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| Dr. Jongho Lee UBC Civil Engineering | Dr. Feng Jiang UBC Forestry |
Two CERC members — Dr. Jongho Lee from UBC Civil Engineering and Dr. Feng Jiang from UBC Forestry, along with Dr. Simcha Srebnik from UBC CHBE, are among the first cohort of researchers to receive $53,000 in annual renewable funding from the newly launched UBC Collaborative (CoLab) PhD Program. Piloted by UBC Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS), this collaborative project aims to train students from various disciplines to create innovative climate solutions, focusing on stormwater management and heatwave mitigation using artificial trees that absorb stormwater and cool environments through evaporation. The researchers and their students are developing infrastructure that can act as both a stormwater management system and a cooling mechanism, transforming buildings into “trees” to save space and resources. The project aims to address extreme weather impacts like heatwaves and heavy rainfall. The program emphasizes cross-disciplinary training, with students meeting monthly over 2 years to share research and skills. Workshops and retreats further enhance collaboration. This funding not only supports immediate research but also aids in developing future proposals, positioning UBC as a leader in climate-focused research and education.
The news was adapted from the article published in UBC Civil Engineering website.