University of Wisconsin professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences Chris Kucharik is set to lead the RISE-EARTH Collaboration Headquarters, according to a Feb. 17 press release.
RISE-EARTH aims to advance scholarship amongst interdisciplinary studies in environmental systems, sustainability and economic processes, according to the press release.
Housed within the Wisconsin Energy Institute, RISE-EARTH complements a campuswide sustainability initiative unveiled by Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin in 2024 as a part of the Wisconsin RISE Initiative, according to the Wisconsin RISE Initiative.
The HQ will provide institutional support for faculty, including seed funding to generate new ideas, research coordination and build cross-college partnerships and industry connections, according to Kucharik.
“As we bring new faculty in sustainability and economics to the environment, they start co-teaching and developing courses, which provides newer ways of thinking,” Kucharik said.
RISE-EARTH, along with RISE-AI and RISE-THRIVE, focus on changing campus energy use, launching sustainability research and driving innovation in fields such as agriculture, AI, medicine, engineering and other specialities, based on the Wisconsin RISE Initiative.
The HQ will include students as a part of the initiative as well, through involvement in research, teaching and outreach.
Through foundational support for faculty, students could see rising opportunities in interdisciplinary research programs and study courses related to these new initiatives, according to Kucharik.
“The idea is to help train young folks to be the future leaders to solve global problems,” Kucharik said.
Although the RISE Initiative has just been unveiled, building meaningful collaboration across departments with different research spaces, funding and priorities will take time, according to Kucharik.
As current federal funding priorities shift, there is a lot of uncertainty amongst students and faculty about the funding of different research projects, which the RISE Initiative hopes to overcome, Kucharik said.
There are potential connections to industry and other types of donors to help fun research like entrepreneurial programs and through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Kucharik said.
“Building connections and identifying opportunities for collaboration through RISE-AI, THRIVE and EARTH are catalysts for research communities to innovate,” Kucharik said.
