Sustainable beef, early childhood projects lead Grand Challenges awards

Bold, audacious research ideas that will improve the lives of current and future generations of Nebraskans have been funded through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Grand Challenges Catalyst Competition. 

Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett and Sherri Jones, interim vice chancellor for research and innovation, announced nine new Grand Challenges projects Sept. 3. Projects include two catalyst awards and seven planning grants. 

The Grand Challenges initiative represents a commitment by the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of Research and Innovation to strategically invest funds earmarked for research.

“The Grand Challenges underscore the university’s dedication to advancing research that has meaningful impacts on our communities and future generations,” Bennett said. “This strategic investment empowers our researchers to address complex issues with creativity and collaboration, further establishing our flagship, land-grant institution as a leader in transformative and interdisciplinary innovation.”

Projects funded in 2024 address the initiative’s seven thematic areas: anti-racism and racial equity; climate resilience; early childhood education and development; health equity; quantum science and engineering; sustainable food and water security; and science and technology literacy for society.

“The Grand Challenges projects represent the qualities of discovery, creativity and innovation that define research at Nebraska,” Jones said. “I am incredibly proud of our faculty’s efforts to work across disciplines to build teams that are equipped to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. I look forward to celebrating the long-term impact of their work.”

Faculty, staff and students from all nine colleges are represented among the teams. The full list of funded projects and teams is available on the Grand Challenges website.

Catalyst awards

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Cattle Industry Professor of animal science; and a team of Anne Schutte, associate professor of psychology, and Sarah Karle, associate professor of landscape architecture, lead teams that earned catalyst awards. The funded projects will support the beef industry in Nebraska and beyond in adapting management practices for a changing climate, and the state’s early childhood education field in creating green spaces and physical environments that promote healthy development, especially for youth in under-resourced communities.

Advancing Development of Assessments, Practices and Tools (ADAPT) to Produce Climate Smart Beef in Grazing Systems 

As consumers become more aware of how their decisions impact the environment, the beef industry is working to build consumer trust in production practices and find ways to improve. Newer incentive programs are based on beef producers demonstrating that their grazing operations improve carbon capture, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, or both. 

A Grand Challenges award will bolster the university's efforts to support a sustainable beef industry, which researchers believe is crucial from an environmental, economic and social standpoint. The ADAPT project, led by beef expert Galen Erickson and a diverse group of faculty and staff from UNL’s Beef Innovation team, aims to establish resilient, climate-smart beef production systems that are tested and scientifically proven to be effective across many types of management practices, soil types, weather conditions, forage types and other factors. The Grand Challenges project aligns with larger efforts that recognize the importance of a sustainable beef industry from environmental, economic and social standpoints.

Nebraska consistently ranks as one of the top beef-producing states in the U.S., making it an ideal laboratory for the team’s work. Husker researchers will develop robust models and cost-effective integrated data-management tools that producers can use to measure carbon flux on their grazing lands. The team will use that data to test potential climate-smart management practices and evaluate effectiveness. This work will provide more information to guide production practice incentives and help shape policy affecting the cattle industry. The team will develop best practices for beef producers to reduce greenhouse gases and the carbon impact of grazing, while supporting a more biodiverse, resilient landscape in Nebraska and beyond.

Through communications and outreach activities, researchers will share scientifically accurate stories about climate-smart beef production and responsible land stewardship. Messages will be geared toward policymakers, environmental and land stewards, consumers and youth.

Read the full article on Nebraska Today.

Source: University of Nebraska-Lincoln