ISR Blog
Scientists and experts can help prepare for record shattering heatwaves
If scientists and experts begin to treat extreme heat like other disasters, the public will be more equipped to prepare for it.
Read More Scientists and experts can help prepare for record shattering heatwaves
Combining climate data with local knowledge for disaster preparedness
A sustainability expert from Benin spoke with the ISR about environmental risk management in the Global South and why he joined the network.
Read More Combining climate data with local knowledge for disaster preparedness
This ISR scientist uses e-noses to sniff out disasters before they happen
Nazeli Ter-Petrosyan recently spoke to the ISR about the role of early career scientists in the initiative, and why she believes others should join her.
Read More This ISR scientist uses e-noses to sniff out disasters before they happen
How one Mozambican researcher hopes to mitigate the climate crisis through coffee
An ISR community member from Mozambique discusses what encourages her to continue the fight against climate change.
Read More How one Mozambican researcher hopes to mitigate the climate crisis through coffee
“Did you feel it?” How understanding small earthquakes readies us for big ones
Sarah Minson, a Research Geophysicist, spoke to the ISR about lessons for crisis preparedness from her research on earthquakes.
Read More “Did you feel it?” How understanding small earthquakes readies us for big ones
Why this weather man wants to break down silos in climate and crisis research
Dr. Anthony Torres recently spoke to the ISR about the role of meteorologists in working across silos and preparing the public for climate-related crises.
Read More Why this weather man wants to break down silos in climate and crisis research
ISR community member Daniel San Martin from Chile on wildfire prevention
An ISR community member from Chile shares how he is applying his research to wildfire preparation and response.
Read More ISR community member Daniel San Martin from Chile on wildfire prevention
Q&A with Chike Aguh: ISR’s newest Advisory Council Member
The International Science Reserve is pleased to announce that Chike Aguh, former Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor, has joined ISR’s Advisory Council.
Read More Q&A with Chike Aguh: ISR’s newest Advisory Council Member
Q&A: Meet ISR’s first Science Community Manager
The ISR created a community to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration across borders to engage in disaster preparedness.
Using data to protect food systems from climate impacts
The International Science Reserve convened an expert panel to talk about the role of data in preparing for and responding to potential food system crises.
Read More Using data to protect food systems from climate impacts
Partnering with IBM to put advanced data and AI tools in the hands of crisis researchers
IBM and the ISR are partnering to increase access to specialized data and analytics during global crises.
Read More Partnering with IBM to put advanced data and AI tools in the hands of crisis researchers
When waters rise: Cross-border science for global flood response
What role can scientific experts play in international flood prediction and response?
Read More When waters rise: Cross-border science for global flood response
In step with the UN on science for sustainable development
How ISR can help in fast-moving crises to protect progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Read More In step with the UN on science for sustainable development
Scientists hunt for clues to post-wildfire recovery in Argentina
In August, wildfires ripped through the Córdoba Province in central Argentina, leaving economic damage and a scorched forests and pasture land in its wake. Argentina is no stranger to wildfires, but climate change is making the fires more frequent, widespread and complex – and the impacts of drought and fires are stretching across borders. After…
Read More Scientists hunt for clues to post-wildfire recovery in Argentina
How to address our climate communications crisis with Dr. Sweta Chakraborty
From the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, it’s no longer a question whether effective science communication is necessary to deal with crisis and avert further disaster. The way the scientific community communicates urgent messages can make or break how the public responds to a crisis. Ineffective communications result in inertia or skepticism – and have…
Read More How to address our climate communications crisis with Dr. Sweta Chakraborty
Three experts’ takeaways on gearing up for the next global crisis
Since our launch in early 2022, the International Science Reserve (ISR) has rapidly expanded a network of scientists who are poised to respond to the next big crisis. The ISR aims to take action on crises that are complex, international, and where science and technology can effectively respond. The ISR works in two ways, one…
Read More Three experts’ takeaways on gearing up for the next global crisis
Q&A: Why this fire researcher values collaboration across scientific disciplines
At the heart of the International Science Reserve (ISR) is a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists to respond to some of the world’s biggest crises. To do this, the ISR regularly brings together scientists for readiness exercises, like our first scenario on wildfires, and seeks advice from experts from different scientific disciplines. One ISR…
Read More Q&A: Why this fire researcher values collaboration across scientific disciplines
Real-world scenarios prepare the ISR community for future wildfire crises
When disaster strikes, everyone wishes they were better prepared. One way to prepare is to practice in advance. This is the basic idea of scenario-based exercises in crisis preparation: take a hypothetical but realistic disaster situation. Run a simulation where different individuals, institutions, organizations, or other entities participate and work through what they would do…
Read More Real-world scenarios prepare the ISR community for future wildfire crises
The Voices of the ISR
In March 2022, scientists from around the world participated in the ISR’s online simulation involving hypothetical wildfires in three countries. For this first Readiness Exercise, members of the ISR science community crafted research proposals responding to the three wildfire scenarios. The scientists who submitted proposals come from nine countries, including Brazil, Chile, Australia, the U.S.,…
The past as prologue – the ISR and traditional environmental stewardship
Crossing the streams has always been part of my academic career. As a historian and cultural anthropologist, my own research and writing has been rooted in the value of interdisciplinary thought. I have been fortunate to draw together insights from colleagues who largely work in separate if contiguous worlds. When bridging disciplines as separate as…
Read More The past as prologue – the ISR and traditional environmental stewardship
The International Science Reserve – an ambitious future-proofing initiative for the public good
With its long history of championing science-based solutions to global challenges, the Academy is ideally situated to establish the International Science Reserve (ISR). The ISR will be a network of networks: of communities of experts across scientific disciplines, across sectors, and across borders. The Academy is building the ISR on the model of collaboration we…
International Science Reserve: The evolution of a global scientific readiness force
In June 2020, we were all in one of the first waves of the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which had crippled our world. And back then, neither I nor anyone else could anticipate just how much damage and dread this disease would bring – and for many, feelings of uncertainty and nervousness about the future just wouldn’t go away.
Read More International Science Reserve: The evolution of a global scientific readiness force
Why wildfires were chosen as the pilot crisis for the International Science Reserve
We’ve faced unimaginable difficulties in public health since 2020, but the pandemic isn’t the only crisis confronting communities across the globe.
Although wildfires have been ravaging countries around the world for the last decade, many have recently seen their worst blazes in generations.
Read More Why wildfires were chosen as the pilot crisis for the International Science Reserve
