Master of Science in Environmental Resilience

Home » Master of Science in Environmental Resilience
placeholder

Why Pursue a Master's of Science in Environmental Resilience?

Learn how to strengthen our communities’ resilience to climate change. Gain the technical skills and interdisciplinary knowledge needed to solve problems, communicate science effectively, and build resilience. Earn a Master’s of Science in Environmental Resilience in one year at UNC Asheville.

placeholder

An Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Our program prepares you for professional careers tackling the complex, interdisciplinary challenges communities face to make our environments, infrastructure, and economies more resilient to a changing climate. Your courses will include study of climate science, GIS, economics, ethics, and data science. You will complete coursework in the fall and spring semesters and conduct applied research for a community partner in the summer, earning your MS in one year.

View Courses

placeholder

Small, In-Person Classes

Our small, in-person classes emphasize critical and open inquiry and discussion, hands-on research, collaborative learning, and community. You will complete your degree as part of a small cohort of students, beginning together in the fall and graduating in the summer.

How to Apply

placeholder

Community-Engaged Research

During your spring semester, you’ll gain hands-on experience through an internship with an organization working on climate resilience. Community partners include the Asheville offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UNC Asheville’s own National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), and additional community-based and governmental organizations in Asheville and beyond. Through the work you embark on with your community partner, you’ll develop plans for your capstone applied research project, which you will undertake in your final summer term. Gain the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare you for a dynamic career in climate resilience.

Learn More about NEMAC

placeholder

Local to Global

Action to build resilience to climate change transcends borders. In our program you will study how communities and governments across the world are building resilience.

Curriculum

Students will take a total of 30 credit hours, across seven 3-credit hour content courses, one 3-credit hour internship-based course, and one 6-credit hour applied research practicum course.

Required Courses

    • MSER 501: Climate Science

    • MSER 502: Climate Resilience Foundations: Theory and Practice

    • MSER 503: Introduction to GIS

    • MSER 510: Advanced GIS

    • MSER 511: Practicum I: Internship and Research Proposal

    • MSER 599: Practicum II: Applied Research Project

Elective Courses 

    • (students will take 3 elective courses from this list, which will be offered on a rotating basis)

    • MSER 521: Visualizing and Communicating Data

    • MSER 522: Economics and Finance of Climate Resilience

    • MSER 523: Social and Ethical Dimensions of Resilience Planning

    • MSER 524: Regression and Predictive Modeling

    • MSER 525: Monitoring and Evaluation

View Course Descriptions  View Course Catalog

Sample Schedule

Fall

  1. MSER 501: Climate Science
  2. MSER 502: Climate Resilience Foundations: Theory and Practice
  3. MSER 503: Introduction to GIS
  4. MSER 521: Visualizing and Communicating Data

Spring

  1. MSER 510: Advanced GIS
  2. MSER 511: Practicum I: Internship and Research Proposal
  3. MSER 524: Regression and Predictive Modeling
  4. MSER 522: Economics and Finance of Climate Resilience

Summer

  1. MSER 599: Practicum II: Applied Research Project

Course Descriptions

An introduction to what is known about Earth’s climate system and its interactions with natural systems. Additionally, we will dig into the science of climate change and assess the utility of various climate models for future projections of climate. Students will gain skills in practical applications of climate data and how to best communicate those results to a diverse set of stakeholders.

An introduction to both the theory and practice of climate resilience. Course covers frameworks for conceptualizing exposure, risk, vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience; theory and evidence of disproportionate impacts; and the principles, components, and strategies for building equity-centered climate resilience plans. This course draws upon the US Climate Resilience Toolkit’s Steps to Resilience framework.

This course will introduce students to the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and demonstrate its applications to the fields of climate science, community resilience, and risk and vulnerability. Through a series of lectures, case-studies, and computer lab exercises, students will gain an understanding of basic GIS principles, data exploration, and geospatial analysis. Students will learn to use a variety of software platforms, including ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Desktop, QGIS, among others to integrate and incorporate climate, resilience, and natural hazard datasets into GIS for further evaluation and analysis. Students will also be introduced to basic geospatial communication and learn how to create static and interactive maps, online GIS web viewers, Dashboards, and StoryMaps to convey complex data. Upon completion of the course, students should feel comfortable using GIS tools to explore spatial data, perform simple analyses, and communicate climate and resilience information to end-users, decision-makers, and other stakeholders.

This course will deepen student’s skills learned in the intro GIS course and cover a range of advanced topics, such as detailed geospatial analysis, raster analysis and modeling, network analysis, Python automation, and resilience assessments. Students will become more familiar with data scale and data sources, learning how to select the best climate data for a project’s needs, and will be introduced to downscaled and gridded data. They will gain hands-on experience working with GIS-based climate data to better understand future climate projections and scenarios. This course will also introduce climate and vulnerability assessments. Students will become familiar with the Steps to Resilience process, utilizing GIS tools and analyses to identify people and community assets most vulnerable to a changing climate, as well as how to quantify, visualize, and communicate the concepts of exposure, adaptive capacity, vulnerability, and risk.

To gain practical experience in the field of climate resilience, students will complete an internship with a community partner (governmental, non-profit, or for-profit organization). As part of the practicum experience, students will also work with the MSER course instructor and their host organization to develop a proposal for an applied research project, to be completed in the following Summer.

This course applies principles from Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and information visualization to the design of interactive data tools and systems. Through hands-on projects, case studies, and research papers, students will explore the effectiveness of data systems in environmental planning from multiple perspectives. Students will learn how to select between different visual displays of information; assess the usability and effectiveness of data interfaces; communicate data insights through clear, compelling narratives; and understand the possibilities and challenges of using interactive data tools to inform public planning.

This course focuses on understanding how economic and financial theories and tools can be applied to enhance societal and environmental resilience to climate impacts. Course covers the economic implications of climate risk, risk assessment and management, weather and climate insurance, environmental valuation for cost-benefit analysis, carbon pricing and trading schemes, the circular economy, and the economics of digital technology and infrastructure for climate resilience.

Students learn to identify ethical and social aims of resilience planning in various contexts and to evaluate metrics for alignment with public values. Assigned materials will introduce core concepts and vocabulary in ethical reasoning and how these apply to value commitments in resilience planning: fairness, freedom, safety and security, equal access to information and emergency response, and community well-being. Students complete an individualized project with a stakeholder analysis that includes a vulnerability assessment and a proposed set of ethically sensitive and informed resilience metrics.

In this course we cover linear models in matrix notations and multiple linear regression models. Distribution results, categorical predictors, interactions, connection to ANOVA, sums of squares, diagnostics, remedial methods of common violation of model assumptions, and ridge and nonparametric regression will be discussed. Students will learn to understand the structure of linear regression models in theory, distinguish between regression and ANOVA models, identify the appropriate model for real-data analysis, and implement and correctly interpret real-data analysis with software.

Interest in evidence-based policy and programming has become widespread in numerous sectors, including public health, education, economic development, and environmental policy. Generation of this evidence requires that those implementing social policies and programs engage in monitoring and evaluation to identify and understand their impacts. This course covers the dominant frameworks and tools used in monitoring and evaluation; the art and science of causal inference; and the experimental, quasi-experimental, and mixed methods used in impact evaluation, with specific applications to evaluating the impacts of interventions designed to build climate resilience.

Students will complete an applied research project that serves the climate resilience information needs of a community partner.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Student loans are available to graduate students who complete the FAFSA. For more information about completing the FAFSA and applying for student loans, click here.

For questions about applying for student loans, contact UNCA’s Office of Financial Aid at finaid@unca.edu or 828-251-6535.

Fall 2025Spring 2026Summer 2026TOTAL
In-State Tuition and Fees$4,146.50$4,146.50$2,775.17*$11,068.17*
Out-Of-State Tuition and Fees$12,307.50$12,307.50$8,215.85*$32,830.85*
*Summer 2026 rates will be confirmed in early 2026

How to Apply

UNC Asheville invites applications to the Master of Science in Environmental Resilience (MSER) Program from individuals committed to an intensive, interdisciplinary study within a liberal arts setting. Admission is open to all who hold a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any field and demonstrate a clear interest in advanced studies in climate resilience.

Applicants should have completed the following three undergraduate prerequisite courses

  1. An introductory natural science course in a relevant field  (i.e., Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science/Studies, or Physics)
  2. An introductory course in Economics
  3. An introductory course in Statistics

Applicants missing one of the prerequisites may complete it during the fall semester.

Prospective graduate students must have completed a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Overall undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or higher.

Application Materials

  1. Official transcripts from all institutions attended (including credit and withdrawals)
  2. Two letters of recommendation
  3. A resume
  4. A 500-1000 word essay detailing your academic background, professional goals, and how the MSER program aligns with your personal and career objectives. The essay should also highlight unique skills, personal qualities, or relevant experiences you bring to the program.
  5. A non-refundable application fee of $75

Optional: Apply for North Carolina Residency through the NC Residency Determination Service (RDS), at https://www.ncresidency.org/ and submit your RCN as part of your application

 

Begin your application via the MSER Application Portal here. 

 

The committee will begin reviewing complete applications on March 2, 2026. After that, complete applications will be reviewed on a space-available basis.

Note that all MSER students enroll as full-time, in-person students and we do not accept applications for part-time status at this time.

We encourage you to apply for financial aid (see below) at the same time you submit your application. You do not need to wait for an admissions decision to apply for financial aid.

At this time, UNC Asheville is not able to provide F-1 sponsorship for international students for this graduate program. Once we are able to do so, we will list updates with specific international graduate admission requirements.

 

Students applying from other countries or whose native language is not English must submit English proficiency exam scores from one of the following to admissions@unca.edu:
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum score considered: 550 on paper-based test and 80 on the Internet-based test. The UNC Asheville code is 5013.
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) minimum score considered: 6.5
  • Pearson PTEA minimum score considered: 53
  • Duolingo English Test (DET) minimum score considered: 105

Our Faculty

Actively drawing from a wide variety of academic disciplines, faculty in UNC Asheville's Environmental Resilience Master program share their passions with students as they equip them with the knowledge and technical skills to tackle the various environmental challenges facing our communities


Kathleen Lawlor, Ph.D.

Director of MS in Environmental Resilience, Associate Professor of Economics

Office: 152 Karpen Hall
Phone: (828) 250-3983
Email: klawlor@unca.edu

Dr. Kathleen Lawlor is Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the MS in Environmental Resilience. An applied microeconomist, her research investigates the impacts of public policies on a range of environment and development outcomes, with a focus on how climate and development policies affect local communities, forests, and ecosystem services. She has examined the impacts of tropical forest carbon projects on local communities’ land rights and income, how cash transfers contribute to rural farming households’ climate resilience, and, most recently, the impacts of Asheville’s urban renewal projects on displacement and household wealth.

Prior to academia, Dr. Lawlor worked on international environment and development policy with numerous organizations. She has worked for an independent accountability mechanism of the World Bank Group, investigating project-affected communities’ claims of human rights violations and social and environmental harms, for a think tank at Duke University on international climate and forest policy, and with farmers in Cameroon on agroforestry and HIV/AIDS education as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She remains engaged in applied policy work, advising both local and global organizations on how to evaluate and improve their social impacts.

Dr. Lawlor’s courses emphasize the power of the economic approach to causal inference and how economic theory and evidence can be harnessed to fight poverty and environmental degradation through public policy.

Education

  • Ph.D., Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • M.E.M., Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University
  • B.A., The College of William & Mary

Teaching

  • Econ 103 Introductory Economic Analysis
  • ECON 274 Race and Economic Opportunity
  • Econ 317 Poverty and Human Capital
  • Econ 339 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Policy
  • Econ 365 Econometrics
  • Econ 372 Monitoring and Evaluation for Social Impact
  • Econ 450 Environment and Development Economics
  • Econ 480 Senior Research in Economics
  • MSER 502 Climate Resilience Foundations: Theory and Practice
  • MSER 511: Practicum I: Internship and Research Proposal
  • MSER 599: Practicum II: Applied Research Project

Publications

Visit my Google Scholar page for more information.

Fraser, J. and K. Lawlor. 2026. The Significance of 20th-Century Urban Renewal Policies for Racially Reparative Planning. Chp. 6 in The Performative City: An Approach to the Study of Urban Policy, D. Oakley and J.C. Fraser (Eds.). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, p.79-96.

Pfau, A., K. Lawlor, D. Hochfelder, and S. Kinlock Sewell. 2024. Using Urban Renewal Records to Advance Reparative Justice. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, Special Issue on Black Reparations: Insights from the Social Sciences (Eds., William Darity Jr., Thomas Craemer, Daina Ramey Berry, and Dania V. Francis), 10(2): 113-131.

Lawlor, K. 2022. Incentives, Institutions, and Inequality: A Pluralist Approach to Teaching Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Chp. 5 in Teaching Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: Paradigms and Pedagogy, Bergstrom, J.C. and Whitehead, J.C. (Eds.). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing. p.102-129.

Lawlor, K., S. Handa, B. Davis, and D. Seidenfeld. 2020. Poverty-environment relationships under market heterogeneity: Cash transfers and rural livelihoods in Zambia. Environment and Development Economics, 25(3): 291-314.

Lawlor, K., Sills, E.O., S. Atmadja, L. Lin, and K. Songwathana. 2019. SDG #1: No Poverty – Impacts of Social Protection, Tenure Security, and Building Resilience on Forests. Chp. 1 in Sustainable Development Goals: Their Impacts on Forests and People, Katila, P., C.J.P. Colfer, W. de Jong, G. Galloway, P. Pacheco, and G. Winkel (Eds.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Lawlor, K., S. Handa, and D. Seidenfeld. 2019. Cash transfers enable households to cope with agricultural production and price shocks: Evidence from Zambia. Journal of Development Studies, 55:2, 209-226.

Sills, E.O., C. de Sassi, P. Jagger, K. Lawlor, D.A. Miteva, S.K. Pattanayak, W.D. Sunderlin. 2017. Building the evidence base for REDD+: Study design and methods for evaluating the impacts of conservation interventions on local well-being. Global Environmental Change 43: 148-160.

Jagger, P., M. Brockhaus, A.E. Duchelle, M.F. Gebara, K. Lawlor, I.A.P. Resosudarmo, W.D. Sunderlin. 2014. Multi-level Policy Dialogues and Actions: Challenges and Opportunities for National REDD+ Safeguards Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV). Forests 5(9): 2136-2162.

Lawlor, K. and S. Swan. 2014. Mainstreaming multiple benefits in subnational land-use planning: Sourcebook for REDD+ and sustainable landscapes. SNV – The Netherlands Development Organization. Ho Chi Minh City.

Lawlor, K. 2013. Methods for assessing and evaluating social impacts of program-level REDD+. Report for USAID’s Forest Carbon, Markets, and Communities Program. TetraTech: Arlington, VA.

Lawlor, K., E. Myers-Madeira, J. Blockhus, D. Ganz. 2013. Community participation and benefits in REDD+: A review of initial outcomes and lessons. Forests 4: 296-318.

Jagger, P., K. Lawlor, M. Brockhaus, M.F. Gebara, D.J. Sonwa, I.A.P. Resosudarmo. 2012. REDD+ safeguards in national policy discourse and pilot projects. Chapter in Analysing REDD+: Challenges and choices. Edited by Angelsen, A. CIFOR: Bogor, Indonesia.

Ferraro, P., K. Lawlor, K. Mullan, and S.K. Pattanayak. 2011. Forest figures: A review of ecosystem services valuation and policy evaluation in developing countries. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 6(1): 20-44.

Caplow, S., P. Jagger, K. Lawlor, and E.O. Sills. 2011. Evaluating land use and livelihood impacts of early forest carbon projects: Lessons for learning about REDD+. Environmental Science and Policy 14: 152-167.

Lawlor, K., E. Weinthal, and L.P. Olander. 2010. Institutions and policies to protect rural livelihoods in REDD+ regimes. Global Environmental Politics 10(4): 1-11.

Jagger, P., E. Sills, K. Lawlor, and W. Sunderlin. 2010. Guide to learning about livelihood impacts of REDD+ projects. CIFOR: Bogor, Indonesia.

 

placeholder

Dr. Grace Campbell, M.L.A., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Office: 241 Whitesides Hall
Phone: (828) 251-6312
Email: gcampbel@unca.edu

Grace G. Campbell has been a faculty member in the UNC Asheville Humanities Program since 1998.  She teaches all four courses in UNC-A’s required Humanities core and serves as faculty Coordinator for the required Integrative Liberal Studies senior capstone course, LA 478: Cultivating Global Citizenship. She will earn a PhD (2016) in Philosophy from University of Tennessee, and holds a Master of Liberal Arts (1998) and a Bachelor of Arts (1989) in Political Science from University of Colorado, Boulder. She holds the rank of Lecturer and regularly teaches Environmental Ethics and has taught in the Philosophy Department. Prior to her academic career, she worked in corporate environmental management consulting at Environmental Communication Associates, Inc. in Denver, Colorado designing and facilitating crisis communication workshops for major national industry associations.

Education

  • MLA, UNC Asheville, Liberal Arts/Sci Gen Studies

Courses Taught

  • ENVR 324 Environmental Ethics
  • HON 479 Lib Studies Intro Colloquium
  • HUM 414 The Individual in the Contemporary World
  • LS 478 Lib Studies Sr Colloquium
  • PHIL 303 Philosophy of Religion
  • RELS 303 Philosophy of Religion

 

placeholder

Kedai Cheng, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Math and Statistics

Office: 313 Rhoades/Robinson Hall
Phone: (828) 232-5195
Email: kcheng@unca.edu

Kedai Cheng was born and raised in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. He attended Indiana University at Bloomington for his undergraduate, obtaining two Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and a Master’s degree in Economics. Before joining the Mathematics department at University of North Carolina at Asheville, he pursued his doctoral degree at the Department of Statistics at the University of Kentucky. Kedai’s academic interests vary broadly, including but not limited to developing appropriate methodologies for analysis and predictions, and using statistical tools to analyze problems in multidisciplinary subjects such as Economics, Quality Control and Aviations.

Education

  • B.A. of Economics, 2013, Indiana University Bloomington
  • B.S. of Mathematics, 2013, Indiana University Bloomington
  • M.S. of Economics, 2015, Indiana University Bloomington
  • M.S. of Statistics, 2017, University of Kentucky
  • Ph.D. of Statistics, 2020, University of Kentucky

Courses Taught

  • Statistics STA-210: Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
  • Statistics STA-210: Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
  • Statistics STA-648 (Graduate Course): Regression Methods
  • Statistics STA-621 (Graduate Course): Nonparametric Statistics
  • Statistics STA-656 (Graduate Course): Statistical Quality Control
  • Statistics STA-645 (Graduate Course): Computational Theory Data Visualization
  • Statistics STA-646 (Graduate Course): Probability and Inference
  • Statistics STA-569 (Graduate Course): Applied Statistical Methods
  • Statistics STA-296: Statistical Methods and Motivations
  • Statistics STA-210: Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
  • Economics ECON-E331: International Trade

Professional Interests

Tolerance Regions, Time Series Analysis, Nonparametric Statistics and Methodology, Machine Learning Algorithms, Regression Analysis, Statistical Quality Control.

Selected Publications

Cheng, Kedai, and Derek S. Young. “Tolerance intervals for autoregressive models, with an application to hospital waiting lists.” Applied Stochastic Models in Business and Industry 36.2 (2020): 268-282.

placeholder

Caitlin Crossett, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences

251 Rhoades/Robinson Hall
Phone: (828) 250-3888
Email: ccrosset@unca.edu

placeholder

Greg Dobson, GISP

NEMAC Director of GIS and Engagement

Office: 236 Rhoades/Robinson Hall
Phone: (828) 251-6973
Email: gdobson@unca.edu

NEMAC at the Collider
The Collider, Suite 429
1 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC  28801
828.225.6575

Cell: 828.231.1086

Greg has been a Research Scientist with NEMAC since June 2006, serving first as the GIS Coordinator before becoming the Director of Geospatial Technology. He is responsible for all of NEMAC’s GIS activities, research, mapping, and development. In this capacity he coordinates and provides GIS support for the Center’s various projects. His current focuses include: (1) GIS applications for land use, natural hazards, weather & climate, and hydrology; (2) community and climate resilence; (3) 3D GIS and 3D geovisualization; and (4) the integration of GIS with weather, climate, and society. Greg focuses primarily on the use of Esri software and technologies, keeping current with the latest trends and developments and applying those to current projects and research.

In addition to his responsibilities as NEMAC’s Director of Geospatial Technology, Greg also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Atmospheric Sciences Department at UNC Asheville where he developed and continues to teach a GIS course for meteorology majors. He stays active and supports in his profession by serving on various local, state, and national boards and committees. Greg holds a B.S. in Geography from East Tennessee State University and an M.A. in Geography from Appalachian State University, both with concentrations in GIS. He also holds the GISP (GIS Professional) Certification from the GIS Certification Institute.

View my CV

Education

  • M.A. in Geography, Appalachian State University, 2006
  • B.S. in Geography, East Tennessee State University, 2003

Teaching Experience

  • GIS in Meteorology (ATMS 373/325), Spring 2008 – Present: The University of North Carolina at Asheville
  • Introduction to GIS (GIS 111), Spring 2007 – 2015: Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
  • Introduction to GIS (ENVR 384), Fall 2011: The University of North Carolina at Asheville

GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sciences

One of Greg’s professional and personal passions is weather and climate. He is especially interested in the integration of GIS with the atmospheric sciences. In 2008 he developed and continues to teach one of the few courses in the country that combine these two subjects. “GIS in Meteorology” has become an official course within the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at UNC Asheville and is offered on a regular basis. Over the last five years, Greg has worked closely with his colleagues at the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s GIS Program on the development of a GIS tutorial that teaches GIS within an atmospheric sciences domain. This resource is freely available at https://gis.ucar.edu/projects/course-introduction-gis.

Publications

Recent Presentaions (2010-2015)

  • Dobson, J.G. and J.F. Fox, J.F.  “Using 3D GIS to Build and Disseminate Flood-Related Scenario Visualizations.”  The 2015 North Carolina GIS Conference.  February 26th – 27th, 2015, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Dobson, J. G. “The Geospatial Bridge.”  (Panel Discussant).  The 95th American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 10th Symposium on Societal Application: Policy, Research and Practice.  January 4th – 8th, 2015, Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Fox, J.F., Dobson, J.G., M. Phillips, and J.M. Hicks.  “Climate Explorer: The National Climate Resilience Toolkit Interactive Mapping and Graph Application”.  The 95th American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 31st Conference on Environmental Information Processing Technologies.  January 4th – 8th, 2015, Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Dobson, J.G. and J.F. Fox.  “Tools and Technologies to Support Flood-Related Decision Making.”   The Asheville Floods of September 2004 – Ten Years of Action, Research, and Mitigation: A Symposium Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Devastating Floods of 2004. September 5th, 2014, Asheville, North Carolina.
  • Dobson, J.G. and M.F. Squires.  “Local Applications of the NOAA Regional Snowfall Indices and GIS Snowstorm Database.”  (Poster).  The 71st Annual Eastern Snow Conference.  June 3rd – 5th, 2014, Boone, North Carolina.
  • Fox, J.F., Dobson, J.G., Rogers, K.L., and M. Phillips.  “Moving from Analysis to Action – The Next Step for Climate Adaptation.”  The Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference.  April 28th – 29th, 2014, Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • Dobson, J.G. and J.F. Fox.  “Providing Meaningful and Actionable Decision Tools to Local and Regional Stakeholders across the Southeastern U.S.” The 94th American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 9th Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research.  February 2nd – 6th, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Fox, J.F. and J.G. Dobson.  “Framing the Climate Issue for Small and Medium-Sized Communities across the Southeastern U.S.” The 94th American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 9th Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research.  February 2nd – 6th, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Kunkel, K.E, L.E. Stevens, and J.G. Dobson.  “Uncertainties in Model Simulations of the Regional U.S. Climate.”  (Poster).  The International Conference on Regional Climate – CORDEX 2103.  November 4th – 7th, 2013, Brussels, Belgium.
  • Dobson, J.G., Morgan, J.D., Kunkel, K.E., and L.E. Stevens.  “The Use of GIS and Python Scripting for Processing and Mapping National and Regional Climate Data Simulations.”  The 93rd American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, Third Symposium on Advances in Modeling and Analysis Using Python.  January 6th – 10th, 2013, Austin, Texas.
  • Fox, J.F., Dobson, J.G., Rogers, K.L., and M.W. Hutchins.  “Towards a Scalable Climate Adaptation Approach – It’s all about the Decision.” The 93rd American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 8th Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research.  January 6th – 10th, 2013, Austin, Texas.
  • Dobson, J.G. and J.F. Fox.  “Using 3D Visualization Tools for Integrated Decision Making and Risk Characterization.”  4th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit.  December 6th– 7th, 2012, Jupiter, Florida.
  • Davis, M., Colby, J.D., and J.G. Dobson.  “Flood Modeling Accuracy and the Influence of Digital Terrain Model Resolutions Derived from Airborne LiDAR and USGS Elevation Data for the Swannanoa River in North Carolina.”  AWRA 2012 Annual Water Resources Conference.  November 12th – 15th, 2012, Jacksonville, Florida.  
  • Davis, M., Colby, J.D., and J.G. Dobson.  “Digital Terrain Model Evaluation for Flood Modeling in a Mountain Environment.”  North Carolina Association of Floodplain Managers’ 6th Annual Fall Floodplain Institute.  October 12th – 14th, 2011, Boone, North Carolina.  
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “An Engagement Strategy and Framework for Conducting Regional Climate Assessments.”  The American Meteorological Society’s 19th Conference on Climatology and Practical Solutions for a Warming World: AMS Conference on Climate Adaptation.  July 18th – 20th, 2011, Asheville, North Carolina.
  • Colby, J.D., Davis, M., Dobson, J.G., and K. White.  “Digital Terrain Model Evaluation for Flood Modeling in a Mountain Environment.”  The 107th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers.   April 12th – 16th, 2011, Seattle, Washington.
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Developing a Framework for Stakeholder Engagement in Conducting Regional Climate Assessments.”  The 2011 Meeting of Southeast State Climatologists and the NOAA Southeast Regional Climate Center’s Technical Advisory Committee Meeting.  February 22nd – 23rd, 2011, Tallahassee, Florida.
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “The Use of GIS in Facilitating Regional Climate Assessments in North Carolina.”  The 2011 North Carolina GIS Conference.  February 16th – 18th, 2011, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Hicks, J.M., Dobson, J.G., and A. Krebs.  “GIS and Video Game Technology: New Tools for Urban Planning.”  The 2011 North Carolina GIS Conference.  February 16th – 18th, 2011, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Fox, J.F., Dobson, J.G., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Building the Delivery Truck: Developing Tools that Allow Decision Makers to Move from Assessment to Action.”  The Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Modeling to Characterize Climate Change Impacts and Support Decision Making Workshop.  February 1st – 2nd, 2011, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Towards a Framework for Stakeholder Engagement in Conducting Regional Climate Assessments.”  The 91st American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, 6th Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research.  January 23rd – 27th, 2011, Seattle, Washington.
  • Hutchins, M., Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Stakeholder Engagement and Conducting Climate Assessments in Western North Carolina.”  The 20th Annual Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Fall Conference.   November 17th – 18th, 2010, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Hutchins, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Engaging Stakeholders for Conducitng Reginal Climate Assessments.“  The 35th Annual NOAA Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop.  October 4th – 7th, 2010, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Hicks, J.M and J.G. Dobson.  “GIS and Video Game Technology: New Tools for Urban Planning.”  The 2010 North Carolina Arc Users Group Fall Conference.  September 15th – 17th, 2010, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
  • Perry, L.B., Hotz, D., Keighton, S., Lee, L., Dobson, J.G., Hall, D., and C.E. Konrad.  “Overview of the 2009-2010 Snow Season in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.”  The 67th Annual Eastern Snow Conference.  June 8th – 10th, 2010, Hancock, Massachusetts.
  • Dobson, J.G., Fox, J.F., Pierce, T., Phillips, M., and K.P. Lichtenstein.  “Developing Climate Communication Tools for Integrated Decision Support at the Local and Regional Level.”  The 90th American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, Fifth Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research.  January 17th – 21st, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia.

placeholder

Casey King

Lecturer of Environmental Science, Director of Sustainability

Office: 006 Karpen Hall
Phone: (828) 350-4556
Email: cking10@unca.edu

Dr. King teaches geology and environmental science courses. Her current research investigates science-based environmental management, and focuses on the emergence of Ecosystems-Based Fisheries Management for New England’s marine fisheries. She is interested in systems thinking to assess and address issues of uncertainty and complexity in socioecological systems.

Education

  • B.A.  University of California at Santa Barbara, Geophysics
  • M.S.  University of Montana, Geology
  • Ph.D.  The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Courses Taught

  • ENVR 130 Intro to Environmental Science
  • ENVR 105L Lab for Physical Geology
  • ENVR 373 The World in a Grain of Sand
  • HUM 414 Critical Perspectives on Contemporaneity

Professional Interests

  • Earth Systems Science (including geology and geophysics)
  • Socioecological Systems
  • Environmental Governance
  • Political Ecology
  • Science Studies

.

Recent Presentations

  • King, Catherine, 2022, The Performativity of New England’s Groundfish Fishery as Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Practices Emerge, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Online Conference
  • King, Catherine, 2021, Who’s to Blame?: The Multiplicity of New England’s Groundfish Crisis, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Online Conference
  • King, Catherine, 2020, Performing Crisis and Intervention in Fisheries Management: Matters of Failure and Success in New England’s Groundfish Fishery, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Denver, CO
  • King, Catherine, 2018, Ethnographies of Environmental Management: Emergence of an Ecosystems-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Intervention in New England’s Marine Fisheries, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
  • King, Catherine, 2017, The Emergence of Ecosystems-based Fisheries Management in New England: Something New or Business as Usual?, American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
  • King, Catherine, 2017, Constructing Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in New England, The Seventh Annual Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference, Lexington, KY

placeholder

Dave Michelson

NEMAC Chief Product Officer

Office: Hatch Coworking Suite 170
Phone: (828) 250-3890
Email: dmichels@unca.edu

Dave serves as NEMAC’s Applied Research Software Designer, joining the team in 2015. He has been working in the geospatial industry for over 22 years across many disciplines, including county and municipal government, public school systems, and private consulting.

Dave works with NEMAC’s partners to architect and develop software and websites that accomplish their goals. He believes the key to creating easy-to-use tools requires:

  • A thorough understanding of the problem.
  • Observing real people using your tool.
  • And, without question, taking the earbuds out and connecting with real users.

Dave is also a big proponent of using open source software—the ethos matches his core beliefs of openness, transparency, and freedom.

Dave received a B.S. in Geography from Salisbury State University in Salisbury, Maryland. He enjoys his family and any of the incredible outdoor activities that surround Asheville.

placeholder

Muhammad Nawaz, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Economics

Office: 153 Karpen Hall
Phone: (828) 251-6834
Email: mnawaz@unca.edu

Education

Ph.D. Economics, Texas Tech University 

MPhil Economics, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Pakistan

M.Sc. Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan 

B.A. Economics, University of the Punjab, Pakistan 

Dr. Nawaz is an applied economist focusing on macro finance and household finance. His work  concentrates on the impact of credit market imperfections and the application of finance on various  macroeconomic components, including business and corporate finance, climate finance, business cycle  fluctuations, labor finance, and retirement finance. His work explicitly analyzes the asymmetric  information in finance, i.e., adverse selection and moral hazard, as well as banks’ monitoring cost  in the credit market and lender behavior when scrutinizing borrowers. He is also interested in the reasons  for credit restrictions among unbanked individuals, such as requirements for physical collateral, the credit  history and previous bankruptcy of borrowers, and strict lending policies by donor agencies in financing  businesses and countries. He prefers to address macro and household finance-related research questions  by developing a theoretical background and employing historical data to examine the research questions  empirically and using various programming languages. He believes in financial inclusion as a solution  to macroeconomic and development issues, environmental problems, and household monetary needs. He  cares about macro developments, financial stabilization for transitional economies, and small business  creation with the provision of small-scale loan and low-interest rate. He promotes the consideration of  social collateral rather than physical collateral, which may improve access to credit for individuals,  businesses, and economies. 

Before starting in academia, he worked for over two years on a funded project through the International  Development Research Center (IDRC) at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE),  Pakistan. In addition, he has experience in working on wide-ranging projects financed by various donor  agencies, including the South Asian Network of Development and Environmental Economics  (SANDEE), the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and Higher Education Commission (HEC)  Thematic Research Grant, Pakistan. His work on inclusive growth at HEC funded project suggests institutions to initiate financial inclusion-based policies for economic prosperity. He was one of  the six selected research track applicants after competing internationally with 54 research economists and  won the “Fellowship” on Adaptation Finance, funded by the IDRC, which was managed/organized  by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Thailand Development Research Institute  (TDRI). 

He has taught multiple courses at Texas Tech University at the introductory and the intermediate  levels, and he has diverse teaching interests, including the finance, macroeconomics, and  microeconomics. He served as a full-time lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of  Sargodha, Pakistan, with a teaching focus on macroeconomics analysis, finance, applied economics, and  climate change. His rich teaching experience at the international level helps him to mentor students  coming from diverse backgrounds and encourage them to self-learn, improve their skills, and enhance  their knowledge using the lens of economics and finance. During lectures, he develops interaction with  students by using classroom technology to not only help the students learn economics but also improve  their ability to apply economic principles to different practical, monetary, and financial problems. In his  classroom, he always likes to keep students engaged by using relevant real-world information, case  studies, and economic news, relating these examples to the instructional materials. As an instructor, he  believes in empowering students professionally and financially by encouraging them to participate in research seminars, paid internships, career development, and networking, particularly guiding them  to participate in funded research opportunities.

placeholder

Karin Rogers

NEMAC Director; Research Scientist

Office: 236 Rhoades/Robinson Hall
Phone: (828) 250-3892
Email: krogers@unca.edu

Karin is NEMAC’s Interim Director and a Research Scientist at NEMAC. Her work involves both the day-to-day operations of NEMAC, as well as working with NEMAC’s federal, local, and state partners to effectively deliver and communicate their science for more informed decision making. She also co-leads the NEMAC Student Intern program.

As Director, Karin manages NEMAC’s organizational and funding program, which involves overseeing external grants, contracts, and agreements and individual program and project budgets. She works closely with funding agents and UNC Asheville staff to execute the financial and operational goals for each NEMAC project. She fosters relationships with NEMAC’s external funders and stakeholders, including the USDA Forest Service, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-North Carolina, and various regional, state, and local partners.

As Research Scientist, Karin is interested in the application of scientific information in the realm of decision making. Her work has focused on various technology transfer methodologies, including group facilitation and training, scientific graphic design, and statistical applications used in decision support. Her knowledge of environmental science, decision science, and team dynamics help groups use scientific information to better understand and face the challenges of a changing environment. She has been involved with some of NEMAC’s key projects, such as the support of the science and analysis team for the National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Indicator project in support of the sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA), and the USDA Forest Service ForWarn project.

Previously, she worked as a Research Coordinator at the University Of Georgia Department Of Crop and Soil Sciences, researching issues related to water quality and non-point source pollution. Karin received her M.S in Geology with a concentration in Fluvial Geomorphology from the University of Georgia, and her bachelor’s degree in Geology from Union College in Schenectady, NY.

Selected NEMAC Presentations/Publications/Papers

  • Morgan, J., J. Fox, M. Hutchins, J. Frimmel, K. Rogers, and C. Dougherty. “A Web Application and Subscription Service for Landsat Forest Area Change Tools (LandsatFACT).” Presentation at the North Carolina GIS Conference, Raleigh, NC, February 25–27, 2015.
  • Hutchins, M., K. Rogers, J. Fox, J. Morgan, and M. Phillips. “Geospatial Tools for Science Delivery and Supporting Forest Management Decisions.” Presentation at the North Carolina GIS Conference, Raleigh, NC, February 7–8, 2013.
  • Fox, J., J. G. Dobson, K. L. Rogers, and M. W. Hutchins. “Towards a Scalable Climate Adaptation Approach—It’s All About the Decision.” Presentation at the 93rd American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, 8th Symposium on Policy and Socioeconomic Research, Austin, Texas, January 6–10, 2013.
  • Fox, J., K. Rogers, M. Hutchins, D. C. Lee, and S. Norman. “Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, Ideas to Actions—Moving from Modeling to Implementation.” Presentation at the 5th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress, Portland, OR, December 3–7, 2012.
  • Dubrow, R., M. W. Hutchins, J. D. Morgan, J. Fox, and K. L. Rogers. “Southeast Natural Resource Leaders Group—Phase II.” Technical Report to the Landscape Conservation and Restoration Pilot Project (LCRPP), 2012.
  • Morgan, J. D., M. W. Hutchins, J. Fox, and K. L. Rogers. “A Methodological Framework focused on integrating GIS and BBN Data for Probabilistic Map Algebra Analysis,” Extended Abstracts, GIScience 2012, Columbus, OH, September 18–21, 2012.
  • Fox, J., J. Dobson, K. Lichtenstein, and M. Phillips. “Delivering Scientific Information and Tools to Decision Makers: Examples of a Dynamic Business Process.” Presentation at the American Meteorological Society 19th Conference on Applied Climatology, Asheville, NC, July 18–20, 2011.
  • Rogers, K., M. Hutchins, S. Norman, D. Lee, J. Fox, and C. Dougherty. “Planning with Uncertainty: The application of the Comparative Risk Assessment Framework and Tools (CRAFT) at multiple geographic and planning scales.” Presentation at the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) 21st Annual Conference, Asheville, NC, November 15–17, 2011.
  • Pierce, T., M. Phillips, J. Hicks, M. Hutchins, K. Lichtenstein, and J. Fox. “Forests and Phenology: Designing the Early Warning System to Understand Forest Change.” Presentation at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 13–17, 2010.
  • Lichtenstein, K., B. O’Hara, T. Pierce, M. Hutchins, J. Hicks, M. Phillips, and J. Fox. “Understanding climate change impacts: Partnerships and technology transfer.” Presentation at the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) 20th Annual Conference, Gatlinburg, TN, November 16–18, 2010.
  • Pierce, T., M. Hutchins, J. Hicks, K. Lichtenstein, and M. Phillips. “Distributing Phenology Data: The National Phenology Dataset Explorer.” Presentation at the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) 20th Annual Conference, Gatlinburg, TN, November 16–18, 2010.
  • Hutchins, M.., J. Dobson, J. Fox, and K. Lichtenstein. “Stakeholder Engagement and Conducting Climate Assessments in Western North Carolina.” Presentation at the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) 20th Annual Conference, Gatlinburg, TN, November 16–18, 2010.
  • Dobson, J. Greg, Jim Fox, Karin Lichtenstein, and Matt Hutchins. “Engaging Stakeholders for Conducting Regional Climate Assessments.” Science and Technology Infusion Climate Bulletin, 147–150. Abstract of a presentation at the 35th NOAA Annual Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, Raleigh, NC, October 4–7, 2010.
  • Dobson, J., T. Pierce, J. Fox, M. Phillips, and K. Lichtenstein. “Developing climate communication tools for integrated decision support at the local and regional level.” Presentation at the 90th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, January 16–21, 2010.

Recent Awards

Skills/Training

  • MS Office (including MS Project), Adobe CS, SigmaPlot, Norsys Netica
  • Introduction to Bayesian Networks Using Netica, Innovative Decisions, 2011
  • NCI Charrette System™ Certificate Training, Harvard University, 2010
  • FAST Professional Facilitation Workshop Training, MG Rush, Morgan Madison and Company, 2009
  • Duke Environmental Leadership Program Certificate, Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and Practice; Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, 2008

placeholder

Sarah Van Wart

Assistant Professor of Computer Science


Phone:
Email: svanwart@unca.edu

placeholder

Related Programs

placeholder

Environmental Science

placeholder

Atmospheric Sciences

Building Climate Resilience

Unlock the potential to drive positive societal change with a Master of Science in Environmental Resilience.

Explore cutting-edge solutions to the global challenge of climate change and help communities build resilience to a changing climate.

Equip yourself with the expertise to lead the way toward a more sustainable future.

How to Apply Request Information Visit Us