Events

The REACH Center organizes and co-sponsors a diverse set of events throughout the year. Learn more about upcoming events open to Center members and the broader research community at the events calendar below.

Upcoming Events

Check back soon for events happening later this Summer!

Archived Events

Apr 29, 2025 - Fostering Community Resilience in a Changing Policy Landscape: The REACH Center, GW CHI, and the Sustainability Research Institute at the GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future co-hosted an event as part of DC Climate Week. The session discussed strategies for safeguarding public health amid a rapidly shifting policy landscape. The panel was moderated by Susan Anenberg, Professor and Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health at GW. Panelists included John Balbus, Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at GW; Dennis Chestnut, Community Advocate and Board Chair of the Ward 7 Resilience Hub Community Coalition; and, Lise Van Susteren, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at GW.

Apr 7, 2025 - Community-driven Relocation

The REACH Center and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health co-hosted John Ben Soileau, Program Officer at the National Academy of Sciences and REACH Center Visiting Scholar, for a seminar on community-driven relocation. This seminar reported details from a recent study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Community-driven Relocation.

Materials related to this event:

Zoom recording from the event (password given upon request)
PowerPoint Slides
Community-driven Relocation (full report), to the right of that webpage, there are several 1-4 page briefs under "Resources at a Glance"
The project/study landing page "Managed Retreat"
Other publications from the study (e.g., the Workshop Proceedings)

Resources mentioned during this talk:

Based on Science ; National Academies Press (searchable database)

Mar 21, 2025 - Data Visualization Workshop

The REACH Center and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health co-hosted Dr. Xindi (Cindy) Hu, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, for a hands-on data visualization workshop. This 2-hour session covered fundamental design principles for effective data visualization, best practices for interactive visualizations using R Shiny, and how to leverage Shiny Assistant to accelerate the development process.

Materials related to this event:

Presentation slides
GitHub Repository to workshop material
Zoom recording from the event

Mar 5, 2025 - George Mason REACH Center Introduction

The REACH Center hosted an introductory session for the George Mason University community on the new exploratory research center. An overview of the Center's proposed activities was provided, followed by a discussion on how the new Center can help investigators develop relevant research and collaborations.

Session Recording Available (password given upon request)

Mar 4, 2025 - Team Science Overview with Gaetano Lotrecchiano

The REACH Center and the GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future co-hosted Dr. Gaetano Lotrecchiano, Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership and of Pediatrics, for an overview of the latest developments in the field of team science. This session examined what makes an effective team, with a particular focus on how best to apply these ideas to existing and future collaborations.

Session Recording Available (password given upon request)

Feb 14, 2025 - Howard REACH Center Introduction

The REACH Center hosted an introductory session for the Howard University community on the new exploratory research center. An overview of the Center's proposed activities was provided, followed by a discussion on how the new Center can help investigators develop relevant research and collaborations.

Session Recording Available (request access)

Jan 15, 2025 - NIH Overview

The REACH Center co-hosted an overview of NIH structure, funding mechanisms, and review policies with the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Office of Research Excellence at the GW School of Public Health. This session enabled researchers to learn more about how to prepare a competitive proposal from concept to resubmission, and how to navigate available NIH resources.

Materials related to this event:

Slides shared by Melissa Cornish, Managing Grants Consultant
Slides shared by Esther Erkins, Research Enhancement Officer (GW specific)
Zoom recording from the event

Additional helpful resources related to this event:

NIH Resources: NIH Grants Process Primer: Application to Award - Part One - Video , Part Two - Video

Dec 9, 2024 - Fostering Collaborations between the Geosciences and Health Science Research Communities: The REACH Center co-hosted a salon-style networking event with the CAFÉ RCC and the AGU GeoHealth section at the AGU Annual Conference. Attracting around 150 attendees, this event brought together thought leaders to foster collaborations between experts in geosciences and health sciences.

Dec 4, 2024 - Journal Club

The REACH Center and GW Alliance co-hosted Michael Svoboda, Assistant Professor of Writing at GW, for an overview of the recent literature on extreme weather and environmental pollution. Michael highlighted the trends in the ways—and places—we talk about extreme weather and environmental pollution, in peer- reviewed literature, in think tank reports, and in the popular press.

Session Recording Available (password given upon request)

Nov 25, 2024 - Federal Investments to Accelerate Research at the Intersection of Geoscience and Health Sciences Panel

This virtual event, co-organized by the AGU GeoHealth Section, the CAFÉ RCC, the GeoCAFE Research Coordination Network, and the REACH Center, explored innovative approaches for advancing cross-disciplinary research and fostering collaborations between federal agencies.

Session Recording Available

Nov 20, 2024 - Locked In: Water, Extreme Weather, and Your Role in the Fight: The REACH Center hosted Wendi Wilkes, previous Biden-Administration appointee at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for a peek behind the curtain of the agency's role in safeguarding water resources. In a fireside chat moderated by Dr. Alicia Cooperman, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, the session explored the nexus between extreme weather, water access, and public health—encouraging us to consider the role we too can play in solving one of our generation’s most pressing challenges.

Nov 19, 2024 - GW REACH Center Introduction

The REACH Center hosted an introductory session for the GW community on the new exploratory research center. An overview of the Center's proposed activities was provided, followed by a discussion on how the new Center can help investigators develop relevant research and collaborations.

Session Recording Available (password given upon request)