MANHATTAN — Kansas State University scientists are collaborating with colleagues in Iowa, Nebraska and Arkansas to advance weather intelligence, strengthen climate resilience and address the impacts of environmental change in agriculture-based communities.
Xiaomao Lin, professor of agronomy and state climatologist for Kansas, and Abigail Langston, assistant professor of geography, are leading K-State’s participation in a multi-institutional project funded by the National Science Foundation, or NSF.
The project, Data-Advanced Research and Education to improve weather intelligence and localized climate change assessment and resilience in agriculture-based communities, focuses on developing tools and strategies to help communities adapt to the challenges of climate change.
Lin and Langston are working with researchers from the University of Iowa, which is the lead institution, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Arkansas to create a comprehensive Data-Advanced Research and Education, or DARE, infrastructure that integrates teaching, research, extracurricular activities, community engagement and communication to identify, assess and mitigate the localized impacts of climate change, including environmental justice issues.
“This collaborative project aims to enhance data acquisition through a citizen science observation network, which will improve the spatial coverage and real-time capacity for weather and soil observations,” Lin said. “Kansas faces some of the most diverse and extreme weather hazards in the world — from severe storms with large hail and tornadoes to blizzards, ice storms, relentless winds, heat waves and drought. These hazards affect our communities and economies in profound ways.”
Langston said one of the main goals is to build long-term educational relationships with students across Kansas at high school, community college and university levels.
“Students in ag-based communities witness first-hand extreme weather events that directly impact their communities and their livelihoods,” Langston said. “I expect we will learn at least as much from students and community members as they do from us. We are currently planning our 2025 summer camp that will give students a hands-on experience with measuring climate variables in the field and analyzing climate data in the lab.”
K-State will receive $800,000 over four years from the NSF as part of a nearly $6 million grant from the foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, Research Infrastructure Improvement-Focused Collaborations Program. The program supports interdisciplinary research teams working across jurisdictions to advance climate change research and build resilience in disproportionately affected communities nationwide.
“This collaborative, multi-institutional project leverages K-State’s expertise in addressing climate change within agricultural communities,” said Hans Coetzee, interim vice president for research. “The outcomes of this work have the potential to drive a transformative approach to tackling environmental challenges across Kansas and the broader Midwest region.”
