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University of Miami

MSC372, COM406, GEG390, ECS403, ARC 481, EGN 181 , BPH499, NUR499

3 credits (Elective)

Fall Semester 2022

Course Description: Climate adaptation is moving quickly and requires new forms of collaboration and thinking, breaking down traditional siloes, and replacing them with multi-faceted and collaborative approaches to arrive at informed, responsible, and innovative solutions. To train students to those ends, a problem-solving learning format will be utilized, and the course will mirror emerging interdisciplinary modalities both professionals and researchers alike are increasingly embracing to more effectively define and address resilience objectives. Students will apply those modalities, methods, and lessons to their weekly reflections and their stream and final capstone projects.

VIDEO TRAILER

A message from JEFFREY DUERK, University of Miami Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To meet the course goals, the overarching course learning objectives are for students to be able to:

  • Identify and analyze complex problems regarding resilience, climate drivers, climate challenges, and opportunities in individual and collaborative contexts.
  • Employ quantitative and qualitative methodologies to produce creative interdisciplinary and evidence-based recommendations of evolving resilience challenges, which include socio-economic, environmental, built, and policy considerations.
  • Apply adaptation principles and tools to address physical, ethical, and social dilemmas relating to existing vulnerabilities and growing climate stressors and shocks.
  • Evaluate the connections or differences between climate goals, options, and actions through iterative processes.

12 MODULES

Moudle INSTRUCTORS

Amy Clement [RSMAS], Timothy Norris [LIB], Sharan Majumdar [RSMAS], Brian Haus [RSMAS], Andrew Baker [RSMAS/MA], Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos [CoE/SoA], Chris Mader [IDSC], Sonia Chao [SoA/CoE], Louis Herns Marcelin [CAS/GH/PH], Alberto Cairo [SoC], Katharine Mach [RSMAS/ME&S], Robin Bachin [CAS], Jared Zemantauski [RSMAS]

Capstone Project

You will use the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus as a living laboratory to understand, evaluate and assess a) the relationship between trees and the urban heat island effect, b) the resilience of the urban forest, c) their influence upon the built environment, and human communities and d) to their vulnerabilities in light of evolving climatic conditions capable of negatively impacting them, such as rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, and flooding due to storm surge.

As the course progresses you will be introduced to techniques for identifying complex problems and providing project recommendations based on resilience thinking. You will also be introduced to basic approaches for data science and data visualization.

For the Capstone project, after the initial research phase, groups will intersect the topics described above with their field assessments. Students shall synthesize their mapping and data collection work with the data science and visualization work to inform their group’s project recommendations to the University of Miami administration. Such recommendations should intend to increase the resilience of the UM Gables Campus.

Course Coordinator:

Jared Zemantauski, jzemantauski@rsmas.miami.edu

Climate Resilience Academy Education Committee Co-chairs

For more information please contact: ahabashi@miami.edu