchers, alumni, and students, came together […]

Scientists study portion of Everglades closed to people for decades

Shark in Joe Bay
After nearly 40 years of being closed off to the public, visitors to Everglades National Park can now explore Joe Bay. Joe Bay is one of the Everglades’ main sources of freshwater. Closing it was key in helping the American crocodile recover from extinction. But the long-untouched Joe Bay, along with nearby Snag Bay, is […]

Cold spells chill tropical species

Mayan cichlid
Two cold spells, two years apart, and in two subtropical regions of the world have given scientists clues as to what happens when an extreme climate event strikes. By tracking conditions before, during, and after a 2008 cold spell in China and a 2010 cold spell in Florida, FIU researchers found chilling effects on plants […]