J-WAFS at MIT

A recent study led by researchers at the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy, including J-WAFS PI Jennifer Morris, offers a comprehensive analysis of land-use and technological strategies to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The study finds that with transformative changes in land management, there is enough global land to meet the demands for food, ecosystem services, and climate mitigation. At the same time, the study notes that achieving these goals will require strong, coordinated policy efforts and long-term commitments from governments and industries. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eQYy7JMy

Sonia Boor, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Professor Mary Gehring at the Whitehead Institute, was recently interviewed about her work on Gehring’s J-WAFS Seed Grant project, titled “A new approach to enhance genetic diversity to improve crop breeding.” The project aims to increase genetic diversity and improve the resilience of pigeon pea, a vital crop in regions that face food insecurity due to climate change. In the interview, Sonia discusses her childhood interest in science and the importance of crop resilience to address food security challenges. Read the full profile here: https://lnkd.in/eZRmBQqc

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), in partnership with Community Jameel, launched three Air and Water Labs in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. Communities in these regions are experiencing increasingly severe water scarcity and deteriorating air and water quality, which contribute to shorter and less healthy lives. The Labs will work closely with government partners to innovate, test, and scale evidence-based solutions for the most pressing air and water challenges. Watch the announcement video here: https://lnkd.in/eJtZ3nWs

In this short film from Chemistry Shorts?, J-WAFS PI and MIT Chemical Engineering (ChemE) Assistant Professor Ariel Furst discusses her lab's work in developing protective polymer coatings for nitrogen-fixing microbes as an alternative to harmful agrochemicals. Furst also notes that this technology provides a portable and sustainable nitrogen solution, contributing to global and equitable access to technological advances. Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/eZzZdUVp

The MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium (MCSC) recently announced the recipients of their 2024 seed awards. Several J-WAFS PIs received funding to focus on emerging, scalable solutions for climate and sustainability challenges in the water and agriculture sectors. ?? Past J-WAFS PI Professor Dara Entekhabi will examine aquifer water withdrawals with satellite observations. ?? J-WAFS PI Professor Darcy McRose will focus on optimizing inhibitors for the suppression of nitrous oxide from agricultural soils. ?? J-WAFS PI Professor Sherrie Wang will work on the remote sensing of soil organic carbon using machine learning. Congratulations to the winning PIs and their research teams! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dHmpC9ui

J-WAFS fellows Arjav Shah and Devashish Gokhale recently published an article, titled “Navigating micropollutant contamination: A review of industrial wastewater technologies and policies in the U.S.,” in the MIT Science Policy Review. The article highlights regulatory gaps that allow environmental contaminants to persist in water and examines the limitations of current technologies for removing micropollutants. The authors note, however, that recent regulatory changes and advancements in technology and manufacturing are driving improvements in water quality. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eGHcjFRA?

The MIT Industrial Liaison Program is hosting the 2024 MIT Research and Development Conference, themed “Fostering Bold Ideas to Breakthrough Innovation,” from November 19 to November 20, 2024, at the Boston Marriott in Cambridge. At the conference, J-WAFS executive director Renee Robins will present an overview of the work J-WAFS supports. Additionally, past J-WAFS PIs MIT AeroAstro Professor Olivier L. de Weck and MIT EECS Professor Jongyoon Han will present their research on space launch vehicle technologies and the development of a cellular biophysical profiling assay for cancer care, respectively. Attendees will also have the chance to tour the labs of two J-WAFS PIs. Participants will explore MIT Chemical Engineering (ChemE) Professor Patrick Doyle’s resin manufacturing and purification projects using hydrogel microparticles, and MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) Professor Cem Tasan’s method for reducing water consumption in steelmaking, both advancing sustainable solutions. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eUgSepS2

Last month, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning PhD student Mrinalini Penumaka received a J-WAFS travel grant to attend the 2024 UNC Water and Health Conference! The conference convened policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to discuss new and existing strategies to ensure safe, affordable, and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) services. The conference was pertinent to Mrin’s research, which examines how climate change impacts infrastructure development and service provisioning, specifically in the water and sanitation sector in rapidly urbanizing cities in South Asia and southern Africa. Learn more about Mrin’s experience here: https://lnkd.in/eEahmpSp

The MIT Industrial Liaison Program spoke to MIT Chemical Engineering (ChemE) professor and J-WAFS PI Ariel Furst about her work to utilize microbes for regenerative agriculture. Furst discussed her lab’s work on developing microbial solutions aimed at replacing harmful agrochemicals with natural processes that can enhance soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, she emphasized the importance of making this technology accessible to farmers of all economic backgrounds to advance both energy and agricultural justice. Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/dNRRRfsW

This fall, the J-WAFS-led Food and Climate Systems Transformation (FACT) Alliance and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) are co-hosting three, virtual seminars on how the effects of climate change are impacting water and food security. The second in the series, titled “Land and fragility amid a changing climate” will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2024 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. ET. The panelists will discuss how climate-induced fragilities impact social and environmental resilience. Panelists: Professor Erin Coughlan de Perez, Tufts University; Prof Alex O. Awiti, CIFOR-ICRAF Hosts: Michael Hauser, BOKU/CIFOR-ICRAF; Greg Sixt, MIT Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eFX6NbaT??