Please join us for a UW Data Science Seminar on Tuesday, October 3rd from 4:30 to 5:20 p.m. PST. The seminar will feature both project groups from eScience’s Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) summer program.
This event will take place in the Physics/Astronomy Auditorium 102 (PAA A102) on the University of Washington campus.
“Heating Pumps in Alaska and Beyond”
Abstract: Decarbonization, a pressing global issue, necessitates the transition from carbon-intensive power to net-zero sources. The Arctic is an area of particular concern, where warming occurs at double the global rate and thermal energy, primarily fossil fuel-based, represents about 75% of energy consumption. Accurate estimation of heat pump potential, a key strategy in decarbonization pathways, requires a comprehensive understanding of their use and system redundancy considerations.
This project focuses on fine-tuning methods for assessing heat pump usage and potential in Alaska. Access to statewide building outlines, coupled with climate data, will inform current and future models. These models aim to estimate the annual heating efficiency of different heat pump units, enabling visualization of usage patterns. This analysis is essential in gauging both present and future heat pump utilization, providing critical insights for efficient decarbonization strategies.
“Generating regionally integrative datasets to understand groundwater insecurities in the Colorado River Basin”
Abstract: The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is experiencing unprecedented water scarcity. Arguably, the CRB is an epicenter of North American water crises, and a microcosm of the environmental governance challenges we can expect to observe in the coming decades. Understanding the drivers for groundwater elevation change will inform interconnected hydrological dynamics and potential policy interventions to support communities, livelihoods, and broader determinants of well-being in the CRB. While water insecurity in the CRB has been covered extensively by the media, much of the existing focus has been on surface water resource decline (e.g., the depletion of Lake Mead). Little understanding exists of groundwater elevation change in the CRB, and more importantly, policy interventions that can support the integrative management of surface and groundwater (i.e., conjunctive water governance). This project will enhance the study of groundwater change dynamics in geographies experiencing significant water-related stressors.
The UW Data Science Seminar is an annual lecture series at the University of Washington that hosts scholars working across applied areas of data science, such as the sciences, engineering, humanities and arts along with methodological areas in data science, such as computer science, applied math and statistics. Our presenters come from all domain fields and include occasional external speakers from regional partners, governmental agencies and industry.
The 2022-2023 seminars will be held in person, and are free and open to the public.