The Gund Institute for Environment has launched a COVID-19 research fund and virtual Earth Week event to catalyze research and real-world solutions to the social and environmental impacts of the coronavirus crisis.

The new COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund, starting at $50,000, will provide UVM scholars with timely start-up funds for new research that advances our understanding of the root causes, lessons, and effects of the pandemic on society and the environment. Support from the fund, which is now accepting proposals, will help scholars to rapidly respond to federal research agencies and policy leaders.

“The COVID-19 outbreak is a global event that impacts us all,” says Taylor Ricketts. “As an environmental institute that tackles urgent global issues, we need to play our role. That role is to understand the causes and consequences of the pandemic, so that we can avoid and manage them better in the future.”

The Gund Institute will also host a virtual event, Sustainability in the Pandemic Era, on April 21 from 2:30-4 p.m. This Earth Week panel discussion will showcase perspectives on COVID-19 from Gund Fellows and Affiliates, including reports on preliminary research, and provide a forum for sharing promising ideas and opportunities for collaborative work. Topics include food insecurity, disease ecology, mental health, Sustainable Development Goals, rebuilding our economy and more.

Confirmed panelists include:

• Meredith Niles (Fellow, CALS), who is co-leading a national survey on food insecurity related to the pandemic.
• Chris Danforth (Fellow, Complex Systems) who has tracked coronavirus trends on social media, and the pandemic’s dramatic reduction of global happiness.
• Stephanie Seguino (Fellow, CAS), who is interested in equity issues regarding patterns of infection, as well as impacts of economic stimulus.
• Brendan Fisher (Fellow, RSENR), who is analyzing the pandemic’s effect on global progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
• Luz de Wit (Postdoctoral Fellow, RSENR), who studies the ecology of novel infectious diseases, including how they jump from other species to people.
• Jon Erickson (Fellow, RSENR), who is working on economic inequality, rebuilding a sustainable economy, and the pandemic’s climate impacts.

To participate in the event, please register via Zoom. To suggest additional topics or speakers, please email Taylor Ricketts.   “We applaud the continuing efforts to flatten the curve – across UVM, Vermont and the world – which have been extraordinary and essential,” says Kirk Dombrowski, UVM’s Vice President Research. “True to our Land Grant University mission, this new Rapid Research Fund will help UVM researchers to address vital, urgent questions on the outbreak’s root causes, impacts and important lessons for society.”   The COVID-19 panel is one of several Gund-sponsored events occurring in honor of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day at UVM. Others include: Earth Day keynote speaker Nalini Nadkarni (April 22, 4:30 pm) a world-renowned ecologist and tree canopy expert – and recipient of her own Barbie doll – a summit on the Impact of UVM Research & Teaching on Sustainability (April 22, 9 am-4:30 pm), and When Corona Met Climate Change... What Changed? (April 22, 12-1:30 pm), a series of live, online, 3-minute “emotional weather reports."
Learn more and apply now to the Gund COVID Rapid Research Fund.
The Gund Institute for Environment catalyzes environmental research, connects UVM with society’s leaders, and develops real-world solutions to environmental issues at the interface of four global challenges: climate solutions, health and well-being, sustainable agriculture, and resilient communities.
Flagship Gund programs include: research grant competitions, (Catalyst Awards, Apis Fund), scholarships (PhD and postdoctoral fellowships, undergraduate research awards), and events that connect scholars and leaders.