The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), a multi-institutional organization, brings together multidisciplinary experts and advanced technological capabilities to address pressing research issues and to find solutions to complex problems that affect the quality of life in North Carolina, our nation and the world. RENCI leverages its expertise and resources in leading edge computing, visualization, networking and data technologies to catalyze new collaborations and find solutions to previously intractable problems. Founded in 2004 as a major collaborative venture of Duke University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina, RENCI is a statewide virtual organization.

For more information about RENCI, go to www.renci.org.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill has a long and distinguished tradition of environmental research, dating back nearly 200 years. It began with Professors Denison Olmsted and Elisha Mitchell, who helped found natural science programs at UNC at Chapel Hill and prepared the nation's first geological survey. The scope of environmental study here has expanded considerably over time. A major addition to the campus came in the 1920s with the development of a program in sanitary engineering that eventually formed the core of one of the nation's first truly interdisciplinary departments of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, now located in the School of Public Health.

Today, there are programs throughout the campus, covering literally every aspect of environmental study. The UNC Institute for the Environment (UNC IE) helps these individual departments and centers join together in interdisciplinary research, education and engagement, and creates new areas of study in response to some of our most pressing environmental challenges.

The UNC Institute for the Environment is leading UNC's world-renowned environmental community in developing solutions to these critical challenges, educating practitioners, researching, and solving global challenges, and informing people about critical issues.

The Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is structured to conduct innovative research into the phenomenology of natural hazards and their impact on society. Hazards under study at the center include hurricanes, coastal erosion, flooding, earthquake, wildfire, and high winds. Research into additional natural hazards, including studies on the impacts of climate change and sea level rise is under development, as is potential expansion to include research into human-caused and public health-related hazards.

With emphasis on engaging a wide spectrum of collaborative partners—including those in the nonprofit sector as well as in government, academia, and business—the Hazards Center is focused on translating research findings into practice, where information and knowledge gained can be put to use in formulating policy, improving technology, and increasing our nation’s response capabilities. Upcoming projects with international partners will soon expand the center’s scope to include a global perspective on climate and hazard-related experiences around the world. The Hazards Center is also actively developing a series of diverse training, education, and outreach programs to promote hazards awareness among government officials, decision-makers, and the general public with the ultimate goal of increasing resiliency to the impacts of natural hazards at the local, regional, national, and international levels.