We’re getting ready to launch Season 4 of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast in May. Host Sarah Thorne recently talked with Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Lead of the Engineering With Nature Program, and Jeff King, Deputy National Lead of the Engineering With Nature Program, about the EWN Podcast and what’s ahead for Season 4. The EWN Podcast launched July 2020 and, as Todd notes, “We have been amazed by th...
Apr 12, 2022•7 min
Nature-based solutions – or NBS – are front and center in major policy changes in the US ( https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act) that emphasize the urgent need to take action to build climate resiliency and significantly renew and upgrade the country's infrastructure. In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Env...
Mar 15, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Lead of the Engineering With Nature® Program, continue the discussion with Mark Arax, author of The Dreamt Land. In Episode 8 we discussed Mark’s book about the history of California and “the great water experiment”, much of which has taken place in the San Joaquin Valley over the past 100 years. Today the Valley, the most productive agr...
Mar 01, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Bounded by two mountain ranges, the 450 mile long Central Valley dominates the middle of California and covers about 11% of the State. The Central Valley is divided into two parts: the northern Sacramento Valley and the southern San Joaquin Valley. Technically, because it averages less than 10 inches of rain a year, the San Joaquin Valley is a desert. And thanks to what is called the “great water experiment” of the last 100 years, it is the most productive agricultural region in the world, with ...
Feb 15, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Imagine if we could use plants to help solve complex engineering problems, while enhancing natural ecosystems. And what if we could use plants – and the process of planting – to restore damaged ecosystems, and in the process, build community resilience? Our guests are doing just that, and a lot more! In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature® Program at the US Army Corps of Engineers, are joined by Tosin Sekoni, Research Ecologist, US Army Corps...
Feb 01, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 7
https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/?p=6272 , Applying EWN Strategies at National Parks and Refuges, we featured a robust discussion about the significant impacts of climate change on National Parks and Wildlife Refuges and how Engineering With Nature approaches are being used to protect these precious natural resources and make them more resilient. In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature Program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, continue the discuss...
Jan 18, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Climate change and the imperative to take action now is top of mind following the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. The effects of climate change – rising sea levels, changing temperature and precipitation patterns, wildfires and many other changes impact vulnerable natural resources, including national parks and wildlife refuges. In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature Program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are ...
Nov 30, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 5
How can Engineering With Nature approaches make urban landscapes more livable? In this episode, host Sarah Thorne and Todd Bridges, the Army’s Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science and National Lead for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature Program, are talking with planners from two very different cities – New York City and Fort Collins, Colorado. Our guests are Adam Parris, Deputy Director for Climate Science and Services at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Cli...
Nov 16, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This episode exemplifies our theme for Season 3 –Creating the Future with EWN. Host Sarah Thorne and Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are talking with three PhD students who are doing truly groundbreaking work: Matt Chambers from the University of Georgia, Joseph Holway from Arizona State University, and Justine McCann from the University of Oklahoma. These students represent three of the academic institutions associated with the ...
Nov 03, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In Episode 1 we discussed the unprecedented opportunity presented by President Biden's January 2021 Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad , to incorporate Engineering With Nature approaches into major infrastructure and climate resilience projects. Factoring the benefits and costs of nature-based solutions into decisions about infrastructure investments is a critical step on the path to sustainability. This episode continues the discussion with our guests, Todd Bridges,...
Oct 19, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Over 700 people attended the live launch of the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management on September 16, 2021. Host Sarah Thorne talks with Todd Bridges, Lead, Engineering With Nature, United States Army Corps of Engineers, about the importance of the Guidelines. This effort was the culmination of five years of collaboration to develop the Guidelines, 1000 pages of knowledge, information and experience about the use of natural nature-based features...
Oct 05, 2021•13 min
President Biden's January 2021 Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad , emphasizes the urgency of taking action to build climate resiliency and specifically calls for the inclusion of nature-based solutions. Combined with the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved by the US Senate in August, 2021, which describes major infrastructure projects to be undertaken, these represent an unprecedented opportunity to incorporate Engineering With Nature approac...
Oct 05, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Season 3 of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast launches October 6. It’s been a big year for Engineering With Nature! Host, Sarah Thorne, recently talked with Todd Bridges, Lead Engineering With Nature, United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), about why and what’s coming up in Season 3. As Todd notes: “there's a whole range of things that make this year a big year, including the fact that Congress recognized Engineering With Nature in very formal way by including it within the budget, whi...
Sep 29, 2021•5 min
After years of development and collaboration with 150+ contributors and authors, from 70+ organizations, from 10+ countries, the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management are being released on September 16, 2021. Host Sarah Thorne talks with Jeff King, Deputy Lead Engineering With Nature and Todd Bridges, Lead, Engineering With Nature, United States Army Corps of Engineers, about how the guidelines came about and why they are so important to practiti...
Sep 04, 2021•6 min
In Part 2 of Episode 8, our discussion continues with Todd Bridges, National Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Anita van Breda, Senior Director, Environment and Disaster Management at the World Wildlife Fund; and William Glamore, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow at the Water Research Laboratory, UNSW Sydney, Australia. We’re talking about the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features coming out in September and o...
Aug 11, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Climate change is affecting the ecosystems that support life and everything we depend on. The United Nations declared 2021 to 2030 the ‘Decade of Ecosystem Restoration’, and there is a global effort to restore ecosystems and the many benefits they provide, from enhancing food security and safe water to biodiversity. In this episode, we're talking about the Pacific Region and how Engineering With Nature can learn from and add value to innovative ecosystem restoration, conservation, disaster manag...
Jul 27, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In Part 2 of Episode 7, we continue our discussion with Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Lead for EWN; and Kris Tjernell, Deputy Director, Integrated Watershed Management for the California Department of Water Resources. We discuss their plans to fully integrate EWN into critical watershed projects in California. They hope these projects will showcase innovation and new ways of thinking about climate change adapt...
Jul 06, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 7
From flood risk to extreme drought and wildfire, California is feeling the brunt of climate change impacts and is, by necessity, at the forefront of climate change innovation. In this episode, we're talking about the unique challenges of managing California’s precious water resources and about a new collaboration between the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Engineering With Nature®. Our guests are Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U....
Jun 22, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In 2020, the United States experienced extreme droughts, wildfires, flooding, and a record number of hurricanes. What if there was a better way to monitor and prepare for these natural events, and how could an Engineering With Nature (EWN) approach add value to “the climate change imperative?” That’s what we’re exploring in this episode with Safra Altman, PhD, Research Ecologist in the Environmental Laboratory at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Marshall Shepherd, PhD, Meteorologist and Dir...
Jun 08, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Seventeen hundred U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) bases around the world are subject to sea level rise, which has increased by seven to eight inches since 1900. Natural hazards, such as severe storms and hurricanes, are occurring more frequently; and climate change is changing the profile of those hazards. Innovative solutions are needed to protect these bases. In this episode we’re talking with Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of En...
May 25, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The World Bank estimates that climate change will push an additional 100 million people globally into poverty in the coming years. In Part 1, we talked with Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Lead for Engineering With Nature®, and Dr. Brenden Jongman, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Todd and Brenden discussed the World...
May 18, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In 2020, natural hazards like storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires caused more than $200 billion in damage worldwide and the death of 8,000 people. Since 1980, there have been 285 weather and climate-related disasters in the United States alone that have produced at least $1 billion in damage. In this two-part episode, we’re talking with Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Lead for Engineering With Nature®, a...
May 12, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Climate change is having a significant effect on Arctic communities. The loss of permafrost and ice sheets, sea level rise, erosion, and many other factors are putting people living in coastal communities and their traditional way of life at risk. In this episode, we’re talking with Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Sam Whitin, Coastal Resilience Director at EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. PBC; and Enda Murphy, Senior...
Apr 14, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In our next episode, we’ll be talking with Enda Murphy of the National Research Council of Canada and Sam Whitin of EA Engineering, Science and Technology about Building Resilience in Cold Regions with EWN and Natural and Nature-based Features. They’ll be talking about interesting projects underway and planned in Alaska and Canada. And Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the US Army Corps of Engineers, invites listeners to participate in the launch of the Engineering...
Mar 31, 2021•3 min
What happens when you bring engineers together with landscape architects and their students to work on real coastal resilience challenges in the field? What can the disciplines of engineering and landscape architecture learn from each other? And what kinds of solutions will they produce when faced with very real coastal risk management issues following a hurricane? In this episode, we’re talking with Rob Holmes at Auburn University, Sean Burkholder at the University of Pennsylvania, and Brian Da...
Mar 30, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 2
As the world emerges from the COVID 19 pandemic, infrastructure will play a key role in helping economies around the world recover. The World Economic Forum estimates $100 trillion dollars will be committed to infrastructure projects in the next thirty years. In Season 2 of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast , we’ll explore the important role EWN will play in expanding and diversifying the value of that infrastructure. Season 2 kicks off with an announcement by Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Researc...
Mar 16, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The Engineering With Nature® Podcast Season 2 launches March 17, and we’re pretty excited about the lineup. Host, Sarah Thorne, recently talked with Todd Bridges, Lead Engineering With Nature, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), about the upcoming season. His bottom line: “the future is right and the future is bright for EWN. It is the right direction for infrastructure and the timing is ideal.” Why now? The World Economic Forum recently estimated that that by mid-century, $100 trillion dollars ...
Mar 09, 2021•9 min
In this episode of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast , our guests are Dr. Brian Bledsoe, Director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science, with the US Army Corps of Engineers, and founder and national lead of the Engineering With Nature initiative and the sponsor of this podcast. They discuss a new partnership – the Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN). Its focus...
Oct 27, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The growing global population is putting a lot of pressure on the world's natural resources and its natural infrastructure – the forest, prairies, agricultural lands, estuaries, coasts, and wetlands that we all depend on. Protecting and restoring the health of our natural infrastructure is paramount if we want to continue to enjoy the many economic, environmental and social benefits that it provides. In this episode, we’re talking with two people who believe that sustainable natural infrastructu...
Oct 20, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Monica Chasten grew up in Vineland, NJ, close to the South New Jersey beaches where her parents and grandparents fostered her love for the coast. With a talent in math and science, she started looking at the coast in a different way, wondering why the waves would break the way they did and how “piles of rocks” could protect the fragile shoreline. She translated her passion into a 35-year career as a coastal engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Monica was the moving force leading Phila...
Oct 13, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8
