Last fall, the third iteration of the Tiger Team initiative was launched. The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Office of the Provost at Stony Brook University charged six teams focusing on different climate change topic areas to map our existing strengths onto opportunities for new funding. The goal of this initiative was to prepare our research community to aggressively respond to upcoming federal funding opportunities by submitting competitive proposals when new funding opportunities arise.

The following teams were formed with 45 faculty from 22 different departments and schools across campus:

• Climate and Environmental Medicine
• Community and Ecosystem Resilience
• Green Technologies
• Human Behavior and Decision-Making Related to Climate Change Mitigation
• The Economic and Policy Challenges of Climate Change
• The Warming Oceans, Modeling the Climate, and the Effects of Climate Change

"Faculty are the engines that drive research, and the level of faculty engagement that we have seen in this and the previous two Tiger Teams are why we have seen such success to date from the Tiger Teams in growing the number of Center-scale proposals and awards as well as the strategic hiring of faculty in areas of funding priorities," said Kevin Garder, vice president for research.

Over a six-month period, teams met frequently and worked to identify assets across and beyond campus, including faculty, labs, instrumentation, and partners that can contribute to competitive and collaborative research initiatives. Teams also identified critical gaps and provided suggestions for strengthening the university in these areas.

In March 2024, all six teams met virtually with senior leadership to discuss their progress. Each team presented their findings to date and discussed their plans and processes to complete the assignment, which culminated in a final report for each team. One-hour virtual Climate Change Tiger Teams Town Halls were held this spring, during which each team presented its findings to the campus community.

In June 2024, an executive summary was created which combined the findings of all six teams. This report has been reviewed by university senior leadership and deans of all colleges and schools across the university and is available for everyone in the SBU community on the Climate Change Tiger Teams website.

Stony Brook University is ideally positioned to capitalize on the federal investments in climate-related grand challenges given our leadership in a wide range of research topics, including community and ecosystem resilience, environmental justice and policy, climate modeling, renewable energy storage and integration, clean water technology, and artificial intelligence. Its role as the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange will provide access to a coordinating body of partners for more broad-scale advancement of education, research, workforce development, and technology translation.

"Integrating art and humanities into Climate Change research fosters the exchange of equally rigorous insights and methodologies, enriching conversations and responses to the climate crisis. By combining diverse perspectives, we can develop a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to addressing complex climate change questions" Linda O'Keefe, chair, Department of Art; member of the Human Behavior and Decision-Making Related to Climate Change Mitigation Tiger Team

"Working on the tiger team allowed me to build relationships with researchers across the disciplines. I learned from listening to them. My disciplinary perspective was challenged and changed by theirs; likewise I had to figure out how to convey my disciplinary perspective to them in a shared language which has since informed how I think about my research generally. Our work together has identified some immediate opportunities for external grant funding we are now prepared and excited to pursue." Michael Rubenstein, director of the Humanities Institute

As a direct result of this initiative, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Executive Vice President of Health Sciences, and the Office of the Vice President for Research have launched the Climate Change Seed Grant Program. The seed grant program will fund collaborative efforts among climate change researchers at Stony Brook seeking to apply to externally funded research and training initiatives and will award proposals in the six Tiger Team climate change topic areas. Proposals are due October 1, 2024.

"It has been an immense honor to have been asked to serve on and co-lead a Climate Change Tiger Team. Given the timeliness and severity of the global climate crisis, coming up with viable, grassroots-driven recommendations to address this predicament is a priority for the campus. As such, it has been a privilege for me to have participated in this thoughtful and engaging University-wide process to furnish a list of potential actionable items that will collectively move us forward in this area in the coming years." Stanislaus Wong, chair, Department of Chemistry; co-lead of the Green Technologies Tiger Team

Each Climate Change Tiger Team had support from the Office of Proposal Development (OPD). OPD is prepared to support the development of proposals resulting from this initiative and will continue to support research activities related to this important research priority and the members of these teams.

"I see three advantages of the Stony Brook Tiger Teams. (1) They help SBU faculty learn about other SBU faculty who are doing work in a similar space; (2) They help SBU administration learn which areas would benefit from strategic investment; and (3) They help facilitate networking among SBU faculty and administration for going after grants.

For example, When the NIH posted its call for proposals on Climate Change and Health Exploratory Centers, there was a 2-month turnaround to meet the application deadline. Without the Tiger Teams having identified key collaborators and focus areas on climate and health and having the administrative support for the proposal from OPD, we would have never been able to put together a strong grant proposal.

As often happens, the universities that are able to meet these rapid turn arounds are the most well endowed and they provide ample support for proposals; it is exciting to see that Stony Brook is entering into the class of research universities that will support its faculty to go after these types of Center grants." Jaymie Meliker, professor, Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine; co-lead of the Climate and Environmental Medicine Tiger Team.

"The work of Tiger Teams is so impactful in building momentum toward our research goals in the university's strategic plan, Our Moment. Approaching this from a highly interdisciplinary structure has multiplied our innovative capacity in climate, accelerating and expanding our strengths in this critical area of study and action." Carl Lejuez, executive vice president and provost

For further information, please visit the Climate Change Tiger Team website.

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