Texas A&M Institute for Sustainable Communities

“As future chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, located in Louisiana, Devon Parfait ’22 regularly contemplates problems facing his tribal community such as coastal land loss, low educational attainment and low economic opportunity.”

For Devon Parfait ’22, future chief of Louisiana Native American tribe, geosciences is personal – The Williams Record As future chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, located in Louisiana, Devon Parfait ’22 regularly contemplates problems facing his tribal community such as coastal land loss, low educational attainment and low economic opportunity.  “Tribal communities down south a...

Congratulations to IfSC Director, Dean Jorge Vanegas!

On Dec. 2, a decade after being inducted to the Pan American Academy of Engineering, Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture, was installed as the Academy's fifth president. Vanegas will focus on elevating the stature of the value of engineering in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals though transdisciplinary, transinstitutional, and transnational collaboration, to ensure a livable, resilient, and sustainable future for communities across the countries of the Americas.

Gig 'Em and congrats Jorge!
Texas A&M University Texas A&M Engineering

“When high pollution levels occur in a neighborhood, residents are likely to be Black or Latino families, and a new survey finds many white Americans are unaware of the disparity.

Elise Nelson Leary, manager of campaigns and partnerships for the Environmental Defense Fund said the national poll conducted for the group found fewer than four in 10 white adults know minority neighborhoods often aren't like their own.”

Poll: White Americans Unaware of Pollution Impacts in Disadvantaged Areas AUSTIN, Texas -- When high pollution levels occur in a neighborhood, residents are likely to be Black or Latino families, and a new survey finds many white Americans are unaware of the disparity. Elise Nelson Leary, manager of campaigns and partnerships for the Environmental Defense Fund said the na...

Nearly 25% of students at Texas A&M are first-generation college students!

Gig 'em to all of our Aggies who are first-gen students — we're so glad you're part of the Aggie Family.

“The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist the Tribe in building a community that is food-secure with equitable access to fresh and healthy foods. The grant will be used to fund the efforts of Choctaw Fresh Produce, the Tribe’s certified organic farm.”

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians receives $450K grant for food security The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist the Tribe in building a community that is food-secure with equitable

Opportunities - Coastal Resilience Center Read about the latest jobs and funding opportunities related to coastal resilience.

“Newman is part of a band of researchers seeking flooding solutions as part of Partnerships for International Research (PIRE), a massive, $3.5 million, five-year initiative funded by the National Science Foundation that includes faculty and student researchers from Texas A&M, Rice University, Jackson State University, and TU Delft in the Netherlands, a nation that has fine-tuned flood mitigation techniques for centuries and is considered the world’s flood prevention leader.”

Turning Back The Tide Of Flooding - Texas A&M Today Texas A&M landscape architecture professor Galen Newman is seeking solutions to devastating flood events.

Today on Indigenous Peoples Day we honor, respect, and acknowledge the contributions and importance of our Native communities. For those who don’t know me, my name is Charlene Shroulote-Duran, I am big Parrot of baby Eagle, from the Pueblo of Acoma nation. I have been serving in the role of associate director for the IfSC. Part of the mission of the IfSC is to build and sustain resilient communities. Considered one of the oldest inhabited communities in the nation, Acoma is an example of a resilient community. My ancestors have survived for many many years on top of the mesa with no running water, indoor plumbing or electricity. My people are still here contributing to and sustaining our way of life. There are so many other Indigenous communities around the world. I encourage everyone to learn more about these great sovereign nations.

Also, we recognize TAMU occupies the land of multiple nations including the Tonkawa, Tawakoni, Hueco, Sana, Wichita, and Coahuiltechan Peoples.

We honor, support and advocate for the histories, languages, cultures, and rightful ownership of the land of the historic indigenous peoples of the state and those who currently still live here.

Does Nature or Society Create Risk? Practical Implications of Shifting the Disaster Frame Using the term “natural” in conjunction with disaster obscures the ways that risk is created. Learn more about the data behind why that matters.