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News and Updates

May 2023

Ryan Calder writes letter to District of Columbia council, mayor, and agency directors urging action on traffic safety. The letter was co-signed by >650 individuals and nine local organizations urging action on traffic safety and has been covered in the national press.

Census Block Groups in the District of Columbia grouped by fraction of population Black or African American (alone or together with another race) in corresponding Census Tract plotted against number of crashes with fatal/serious injuries since 2016. Five top neighborhoods in ≥75% group are identified with Census Tract number in parentheses. Excluding Tract 98000 (population 18).

Census Block Groups in the District of Columbia grouped by fraction of population Black or African American (alone or together with another race) in corresponding Census Tract plotted against number of crashes with fatal/serious injuries since 2016. Five top neighborhoods in ≥75% group are identified with Census Tract number in parentheses. Excluding Tract 98000 (population 18).

April 2023

Paper by Ryan Calder and collaborators at Fisheries and Oceans Canada selected as editor's choice🏅 We argue that Atlantic herring decline is driven by natural predation exacberated by fishing and that the recent fisheries moratorium is justified by the precautionary principle.


December 2022

PhD student Amir Mortazavigazar presents poster at AGU 2022 on the use of causal inference to scope environmental impact assessment.


June 2022:

Ryan Calder part of team awarded $2 million grant from the Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program to develop tool to support land-use decision-making on U.S. military bases. Lead PI is Mark Borsuk (Duke University). 


November 2022

Ryan Calder publishes article in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences on the drivers of the ongoing decline in Atlantic herring, supporting recent government action on the closure of the commercial fisheries. Coauthors are Jenni McDermid and Stephanie Boudreau (Fisheries and Oceans Canada).


November 2022

Ryan Calder publishes article in ES&T on total social costs and benefits of long-distance hydropower transmission. Co-authors are Mark Borsuk and Celine Robinson (Duke University). 


May 2022

Ryan Calder speaks with the Adirondack Explorer about environmental health impacts of the Champlain-Hudson Power Express transmission line to New York City.


July 2021

Ryan Calder publishes article in ES&T Letters on how viral pandemics disrupt dynamics of food-energy-water systems using the case study of COVID-19. Coauthors: Caitlin Grady (Penn State U.), Marc Jeuland (Duke U.), Christine Kirchhoff (U. Connecticut), Rebecca Hale (Idaho State U.) and Becca Muenich (Arizona State U.)


November 2020

Ryan Calder speaks with the CBC about methylmercury levels at Muskrat Falls

"Researcher raises Muskrat methylmercury alarm, but Nalcor contractor says levels safe"


October 2020

Ryan Calder speaks to The Revelator about the role of Canadian hydropower in U.S. renewable energy transitions

"Promise or Peril? Importing Hydropower to Fuel the Clean Energy Transition"


October 2020

Ryan Calder and colleagues at Duke University release report quantifying net benefits of long-distance transmission of hydropower from Quebec to the U.S. 

"Long-distance transmission of Canadian hydropower is a cost-effective complement to U.S. renewable energy transitions"

"Long-distance transmission of Canadian hydropower is a cost-effective complement to U.S. renewable energy transitions"


November 2020

Ryan Calder speaks to The Telegram about methylmercury levels at Muskrat Falls.

"Methylmercury levels downstream from Muskrat Falls concern researcher"