Elizabeth Fussell, a research professor in IBES and the Population Studies and Training Center, peer reviewed the scientific paper that this article covers and offered commentary.
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
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Nature Medicine
Climate change and infectious diseases
Rachel Baker, an assistant professor in IBES and the Department of Epidemiology, and Aleksandra Stamper, an IBES graduate affiliate in the School of Public Health, are the first and second authors, respectively, of this review paper.
Nature Communications
Revealing the Antarctic marginal ice zone with a decade-long wave-in-ice climatology
IBES faculty affilate (DEEPS) and former Voss postdoc Christopher Horvat is among the authors of this study.
Supported by IBES faculty and alumni mentors, a team of Brown undergraduates advanced to the finals of the Turner MIINT Competition and placed third overall against dozens of graduate teams from around the world.
Faculty affiliate David Savitz (Epidemiology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology) offered commentary on exposure to PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
Through collaborations with faculty affiliate Mara Freilich (DEEPS) and the IBES-based Breathe Providence project, local residents are working to understand how pollution is affecting their community.
The Providence Journal
Whitehouse has given 300+ climate speeches. Why he's still trying
IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts offered commentary for this article, reflecting on Democrats' approach to climate change and Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's outspokenness on the topic.
News from IBES
IBES-affiliated students named 2026 Royce Fellows
Through the Swearer Center program, eight students affiliated with IBES will conduct community-engaged research spanning environmental justice, food sovereignty, conservation biology, and Indigenous land stewardship.
The University of Rhode Island
The Ripple Effect of Research Funding for Better Outcomes
IBES faculty affiliates Baylor Fox-Kemper, Mara Freilich, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, and Karianne Bergen are collaborators on SIMCoast, a $7 million grant building Rhode Island’s research capabilities to measure and study the impacts of nano- and microplastics.
The New York Times
Trump’s war is punishing the poor, starting at the gas pump
IBES affiliate Jeff Colgan, a professor of political science and international studies and director of the Climate Solutions Lab, wrote this opinion piece about the costs of the war in Iran.
Inside Climate News
Amazon Deforestation at Eight-Year Low, Report Shows
IBES and Ecology Professor Stephen Porder expressed that while declining rates of deforestation in the Amazon are encouraging, the region has seen lower rates, and “really the number needs to go to 0 very quickly.”
Nature Scientific Reports
Investigating medicinal resource combinations in the Bornean orangutan diet
Voss Postdoctoral Research Associate in Environment and Society Elodie Freymann co-authored this paper.
May 13, 2026
News from Brown
Fire that scorched African mountain range was unprecedented in the last 12,000 years, research shows
A study of ancient lake sediments reveals that a recent wildfire high in the Rwenzori Mountains was the first in 12 millennia, signaling a novel threat to Africa’s unique alpine ecosystems.
Dual concentrator Liza Marcus ’26 is unraveling the complex chemistry of nitrogen oxides and ozone in the atmosphere — work that could improve air quality predictions and inform environmental policy.
This article includes commentary from IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts.
May 11, 2026
News from Around Brown
Equitable Climate Futures announces 2026 Research Awards
One year after announcing its inaugural set of four working groups, Brown’s Equitable Climate Futures initiative (ECF), led by the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), has determined a second cohort of awardees, with projects ranging from local environmental justice to Indigenous climate action in the Amazon.
The New York Times
A Fish That Hitches Rides Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine
IBES affiliate Eleanor Caves, an assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, offered comment for this story on “cloacal diving.”
This article showcases insights from the Sustainable Education Research Initiative's first conference, featuring commentary from SustainbleED founder, education professor, and IBES affiliate Matthew Kraft.
IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary about increasing wildfire risk amid a warming climate.
Barrington, Rhode Island's Resilience and Energy Committee utilized the IBES-and-DEEPS-based Network for Environmental Sensing & Technology (NEST) project to install water level sensors above the Barrington River.
Ecology Society of America
Ecological Society of America announces 2026 award recipients
A study by Daniel Perret PhD '21, IBES Professor Dov Sax, and Margaret Evans of the University of Arizona won the ESA's George Mercer Award for an Outstanding Paper by An Early-Career Researcher.
Sierra Magazine
Data Centers Have a PFAS Problem
Epidemiology Professor and IBES Affiliate Joseph Braun provided commentary on the dangers of "forever chemicals" and the need to utilize alternatives when possible.
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Can Physics Stop Climate Change? A Seminar by Brad Marston
IBES affiliate Brad Marston, a professor in the Department of Physics, discussed physics' role in countering climate change during a talk at Johns Hopkins University.
April 30, 2026
News from Watson
Watson Ph.D. Fellow Juben Rabbani addresses the EV transition in new Art at Watson exhibition
Juben Rabbani, a Watson Ph.D. fellow from the Department of Anthropology, created a unique art project as a “visual supplement” to his master’s thesis on the impact of the EV transition on the Salton Sea region of California. Now, he has teamed up with Art at Watson to turn it into a multimedia exhibition, which will be on display until the end of summer 2026.
IBES faculty affiliate Chris Rea, Assistant Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs, offered commentary on a law that channels revenue from taxes on gun sales toward wildlife conservation.
Meredith Niles, Professor of Environment and Society and Behavioral and Social Sciences, is among the authors of this study.
April 27, 2026
News from Brown
Road infrastructure and traffic affect community members’ mental health, study finds
Researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health and the Columbia University School of Public Health found that urban communities isolated by roadways and traffic patterns are associated with more schizophrenia-related hospital visits.
IBES affiliate and Professor of International Economics Mark Blyth offered commentary for this article.
Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign
Podcast and Analysis: Lessons from LOC-NESS for the Future of Fishery Engagement in mCDR
ENVS concentrator Ashley McKinnon '26 and external IBES affiliate Sarah Schumann created this podcast episode about McKinnon's engaged honors thesis in partnership with the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign.
The Brown Daily Herald
‘Without Shade, Without Rest’ highlights agricultural workers’ advocacy
IBES and cross-campus partners hosted a screening and discussion of a new documentary, which looks at the fight to win heat protection for outdoor workers in Florida in the wake of the hottest year on record.
In labs, neighborhoods, and public forums across the state, IBES faculty and students are working side by side with Rhode Islanders to turn environmental challenges into actionable solutions.
As part of the Brown Seminar Series on Environment and Society, renowned ornithologist, conservationist, and educator Stephen Kress, PhD, spoke to a packed audience about his inspiring “Project Puffin,” which successfully restored Atlantic puffins and other seabirds to coastal Maine.
Christian Hoover, a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology and an IBES graduate affiliate, discussed the results of a study that looked at lead exposure in older kids and teens.
April 16, 2026
News from PSTC
PSTC Announces Seed Award Recipients
The PSTC has selected this year’s Seed Award recipients.
The Brown Daily Herald
James Kellner named inaugural Associate Provost for Corporate Engagement
IBES and Biology Professor James Kellner will begin his term as Brown’s inaugural Associate Provost for Corporate Engagement on July 1.
Visiting IBES Professor Robert Brulle provided commentary on ExxonMobil's efforts to discredit climate science that successfully impeded government intervention.
Jeff Colgan, an IBES affiliate, professor at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, and director of the Climate Solutions Lab, discussed his online tool that tracks the impact of rising oil prices.
April 14, 2026
News from Brown
Brown researchers launch energy tracker to measure increased fuel costs tied to war in Iran
Energy, policy and data experts at Brown developed a website where American consumers can track gasoline and diesel costs in real time, offering up-to-date market impacts from war with Iran.
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
Extreme heat and hospitalization with Parkinson’s disease among older adults
This study, coauthored by IBES and Public Health Professor Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, found that high heat index exposure is associated with increased odds of hospitalization with Parkinson's amongst older adults, particularly those living in temperate climates in the US South.
Kassalow, an Environmental Sciences & Studies concentrator on the conservation science and natural systems track, analyzes samples of parasitic worms found in tropical mammals to expand a scientific database for use by researchers.
Connecticut Public Radio
How fossil fuels shape US foreign policy
IBES affiliate Jeff Colgan, professor of political science and international and public affairs and director of the Climate Solutions Lab, offered guest commentary on this podcast.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
Could non-humans have Traditional Ecological Knowledge? And if so, what should we do about it?
Voss Postdoc Elodie Freymann is first author of this paper, which argues that "acknowledging the existence of Non-Human Traditional Ecological Knowledge can shift anthropocentric perspectives and inform conservation policies aimed at protecting ecological cultures and relevant resources."
Brown’s Community Noise Lab — led by Erica Walker, an IBES affiliate and Catalyst Research Awardee at the School of Public Health — and Tougaloo College have installed a high-tech air quality monitoring station on Tougaloo’s campus in Mississippi.
The Brown Daily Herald
Revolution Wind begins to deliver power to New England grid
IBES faculty affiliates Jeff Colgan (Professor of Political Science and Director of the Climate Solutions Lab) and Brad Marston (Professor of Physics) offered positive commentary about energy from a new Rhode Island offshore wind farm.
A dashboard recently launched by the RI Network for Environmental Sensing and Technology—part of a larger IBES-based initiative on coastal climate resilience—provides real-time data on water levels, air quality, and temperature to better inform stakeholders.
IBES affiliate Shanti Morell-Hart, an associate professor of archaeology and anthropology, provided commentary on new research about how an ancient Maya settlement in Belize appears to have outlasted droughts by relying on local wetlands.
March 26, 2026
Alumni & Friends
Investing in climate solutions—and future changemakers
Matt Severson ’11 found his purpose at Brown and learned how to work and collaborate across areas. Now, he’s leading a successful career in sustainable finance. His next project: helping current Brown students do the same.
The Brown community recognized Professors Meredith Hastings and Myles Lennon for their outstanding support of students in the classroom, the lab, and beyond.
Professor Timmons Roberts questioned legislators about proposed cuts to climate and energy programs in Rhode Island.
Sol Cooperdock, a research associate on the Community-Driven Coastal Climate Research & Solutions (3CRS) project, discussed the launch of a new network of environmental sensors that monitor flood conditions, air quality, and weather data across Rhode Island.