Research partnership formed

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland have joined forces to advance the understanding of global climate change. The Joint Global Change Research Institute, announced in March 2001, will investigate the scientific, social and economic implications of climate change, both nationally and globally.

"By combining the capabilities of our two institutions, we expect to have a powerful impact on the study of global climate change," said Lura Powell, director of the Laboratory. "We are looking forward to partnering with the university's first-class faculty and graduate students in economics, public policy, earth and environmental sciences, engineering and the social sciences."

The joint institute brings together about 25 Pacific Northwest climate change researchers now based in Washington, D.C., with top Maryland faculty and research scientists. The collaboration includes well-known scientists who bring leadership in areas of research ranging from atmospheric chemistry to remote sensing and resource economics.

Gerald Stokes, previously associate laboratory director for the Laboratory's fundamental science effort, is director of the joint institute. "We are entering a whole new era in the way society deals with the climate, energy and the environment," Stokes said. "This unique partnership recognizes and brings together the combined forces of research and scholarship that are required to find solutions for this new era."