From Bluegrass to Blue Ridge: How Kentucky’s horses can help Virginia communities gain climate resilience

Written by Sophia Whitaker

Often academic research institutions find themselves in a bubble where research vital to societal progress bounces around inside without breaking out into the ‘real world’, running the risk of slow uptake by communities, or even being lost to the academic vacuum. In 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program to make investments that enable academic institutions to accelerate the pace and scale of moving research results into practice.  The NSF issued the first set of ART awards in 2024 to 18 US institutions, including George Mason University.  With this funding, George Mason’s Virginia Climate Center (VCC) and Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE), in partnership with the Center for Climate Strategies and with mentorship from the University of Kentucky (UK), are working to build programs that will help George Mason faculty and students put their research into practice to create climate ready communities across Virginia. 

Kentucky horse farm. Source: Eva Varlioglu

Last month, leaders of George Mason’s ART initiative convened at the UK campus in Lexington, Kentucky to learn how UK is pioneering efforts in transforming academic research into practical methods and tools. As a land-grant institution, UK is the host of Kentucky’s Cooperative Extension Service which provides community support on a range of topics like economic development, nutrition, and agriculture. Leaders of the UK Cooperative Extension Service noted the heightened need for an effective process to translate research to practice, citing current projects with issues linked to a changing climate. On the agricultural front, for example, UK experts are working closely with farmers to address threats to the equine industry in Kentucky where invasive grasses carrying pests are outcompeting native species in warming temperatures, harming pregnant horses and their foals. Their research will ultimately be used to support farming practices that encourage the growth of safer grass species and provide significant relief to the state’s agricultural community. Other environmental efforts at UK include a stream restoration project that helps mitigate flood damage, provides environmental education opportunities, and facilitates collaboration with local communities to address similar watershed and land use concerns. 

A notably challenging aspect of research translation is ensuring the information is accessible to a wide audience and equitably provides societal benefits. UK’s research center UK Innovate specializes in solving this challenge with their Social Innovation team. Here members of the team develop programs to deliver research products and evaluate the benefits in local communities. This helps to establish a process in which innovations coming out of academic institutions can effectively contribute to progress and have a sustained societal impact in a timely manner.  

UK ASTeCC building, home to the UK Innovate office. Source: University of Kentucky

The translational research experience and societal impact methods coming out of UK provide George Mason’s ART initiative with valuable insight on how they can best serve communities here in Virginia. Efforts will be focused on designing a transformative new model for research translation allowing university researchers to work directly with local stakeholders to address climate concerns and enhance local resilience to climate change. In addition, students and young professionals will have the option to participate in ART training programs to prepare for a career focused on use-inspired research and social entrepreneurship. 

The impacts of a changing climate have made obvious the ever-growing need for academic institutions to conduct actionable research and translate results for practical societal benefit. With guidance and insight from UK’s Cooperative Extension Service and Social Innovation team, projects under George Mason’s ART programs will improve the bridge connecting academia to communities and transform the work of experts into tangible benefits for Virginians. For more information and continued updates on George Mason’s ART programs, visit the ISE ART webpage. 

 Author

Sophia Whitaker

Sophia is Communications Manager for the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University.